Ever find yourself wondering what's going on in the minds of the bigwigs at game studios and corporate giants these days? It's like they're living in a parallel universe where they think gamers are an easy mark, swallowing whatever nonsense they dish out without question.

But hold on, let's take a step back.

Why am I, someone who prides themselves on steering clear of drama and maintaining a neutral stance, suddenly so fired up? It's not just the audacity of the situations we're about to dive into; it's the sheer brazenness of it all. Usually, this kind of stuff stays hidden behind closed doors, obscured by layers of slick marketing. But not this time. Both BSG and Sony have managed to set a new low in the realm of corporate behavior.

So, buckle up. We're about to unpack it all.

Battle State Game’s Rugpull - The Unheard Edition

If you have been around the EFT space for a while, or heck, anywhere on the internet since this one had far reaching effect, than you likely know of the evil Unheard edition. Since the onset of Escape From Tarkov’s open alpha/beta players had bought into the game’s Edge Of Darkness edition. This was the highest level game package that could be purchased and it came with various perks like:

Increased Stash Size
Increased Starting Money & Gear
Access to all current and upcoming DLC (Season Pass)
Special in-game ID

The Edge of Darkness (EOD) version, as it was dubbed, boasted an array of enticing features for those, like myself, eager to deeply support the game. Priced at approximately $139.99, it was marketed as the pinnacle edition, offering a lifetime investment in the game. For years, it held its ground as the ultimate package, until just last week, when a new 'supreme' version emerged unexpectedly, without preamble.

Before delving further, let me clarify that I harbor no objections to the introduction of a pricier game edition; after all, developers need avenues for sustained revenue. However, the crux of the matter lies in the contents of this new edition. In short, it leans heavily on pay-to-win early advantages. Honestly, if it stayed as an utterly optional and cosmetic based package to show support for the game, I do not think people would have cared as much, maybe a small laugh here and there, but not a full on internet revolution.

Day 1 -

The day started as normal. Wake up, have some coffee, maybe take a deep breath of fresh air from outside. But when people started to go on YouTube to see a new video posted from the BSG account, the day became everything but normal. This new version, The Unheard Edition, not only gave players the single thing we have been screaming for over the course of years, a single player mode with no wipes, but other countless advantages. Here is everything this edition offers of note:

Access to PvE co-op mode with persistent progression. Progression will not be reset with wipes.
Enhanced stash size (10x72)
Unique in-game ID
Expanded PMC pockets
Increased Fence standing
Increased mail retention time
Free access to all subsequent DLCs (Season pass)
Access to the Early Test Server (ETS)
Various in game items normally only acquired mid-wipe such as: a Scav junkbox, ammo cases, weapon case, crazy ammo that can penetrate any armor.

Two more things that are have recently been somewhat adjusted based off backlash is the “Mark Of The Unheard” which would stop bad AI from shooting you from 60 meters away and give you discounts on in raid services such as the car exit. Similarly there is the ‘Distress Signal Device’ which actually allows you to call your friends into your raid to help you. So PVP can become even more unbalanced. But thankfully the Mark Of The Unheard will only be in PVE and the distress signal will be earnable in game.

The biggest thing of note is the ‘free access to all subsequent DLCs (Season pass)”. If you have a keen eye you will see that it was also listed on the EOD version of the game. Through quick investigation fueled by anger and the wayback machine the community discovered that BGS’s website was updated only moments before, scrubbing as much evidence possible AND moving the season pass from EOD to unheard.

People where not happy.

By late that afternoon the entire fanbase was on fire, countless videos were made (like mine), and the tomatos where being thrown. “EFT is dead”, “Only EFT can kill EFT” where hot words of the day and instead of talking to their fanbase BSG’s community managers went on twitter to bash their competition!

Day 2 - 3

If the picture wasn't already crystal clear, other games and developers swiftly joined the chorus of criticism. Influential figures and content creators, not even affiliated with the EFT fanbase, lent their voices to the uproar—names like Moist Critical and even Angry Joe. It was surreal, witnessing this cascade of condemnation. While it's sadly common to witness developers or large game publishers stubbornly defend bad decisions (cough, cough, EA), witnessing a triple-down is a rarity. But by golly, BSG made history.

Friday brought forth more baffling messaging from a studio seemingly disconnected from reality. Another community manager quipped something along the lines of: 'Singleplayer mode is a feature, not a DLC, no matter how much you wish it were.' Madness. This day also brought forth the first attempt at an apology from BSG's head developer, Nikita, although it hardly resembled one. In an unprecedented move, they quadrupled down, asserting they interpret the term 'DLC' differently. This drama unfolded predominantly on Reddit over the weekend. I won't delve into every detail, but suffice it to say, the weekend was littered with failed attempts to placate the community.

Come Monday, many of the grievances surrounding the Unheard edition, as I've mentioned previously, were rolled back. Initially, it was stated that single-player access would be exclusive to EOD for six months—a decision that only added fuel to the fire before it, thankfully, got reversed.. There are still glaring issues with this edition and while they did some amount of successful patching and putting out fires, my only input is this:

Let's not forget that BSG initiated this debacle. Let's not forgive and forget now that they've backtracked on most of the major issues. If we, as a community, allow this incident to fade from memory, they may attempt a similar stunt in the future, counting on our collective amnesia.

Sony’s Helldivers 2 Stunt

Moving away from the Tarkov corner of things lets briefly turn our attention to another shocking move based on greed. You have more than likely seen or heard of the game Helldivers 2, it is by far one of the more successful games of 2024 with 8 million copies sold in a short time. From its predecessor Helldivers 1 which was a top-down shooter that sold well but not any paper moves, the transition to a epic 3rd person over the shoulder horde shooter stunned everyone.

Not only that, the game was just fun. There was no predatory microtransactions or live service shoved down your throat, and that’s saying a lot since the game does in fact have live service elements such as a battle pass! I talk about it a lot in my post all about the game, so give that a read if you want a deeper dive. But moral of the story is that the game was a rare diamond. It worked, it was will priced, and it was fun.

Than Sony came knocking.

Helldivers 2 came out with a lot of server issues and small bugs, one of such bugs was the fact that PSN account linking was not working. So it was removed temporarily. To play devils advocate, we have known about this account linking feature since day 1, but it was hastily removed in favor of getting people in. But to everyone’s surprise Sony came to collect and abuse its new ‘pay pig’ and capitalize on its success. Since Arrowhead, the studio behind the game was contractually obligated to reinforce the linking feature once Sony demanded so, its no shock that in moments the entire internet was up in flames again.

Mostly players where enraged for a few reasons. One, steam players have been playing for over a month or two at this point so it was expected the linking was staying gone. Two, Sony has a bad reputation with being hacked. They have had many data breaches and countless users had all of their information leaked and sold, so no surprise that the steam and PC gaming circles wanted to stay as far away as possible, seeing it as a real security threat. Third and most critically, the game was pulled from 170 countries where Sony is unavailable. So that means not only where people not able to buy the game any longer in these countries, they could literally no longer play if they did own it. Simply put, theft.

It did not take long for the Helldivers community to rally and obliterate the game’s steam rating from overwhelmingly positive to overwhelmingly negative in hours. Arrowhead got a lot of flak as well, even know they had no power in the matter. The backlash was SO bad that in a day Sony came out on Twitter and said they will not be going forward with the account linking. Fans rejoice! Though many left words of warning for the company:

The player-base and devs of Helldivers are so unique from how they handled the fallout. As of now there is a IRL major order to clean up the reviews on steam and players are even going to get a special cape to commemorate the success over a large corporation. That is just beautiful.

These narratives underscore the immense power we wield as gamers and consumers. Both stories serve as poignant reminders of what's possible when we unite. Never underestimate your influence; stand firm for what's just and refuse to be exploited by publishers or developers. It's this collective resolve that dissuades them from attempting similar actions in the future.

Conclusion

What a whirlwind month it's been in the gaming world. One tale wraps up with a somewhat satisfying resolution, while the other leaves a community wounded and uncertain. It's been ages since I've witnessed such an active month brimming with shocking displays of corporate greed and developer shenanigans. The dramas orchestrated by both BSG and Sony have reverberated across the internet, leaving a lasting impact. Let's hope these events serve as cautionary tales, dissuading others from following in their footsteps in the future.

As for me, I've run out of popcorn—it's been one heck of a show.

Escape From Tarkov’s Unheard Edition And Sony’s Attempt At Locking Helldivers