It's always a bit cringe when corporations try to get in on social media memes, isn't it? There's a very. very fine line between a legitimately clever tweet and a tweet that completely blows up in the author's face — and it's the latter that's happened to EA's official account.
As we all know, the publisher is already unpopular amongst hardcore gaming fans — the kind of people who read this very website on a regular basis — so when it tweeted: "They’re a 10 but they only like playing single-player games," the company was just begging for a beatdown.
Of course, EA has had a notorious reputation when it comes to single-player projects. Years ago, it was one of the first big publishers to go almost all-in on multiplayer and live service titles, to the point where it had legendary RPG developer BioWare make ANTHEM. It also killed properties like Dead Space in pursuit of more live service success, especially after FIFA became such a global phenomenon.
To be fair, EA has learned some kind of lesson, because BioWare is back on the RPG train (a new Mass Effect is in development alongside Dragon Age: Dreadwolf), and Dead Space is actually being remade — but reputations are incredibly hard to shake in this industry.
And so EA's being raked across burning hot coals for that aforementioned tweet. The company did try to backtrack its attempt at memery with a follow-up post, which reads: "Roast well deserved. We’ll take this L cause playing single player games actually makes them an 11," but the damage had already been done.
The biggest dunk we've seen probably comes from former EA and Visceral Games developer Zach Mumbach, who quoted the first tweet and said: "This is the company that shut down my studio and laid off ~100 great developers because we were making a single player game." Can't hit the point home much harder than that, can you?
Now look, it should be noted that this EA account is likely ran by just a handful of community-facing employees at most, and it's easy to make a bad call when the company you work for is considered uncool to begin with, so we do sympathise with the actual people or person behind this misplay.
But jeez, what a misplay it was!
[source twitter.com, via twitter.com]
Comments 77
EA trying to be relevant is the funniest thing about this.
The 'they're a 10' meme isn't even funny to begin with, that's how useless EA is, and how led by the nose they are trying to jump on bandwagons.
The funniest thing about this is that even EA's most acclaimed games in the last decade or more were their single player games.
Also, the meme is absolutely cringe regardless.
Removed - unconstructive; user is banned
Weird because the only EA game im currently intrested in is single player XD
I mean they have a point, if you look at the sales numbers of games like The Witcher 3, BotW, Super Mario Odyssey, RDR2, Spider-Man, God of War etc it's obvious that no one cares about singleplayer anymore
Oh, wait...
EA took that L on God no cap fr fr
Someone needs to play ll cool j mama said knock you out.because ea deserves also the brand nubian punks jump up to get beat down for that stupid comment.haha.word up son
The irony is all their best games are single player, (or have major single player components)
@bimboliquido EA is claiming that people would never date someone who plays single player games, no matter how good looking they are (i.e. their looks are a 10 out of 10).
@bimboliquido HI there, the joke is that a person you are interested in is rated at a 10 on a 1 to 10 scale of physical attractiveness, but what's this? Oh no. They only play single player games??? Cringe! That sends their score down...a couple points...if only they played an online game like Apex Legends, or something! Then...then they'd continue being a 10. Single player games bad.
That's the joke. Please laugh and clap.
There was a time when EA was like the Hollywood of single player games (which Sony has pretty much taken over).
I miss that EA. If it had continued down that path, the gaming landscape probably would have been much different - and potentially better for it from a single player perspective.
I cringed so hard I pulled a muscle.
I don't get it. Who's a 10?
Meme was super cringe but the replies on this thing are legendary. I feel bad because the account is probably run by a 25 year old post grad student that just lost their job.
@Ryany most of the people on this site and people who want something they can boot up and play without depending on servers or other people. Nothing archaic about wanting to enjoy something you own on your own terms.
This was one of the most spectacularly misjudged brand Tweets I've ever seen.
Pretends to understand any of this
Haha, that’s hilarious.
@Futureshark not Ea that's for sure
Suck a banana ea
EA lesson of the day: How to avoid telling the joke when you are the punchline.
@Colour they're probably getting a raise. The tweet is a huge success, people are writing articles about it, giving EA free publicity, especially all the people talking about EA's great single player games.
Single player is and always will be king.
EA Tweets….It’s down the draaaaaain!
Tone deaf, but unfortunately, the way the business has been for a while.
Good for them for taking the L lol.
Was probably something stupid their out of touch Twitter person did.
They're still remaking DS and making a new Skate game. Skate compensates for a lot IMO, since it's something that takes balls nowadays
It's just EA reminding everyone that they're still the most hated gaming company in the world
social media management is a tough job
Removed - unconstructive; user is banned
The person behind the tweet must have been sleeping, crazy men have literally been sending pictures of their manhood to Santa Monica Studio in anticipation of a single player game. Nobody would go that far over a multiplayer game.
@Milktastrophe @Constable_What
Thanks for the explanation, I didn't have a clue what the joke was! Now I can join in and laugh at how bad it was!
How do you do, fellow kids? Single-player games are lame, right? I yeet them right out of my console so I can play
predatory gambling software disguised as gamesfun social experiences with my homies. Poggers!EA, or at least the people running their Twitter, living in their own fantasy world. People still love playing single player games, duh. People love playing online games too.
First Reddit, now Twitter. I can't imagine being the person in charge of either of those accounts. When you're representing a company as large as EA online and get destroyed, can't be a great feeling
Ironically i would rate EA a 0/10.
@themightyant Don’t forget one of my favorite series of all time : Dead Space! 😉
@DETfaninATL Was just talking about it this morning, forgot it was EA. I hang my head in shame
@Ryany I know right. I like to read books in a group too. We take a sentence each. Makes things a lot better although some of the drama is lost depending on the cadence switching from reader to reader.
EA… let’s not forget your Battlefield 2042 game
EA's hatred of single-player games has always puzzled me, they go through these phases of trying to make them go extinct, then realise that their studios are actually quite good at making them, put out some great SP games, then try and destroy them again lol
The 360/PS3 era was classic for this, they really gained some goodwill in releasing the Dead Space and Mass Effect trilogies, Dante's Inferno, Alice:Madness Returns etc and then went back to being......well, EA lol
multiplayer games do that to people , you’d become ignorant and cocky too if you played the best thing that’s ever happened to gaming . single players just make you depressed once you beat them 🙃
I'd argue that reputations in gaming are extremely fluid. As in, from each game release. If the new Dragon Age is well received then EA will be praised and if not, then EA will continue to get pooped on.
They're a 10, but, they're a social media manager....
What's the most hilarious about this is EA's social media staff is clearly out of touch with the company they work for, that has otherwise repented from their "single player is dead" past and has leaned very hard back into single player games, with, so far, excellent success, at the same time Sony of all companies is leaning away from it.
This post comes from an EA of 2012, not an EA of 2022. How can a social media manager be out of touch like that? Isn't that the cardinal sin of socials?
EA Bioware be like "wat?"
@kyleforrester87 your profile pic makes this comment a perfect “10” we’ll done 😂
Respawn Entertainment must be wishing they could swap publishers. They have a Dead Space remake on the way aswell
People really need to grow up and complain about more important things in their lives.
I don’t get the drama. The Xbox site continuously post way worse cringe stuff too. Even PlayStation does sometimes. It’s just non sense for PR buzz.
Encourage drama and then spin another ‘shock’ drama about kids replying with stupid pics or fans asking for a spider suit without saying please.
🙄
@Mince EA did change leadership, not at the CEO level, but at the head of studios level, and since she started they've announced they're continuing Mass Effect, removing all multiplayer from the new Dragon Age, made Fallen Order, announced a sequel, a new NFS, and rebooted Dead Space, dropped the FIFA license, and the worst thing they make is now Battlefield, and published several really good indies. It's working. EA remembering how to be a real games publisher again. EA's actually looking better than 2k now, while 2k looks like the old EA. Their twitter twits didn't get the memo yet.
@Enigk What's a book? Are those the things talking picture shows replaced?
@Ralizah You win the internet today for the most creative use of "yeet" in an ironic context.
If I had to choose between playing either singleplayer or multiplayer for the rest of my life I’d easily go with singleplayer.
I am a Ten and I only play solo player games. I feel personally attacked.
one thing i remember
EA Says People Don't Really Enjoy Linear Games As Much Today, then ate their words and released star wars fallen order.
EA really do say silly things.
i remember E.A its in the game on my snes when i was 15 😂
been playing offline games since the 80s no interest in online thank you.
Actually it is nice that somewhere there is someone that thinks I am a 10.
@Victor_Meldrew live service =/= multiplayer . there’s literally live service single player games .
there’s no gambling either , unless we’re like 7 years back in the past
I mean, someone is getting fired. You don't have to think too much to know this would be a terrible joke lol
@NEStalgia Poggers, fam.
I don't understand how the Zachulon tweet is a dunk at all. It 100% corroborates EA's tweet.
"They're a 10 but they don't steal their parents' credit cards to buy our surprise mechanics."
@NEStalgia They're the things talking pictures try and copy but they can't match the level of special effects.
What a dumb thing to tweet but it's EA so not surprising given they love 'surprise mechanics' & micro transactions & it's harder for them to shove those into single player games
Removed - inappropriate language
@Porco I'm going to go with Callisto protocol it looks really cool & is by the creator of dead space
The gaming community can't take a joke. I'm not at all surprised.
EA aren't very familar with 10s recently
EA? EA is holding my ID hostage with a 12 year old deleted account. My Xbox ID and PSN can NEVER bind an EA account again, maybe thats why I don't like their multiplayer games. Because I can't play them.
@Would_you_kindly yup, it is looking promising!
They are a 10 studio but they were bought by EA…
My top 10 games of all time only has 1 multiplayer game (COD4 Modern Warfare 2007) the rest is single player. I've always preferred Single Player and I highly doubt that will ever change.
Let's not forget Fallen Order too.
I know it’s supposed to be a fun internet meme right now, but can’t anyone see judging people on rating scales is problematic to begin with?
Then EA comes along and crosses an imaginary line and now people are upset?
C’mon maaaaaaaannnnnnnn.
Never liked multi-player games. Used it once for Elden Ring to finish a quest but that was all. This may be people overreacting as well.
@LP09 Reminds me of the Black Mirror episode where everything in society was tied to your likes and unlikes.
Is this EA's weird way of trying to gauge the temperature of the current market and their audience?
@Constable_What
Thank you for the detailed explanation. For some of us, English is our second language or we do not stay in touch with social media trends/memes so it is difficult to understand sometimes.
Lmao EA sports as a company is a joke because they make poor games
@LP09 it's how Facebook started, people just want their own unfathomable wealth from judging others on their looks.
When a game gets alright reviews but it's made by EA.
I didn't understand what the meme meant, I'm not good with memes.
Oh nevermind, I read the comments.
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