Because it's cool to be reactionary, man. EA really are serving a purpose. It really is the cycle of capitalist economics. As the industry expands, select companies like EA, Activision-Blizzard, Microsoft, and Sony (we'll certainly see a few more major companies develop an extended vested interest either in part or in total of various developing/publishing companies. This phenomena is the product of the expansion of a given industry, and serves to indirectly stimulate growth of other various publishers and developers whom are not financially related to the major publishers. This has been coming to fruition gradually for decades, though has only become a point of interest due to growth in the video game industry. Furthermore, where in-game advertisements are concerned, they will be increasingly necessary if you expect to continue to purchase video games with a high production value. The various publishing companies have to consider how to maximize profits for shareholders to stimulate further investment while also considering the expectations of the end user, or consumer. If you studied economics (and you should), you would know that EA haven't even formed the basis of a monopoly. Even if they were, the acquisition of development companies can be just as positive as it can be negative. What's upsetting is when development teams that underperform are dismantled more quickly under companies like EA than they are under other publishing companies. Such growth, generally, can also stifle creativity and individualism in video game design. I don't expect to see many ICOs or Earthbounds this generation, if you know what I mean. Given the ease of development for the Wii, such titles may simply migrate from the Playstation console to the Wii (and PSN/XBLMP), which could also catalyze further issues concerning independently developed media's production value and quality, such as we've seen with sites like YouTube.
The problem that both the producer and the consumer in any expanding industry have to address is the reconciliation of industry standards of development and creativity with the characteristics of a rapidly growing industry and market, as well as a much more diverse demographic.
Also, who expects sports franchises to change drastically year to year? Though I must admit, Madden has been horrendous lately, though they made up for that with the latest FIFA. Advertisement in these games is perfectly acceptable. I don't mind seeing advertisements for energy drinks, Puma, Adidas, and Umbra in FIFA. It really shouldn't be an issue, because it only adds to the realism. Some games obviously should not include advertising, like Bioshock, Assassin's Creed, or Metal Gear.
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