8 Ways Greed Is Wrecking Modern Gaming
3. Neglect Of Bugs And Glitches
In any industry other than gaming, a broken or faulty product can be returned to the seller for a refund. Game studios on the other hand, seem to enjoy a weird immunity from this legal principle.
It is perfectly acceptable, legally speaking, for EA to distribute FIFA games every single year that are so riddled with bugs and server issues upon release, many can barely finish a game before disconnecting. Bethesda games, such as Skyrim and Fallout 4, meanwhile, are glitch-ridden to the extent that volunteer fans have been compelled to make unofficial patches that are, of course, totally free of charge.
Aside from the obvious moral objection (assuming big companies even have morals), one can almost see a greed-borne motive for neglecting basic game mechanics; once a game has been bought, your £40 nestled safely in the pockets of the corporate board-masters, there is no longer any financial motive for a developer to stop counting stacks of green paper and start repairing glitches.
If customers have no legally-recognised right to a refund, why should basic standards of functionality be maintained post-purchase?