The respawning item glitch in EA’s Dead Space 3 (released on Friday the 8th) isn’t a glitch at all, say EA, with the publisher adding that they have no intentions of patching it out.
There’s a section in mission 8 that features a randomly rotating resource each time to enter a door – you can read more about it here – and by repeatedly picking up the items you can increase your valuable resource levels without scavenging or buying the packs.
However, despite it looking like a glitch, EA have said otherwise.
“The resource-earning mechanic in Dead Space 3 is not a glitch,” claims EA representative Jino Talens. “We have no plans to issue a patch to change this aspect of the game. We encourage players to explore the game and discover the areas where resources respawn for free.”
The BBC reported, by way of an “intellectual property expert” that gamers using this method of ‘farming’ could be theft. “Arguably if you go into this game knowing you are supposed to be paying for these weapons and you notice a glitch allows you to accumulate them without paying, that’s theft as well,” said a spokesperson at solicitors Lupton, Fawcett, Lee & Priestley.
The report also throws around words like “ethical”. It’s an odd read.
We’ve deliberately designed Dead Space 3 to allow players to harvest resources by playing through the game. For those that wish to accumulate upgrades instantly, we have enabled an optional system for them to buy the resources at a minimal cost ($1-$3).”
This is a smart response from EA. Whilst resources are plentiful on the lower levels, those playing on the higher difficulty modes may well want to take advantage of the respawning item. After all, if it’s not a glitch, it’s not a cheat. Right?
To read what we think of Dead Space 3, click here.
KeRaSh
Good guy EA. There might be humans working there after all. :P
Starman
If the glitch doesn’t appear till level 8 isn’t that pretty far in anyway? Maybe their response would be different if it was right at the start.
Nickboss1
If you leave your door open I’m going to come in.
CR8ZYH0RSE
Super ethical.Micro transactions my arse.Sorry,that was a glitch.
xdarkmagician
That BBC report does bring up an interesting argument. If a game based on microtransactions has a glitch that allows free microtransactions is it a crime to exploit the glitch? In retail if someone leaves a product out in the open and you take it, its theft. It doesn’t matter if the retailer failed to properly secure their product. If its just as illegal to take digital content without paying for it, exploiting a glitch would fall under piracy. But, if youre paying for access to the software and the software includes the glitch how can it be considered illegal when the software is what allows the exploit. Do the piracy laws now expect that software should work perfect and if it doesn’t that the consumer is to blame?
It may seem like nonsense, but they way piracy/copyright laws are written, it is illegal to exploit a glitch. Most terms of service strictly forbid using software in accordances which weren’t intended by the developer, which includes exploiting glitches. Just another reason why we need to get more consumer protection installed into the copyright laws and terms of service.
Alex C
You’re not seriously suggesting that going backwards and forwards through a door in a game multiple times to pick up items is legally theft?
Most ToS that involve stuff like this won’t stand up in court, and I’m pretty sure this one won’t.
blarty
No it’s not a crime, for it to be a crime, the software has to take reasonable precautions to ‘secure’ the game, such that the only way to farm these resources involves circumventing these precautions in such a manner as to invalidate the terms and conditions of the sale contract. The fact is that if I was losing a source of revenue via a glitch that’s potentially down to my lack of QA testing (i.e it was introduced by me) why would I increase that potential loss by starting criminal cases where clearly the fault lies with me.
EA have let this go, as they should have, and they don’t seem overly bothered by it, publicly at least. Let’s make no bones about this, the whole micro-transaction stuff was a storm in a teacup as it was for Mass Effect 3. Does that mean that other forays by EA, or other companies will be the same in the future? Not really sure.
Every console/PC game publisher knows that you can’t stymie a player who pays £40 for a game….. although on iOS/Android where you have free or 69p games it’s absolutely rife, and is essentially a series of roadblocks in games, designed without shame to make people part with their cash, and keep parting with it.
Avenger
I can get his point but it greatly depends on what the laws specifically state to even justify that because if EA were to take someone to court (bad PR for starters) on grounds of theft, that person accused could quite honestly be a 10 year old who thinks its part of the game that there is a re spawning ammo. That could apply to any of us and I greatly doubt the law stipulates on glitches.
Also if it were in court its easy to bollock EA by stating that the glitch in the game means the product does not fulfil it’s purpose in using in-game purchases. So in other words if ownership and liability were given on in-game items, the glitch screws EA for failing to distribute a game that doesn’t work as advertised.