14 DAY TRIAL // Electronic Arts has just been crowned the Worst Company in America after hundreds of thousands of people voted on an online poll between EA and Bank of America.
Videogames have been dismissed over the years as a pointless type of entertainment enjoyed only by a niche minority. However, a recent poll to find the worst company in America, conducted by website The Consumerist, has yielded some interesting results.
In the poll’s final, Bank of America, which was practically a sure winner because of the ongoing recession, was beaten by Electronic Arts, the publisher of big videogames like the recent Mass Effect 3.
“After more than 250,000 votes, Consumerist readers ultimately decided that the type of greed exhibited by EA, which is supposed to be making the world a more fun place, is worse than Bank of America's avarice, which some would argue is the entire point of operating a bank,” the website pointed out.
Without a doubt, a huge role in this backlash is played by the ongoing saga over Mass Effect 3’s ending and the disappointment of fans that a bit of crucial content, in the form of the From Ashes add-on, was removed from the game and sold as DLC right when it came out.
The videogame publisher also issued a statement on the matter, brushing off the unpleasant remarks it gained from the voters in the poll, effectively saying that there are plenty of other companies much worse than EA.
"We're sure that bank presidents, oil, tobacco, and weapons companies are all relieved they weren't on the list this year. We're going to continue making award-winning games and services played by more than 300 million people worldwide," EA’s Corporate Communications Senior Director John Reseburg told Gamasutra about this award.
While EA certainly hasn’t gotten itself much love with the recent Mass Effect 3, the company and its BioWare studio are trying to clear things up about the game and its ending by working on a downloadable add-on.
What do you think? Is EA the worst company in the U.S.A.?