Ooblets - An Epic Story about how to insult your potential customers

[Victoria Raverna]

[Skinypupy]

TL:DR version for those who aren't interested in a 30 minute video.

[Smoove_B]

From Epic:

“The announcement of Ooblets highlighted a disturbing trend which is growing and undermining healthy public discourse, and that’s the coordinated and deliberate creation and promotion of false information, including fake screenshots, videos, and technical analysis, accompanied by harassment of partners, promotion of hateful themes, and intimidation of those with opposing views,” the company wrote.

It noted that it fully supports people’s “right to speak freely and critically” about the Epic store’s failings, but this isn’t that. This is abuse. Epic intends to “steadfastly support our partners throughout these challenges.” It concluded by thanking people who don’t bully developers and “continue to promote and advocate for healthy, truthful discussion about the games business and stand up to all manners of abuse.”

[LordMortis]

At first I thought you were posting about a game about insulting customers, thinking you find the strangest games.

I watched a few minutes. I don't have 30 minutes to sit through the editorial but I concur with the opening salvo, especially after seeing Phoenix Point. Paying up front through kickstarter or Patreon or whatever and then later being told the only release method will be through Epic is kinda a crappy business model IMO. If that is the plan or potentially the plan you should say so in your plea when you are asking for backers. You do you. It's your livelihood but be up front about it. Your livelihood is asking for me for my dollars for a loan for something that doesn't exist yet. Changing the trust relationship is bad juju.

[Victoria Raverna]

TL:DR version for those who aren't interested in a 30 minute video.

That article didn't tell the complete story.

Maybe this one will explain more about what went wrong:

https://www.oneangrygamer.net/2019/08/o ... ers/90199/

[Victoria Raverna]

[Lorini]

What the angry peeps did to them was completely unacceptable and way over the top. I mean concentration camps, really??!!!

[Jaddison]

The Epic software seems like something pre-alpha. You could make a better store from standard Go-Daddy template I wager

[Alefroth]

Maybe this one will explain more about what went wrong:

I doubt it.

[LawBeefaroni]

At first I thought you were posting about a game about insulting customers, thinking you find the strangest games.

"Ooblets Devs Mock Community:
With Condensing Defense of Epic Store Exclusivity"


Totally sounds like a Japanese pigeon game or something. Would gladly try it.

[Jaymon]

There are very few companies that become successful by insulting their customers.

Are there toxic games? Yes.
Whiners and complainers? Yes
Are they the majority of the gaming community? No


Business plan :
release game as epic exclusive
insult people who don't agree with that
???
profit

[morlac]

I found the Devs post to be very tongue in check and poking fun at the absurdness of people over reacting to a temporary store exclusive. Go look at their crowd funding stretch goals. Their silly and funny making light of other game's stretch goals which imo fall in line with their post about the Epic Store. It wasn't a "smart" move because internet trolls are dumb and predictable and if they could afford a PR team they would have nixed it. They were not insulting potential customers, they were trying to be funny about something that is absurd to begin with. Internet rage because I can't buy what I want, where I want, when I want. The fact that it got this extreme is kind of hilarious but I feel sorry for the Devs.

[AWS260]

The viciousness and cruelty of the "gamer outrage" subculture knows no bounds.

[Isgrimnur]

[Victoria Raverna]

I found the Devs post to be very tongue in check and poking fun at the absurdness of people over reacting to a temporary store exclusive. Go look at their crowd funding stretch goals. Their silly and funny making light of other game's stretch goals which imo fall in line with their post about the Epic Store. It wasn't a "smart" move because internet trolls are dumb and predictable and if they could afford a PR team they would have nixed it. They were not insulting potential customers, they were trying to be funny about something that is absurd to begin with. Internet rage because I can't buy what I want, where I want, when I want. The fact that it got this extreme is kind of hilarious but I feel sorry for the Devs.

The original blog post was probably the devs trying to be funny but not their posts in discord. They're not the first and not the only indie developer that signed exclusive deal with Epic but they're the only one that is stupid enough to insult their potential customers which includes their patreon backers.

Maybe they don't plan to make more games and can retire with the money they get from the epic deal. If so then that can explain why they are insulting people who supported them and potential customers.

[morlac]

Im assuming the discord stuff came after death threats and harrasment? Also, I am completley not insulted. Why, because gaming is a hobby not a lifestyle for me. Also, I am complety neatrul on the Epic store debate so I was able to objectively read their post without preconceived bias. I tend to agree with most of what they said as well. A little perspective goes a long way but the internet/entitled gaming culture is incapable.

Lastly, lets be honest and acknowledge the vast majority of the internet warriors making an uproar were never going to be a customer anyhow. Thus is just the latest bandwagon gamer injustice for them to pounce on.

[NickAragua]

Is this one of those "ethics in video game journalism" things?

[Skinypupy]

Is this one of those "ethics in video game journalism" things?

It certainly appears that way.

[LordMortis]

Im assuming the discord stuff came after death threats and harrasment? Also, I am completley not insulted. Why, because gaming is a hobby not a lifestyle for me. Also, I am complety neatrul on the Epic store debate so I was able to objectively read their post without preconceived bias. I tend to agree with most of what they said as well. A little perspective goes a long way but the internet/entitled gaming culture is incapable.

Lastly, lets be honest and acknowledge the vast majority of the internet warriors making an uproar were never going to be a customer anyhow. Thus is just the latest bandwagon gamer injustice for them to pounce on.

I can't speak the to the entitled part. I'm not in a position in life where I feel I need to have a game and would steal to get it. I don't have an XBox. I don't have a PlayStation. I don't feel I'm missing life by not having them and I'm not finding ways to get their games without paying. However, I am lazy and comfortable and I do have implied expectations. At the moment I have no urge to get Epic. I have no urge have my internet usage and agreements extend to another provider. That being the case, if I donated money to developer and it was expressed that availability was going to change after I donated, I'd be annoyed. If I was told that I was entitled and toxic for being annoyed I'd be vocally annoyed. If the follow up was we don't need patronage anymore so, meh, I'd be "you're on the shitlist" annoyed.

[naednek]

I really don't understand why people get so upset about which store an item is at. I mean do they get upset, when Kenmoors are not sold at Lowes, but only at Sears, etc?

Ya I understand having to manage libraries at various apps can be annoying. Just freaking make a shortcut on your desktop and be done with it. The things people flip out over is ridiculous.

[LordMortis]

Upset is a strong word but I have a number of games from times gone by that are dead because of independent or startup services that I was forced to use and it's left a mark on my buying habit.

Also due to my limited bandwidth I turn off all of these always on internet services until I want to use them and then I'm stuck waiting for clients update and whatever needs to be done. The short of it is, you may not have the same concerns as others and you don't know what their concerns are until you hear them. And if you dismiss those concerns, then those dismissed will dismiss you.

[NickAragua]

Fair enough. Probably not worth threatening to kill someone over a video game, though.

Plus, who the hell gets that obsessed over a casual farming sim or whatever? I mean, I'm a little pissed that Mechwarrior 5 is gonna be epic exclusive, but I can probably get by without running out into the streets and screaming my wishes for the developers' deaths.

[LordMortis]

Fair enough. Probably not worth threatening to kill someone over a video game, though.

That's a different story, as is declaring you will bootleg the game. There are different degrees. Feel free to dismiss or track to press charges.

(I haven't obsessed over a game before it was released since Diablo II... Not coincidentally what first brought me to Gone Gold and eventually here.)

[Alefroth]

Are you an Ooblets backer, Victoria?