Amazon Removes SimCity Download From Sale Due To Server Issues

Amazon.com has currently stopped selling the downloadable version of the latest SimCity due to the continued server errors the game is currently experiencing. The disc version’s product page also has a warning about the servers.

EA’s latest entry into the city builder has an always on DRM which means players have to be connected to an EA server whether they are playing single player or multiplayer. This measure has meant people have had to wait in queues to start playing the game, even the single player portion. Add the fact that game saves are hosted on EA servers and not locally, means players will have to wait to retrieve those saves too, or lose progress if the servers experience problems.

The current user reviews for SimCity on Amazon won’t make for pretty reading for EA and Maxis either with the game currently having a one star rating, with 749 one star reviews from customers who are angered by the always online DRM.

SimCity is due to unlock via Origin at midnight tonight. Fingers crossed.

Source: Amazon

26 Comments

  1. Don’t like the save been stored on EA’s servers. Bound to cause problems. Credit to amazon for providing a warning for the disc version.

  2. While I don’t particulary like these server shenanigans, leaving negative reviews for a game you haven’t played is incredibly childish. I doubt all those reviews came from people who’ve actually bought it.

    • They are not saying the game is bad, they are just saying they cant play it! after spending 60 dollars on it!!! Of course they should leave negative reviews because of that, thats the point of the reviews, to know how a game is. If the game its unplayable, then that’s that. 0/5.

      • Fair enough if you own the game, I’m complaining about people who do not even own it doing as such.

      • They should complain too IMO. Its a disgrace a company can do this and tell its customers to wait while they fix it. There are viral emails/screenshots of customers also being told by support at EA that they can’t have refunds too, because it’s in the T&Cs that they don’t have to due to server issue.

        Absolutely disgraceful ! People should start boycotting this company, follow my lead. I haven’t bought an EA game since BF3 came out.

      • Person678, then we agree. I thought you meant people that hadnt played it because of the server problems as well. Actually, i didnt even know you could leave a review at amazon without having bought the item.

    • Well the servers and the DRM are part of the games experience so its only fair its reviewed as such. Especially if it doesn’t work.

    • I could understand why if I had thrown down £44.99 – £74.99 on the pre-order, its out now and people can’t play it. Thats why they’re all raging at the Amazon, Metacritic etc etcs user reviews.

      Its a shambles…

  3. Good for Amazon for doing this. I was going to buy the game but I’m holding off because of these teething problems (and let’s face it, that’s all they are, so the negative reviews just for the connection aren’t warranted).

    To be honest though, I’m thinking of not buying it at all because of it not being available on Steam; all of my PC games apart from Diablo 3 and Starcraft 2 are on there, and I forget I have those two sometimes because Steam is kind of my games “hub” (I have added shortcuts to them both in Steam though).

    I can only really afford either one or two games this month and was trying to decide between Sim City, the expansion for Starcraft 2, and the new Gears of War. I ended up buying Tomb Raider earlier because it looks pretty impressive; and if I do buy a second game this month, it’ll be Gears.

  4. Same thing happened with Diablo III, though I don’t think it was this bad.
    DRM I can live with but online saves thus having to wait to play – simply stupid idea.
    EA CEO going to kick the cat after this in addition to Dead Space 3 poor sales rumours. EA – it is like this; your servers are crap, Origin is crap, DRM implementation is crap and your attitude is crap. Crap crappity crap! A better attitude to the gamers and a big plunger is sorely needed.

  5. I thought I read somewhere that it wasn’t a ‘always-on’ DRM, just one where you have to be connected to start it up?
    Was going to get this but i’ll probably wait to see if modders can alter the code to make it playable without a connection =P

  6. Read some reports that EA have stripped out some features in order to attempt to stabilise the service which in turn may be breaking people’s save files.

    Is this Karma in action then?

  7. I got the game installed and played through the tutuorial. Getting onto a server was a problem though. After this I went back to BF3 End-game, that’s also EA, but that one works (swedish backed power train).

  8. Serves them right. If they want to shove this DRM stuff down people’s throat and rhen can’t even manage the servers they deserve every piece of shit thrown their way.

  9. I was really looking forward to the latest version of SimCity after many years enjoying the franchise, so I signed up for the beta back then, not once did I get a game in the beta & I tried, boy did I try. :(
    Until EA strip out the DRM I’m gonna stick with 4, that works ;)

  10. Polygon updated their review of the game a second time. First they dropped it from a 10 to an 8, now the rating is sitting at 4.
    Hopefully EA will learn from this. Their business model is starting to crumble and fans no longer bow to their practices.

    • Not true. People continue to buy their games no matter what shit they pull. Always on DRM, On-Line Passes, Micro-transactions, 4 hour £50 games. Their marketing budget ensures that their games will always sell and while the masses keep buying them they will continue finding new ways to maximise their profits.

      • Yip, Budgie is right. People are still buying. They still dominate most charts you see. And at risk of sounding like a broken record, the majority of people that buy SimCity or Fifa, or whatever, do NOT read gaming websites to the extent we do.
        And because of this, they aren’t in the know. They will keep buying.

        Actually, my mate was going to buy this and I warned him there might be a server issue. A) he didn’t know there was DRM B) he hadn’t picked up the fact that it was EA and they have a history of having dodgy servers.

      • Yes, the majority of people who buy Sim City don’t read gaming news sites, but they will experience the same server issues as the rest of the community and they will remember it.
        I admit it’s a slow process, but I think the ball is finally starting to roll.

      • No, people will remember. You think they spend 60 dollar on a game that doesn’t work and just go “Meh, too bad, better luck next time.”?

      • but you don’t have to read the games sites to know when you buy a game and you can’t play it.

        even the least informed gamer in the world will notice that.

        this will push people away from ea games.
        word of mouth spreads, even among less informed gamers.

        they keep doing stuff like this and even among the casual gamers ea are going to be shunned.

        bad news travels a lot faster than good news.

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