Just to point out, you're the one who started it. Oh yeah, you're a racist biogt if I ever did see one.

Jac21

Not towards the US per-se, but perhaps towards US culture? EA is a US company and I'd imagine the key decisions on what games to make - even if not the actual development - are made from people in or from the states.

Obviously, stuff like Madden and other US sports aren't going to sell too well in europe. But their other games are, or at least appear to be, very US-centric. Offhand, Army of Two was seen as very gung-ho american (playing on the worst and most immature stereotypes of the US - I'm sure there's a lot people in the US who agree in that too), the Need For Speed series is (mostly) set in the US car modding scene (and certainly all seems to be in US cities AFAIK). Skate is also involving a sport more 'foreign', AFAIK, to europeans in terms of public image.

Offhand, I think there are very little EA games with european or non-US main characters.

(note; this might not be accurate, but it's my perception and I think quite a few peoples' too)

Even stuff like EA Trax in the last burnout game I played (3), is very american-centred (feeling) and deeply annoying.

So I think EA is partly suffering from that, combined with a general oversaturation of US culture in Europe (which causes a bit of a backlash), more than any political aspect.

But at the same time, I don't think they can ignore that for a long time EA simply traded on their franchises without making particularly good games, and methinks a lot of longer term customers have wised up.

NB: The Sims, though, has been very succesful in europe. I think something like 50% of launch sales for Sims 2 were in this continent.

NB2: I should really stop replying here... too many long posts!

aldo_14

Perhaps the poor sales have more to do with products sold by EA. Is the sports genre popular in Europe? What about the Sims? How does the concept of a family house work in a more populated continent that has to rely on apartments instead? Is the potential Sims crowd too distracted by Singstar? These are the questions that EA should ask, and, if they strike gold, these are the situations that EA can have an effect on.

As a former Eastern European (now in Australia), I can't actually think of even a single EA game out in the past few years that interests me. I don't care about sports, I only try shooters if they are original and unique and I don't like the Sims. Maybe Rock Band. Perhaps it's a failure of quality, perhaps a lack of advertising. Either way, EA is not doing their job.

Ubisoft, by contrast, has already managed to sell me around twenty or so titles - with franchises like Splinter Cell, Prince of Persia, Brothers in Arms and the still-unwrapped Assassin's Creed featuring prominently.

mcderek3000

I'm not sure what your point is. Are you implying that, because the USA is far wealthier than other nations, even a nation giving 1, 10, 50% of its budget is less generous if the monetary amount is less?

And, yes, perhaps Norway is a misnomer as it's regarded as one of the best managed and ran countries in the world (with an extremely stable economy based around careful management of oil and use of renewable energy, IIRC). But I live in the UK, which is frankly a bit of an economic mess, and we're ahead in all the terms you can normalize for.

There are very few nations which give enough in foreign aid, IMO. Norway is one of the few which gives more than the agreed 0.7% targets. But in every reasonable metric you give the US is low down (as a wealth nation) in terms of foreign aid, not high up.

And you may not like the percentage value being used, and I can't fully disagree if you think it's because GDP alone is simply a bad measurement, but there's no doubt that giving so much proportionally less than other wealthy nations sends a strong image of not really being so bothered about aiding other countries.

(especially if aid comes with strings attached, such as anti-Aids clinics in Africa being barred from teaching about contraception in favour of abstinance, but that's perhaps a whole side issue)

Just as well, "foreign aid" is a broadly-defined term, and sometimes said aid ends up in dubious hands.

I'd say it's a fact that the countries that need the most help in aid are the ones that have the most internal problems, and thus are the most subject to corruption.

But that doesn't abrogate anyone from responsibility for it. I doubt the US is any better than any other nation or organisation in terms of where their aid goes and it's certainly not going to be the case that the US gives so much less proportionately yet magically loses less of that to corruption, graft et al.

To me, i'm afraid, blaming corruption for not giving money is a shallow and over-moralizing excuse. It's always sounded a lot like using a bad minority as an excuse to ignore the helpless majority. Sadly, it's also an excuse you could probably hear in every society.

aldo_14

Umm no, Japan revived gaming and Japan has more to do with modern gaming than anyone else.

Not that it matters, trying to claim that playing games online or off is American is as dumb as claiming reading books is American. So don't be surprised if the rest of the world thinks you are thick.

The internet might have been developed by the US government but the world wide web you're using was created by an Englishman. That's what annoys alot of people. This ignorance that a lot of Americans have about things and trying to take credit for everything.

chiefpoopingpants

Abberare

Desertwolf

But...I work for the government..

Jac21

the only person arguing is you. youre the person who started a small but serviceable one sided slanging match as if you were going to achieve something with it. i only even responded because ive been doing my nails and working through an entire ginger cake. you want to condemn me for despising america and its responsibility for shaping the world into what it is today, and more to the point, will be in the future. im ok with that. like i said, lets carry it on when the good ol usa (usa! usa! america, fuck yeah! get a brain morans!) has played itself out and see if youre still so offended. except we'll be dead.

in the meantime, tell me im a racist bigot again. it turns me on and i think, you too.

red

Xcite79

You're not even talking about America as a government or a historical act. You specifically hate America, all the way down to its people and culture, using gross generalizations as your context. There's no two ways about it, that is racism. And even though the topic of discussion is anti-American sentiments, that doesn't give you the green light for bigotry. And that's simply not up for discussion.

justhesh

im not making any case im anything and i dont care what you call me. thats a childrens game. lets have lunch in a couple centuries though, we can compare notes on the great united states of america and its impact on the world. im sure itll be rosy.

red

And for future reference, if you're trying to make the case that you're not a racist, you probably shouldn't follow up the act of denouncing an entire nation of people by referring to Native Americans as "red indians".

Seriously, where do you live, the 1920s?

justhesh

red

justhesh

Not that that's any better, really, but still..

Nico8332

justhesh

Later, America started doing the same...mostly with America. After it owned all of itself, and some parts of itself that aren't (I'm looking at you, Guam). Now, owning new places is passe. It's all about the surreptitious influence until the world is "owned" through the middle-man of McDonald's.

It's like international proxy bidding, but Europe is upset because it thinks America is sniping.

justhesh

none of that has any bearing on whether i buy ea games or not.

red

Darlan

NoBullet

I think a lot of Americans don't realise how American centric things are and of course people don't like it just as Americans get upset with the small group of Mexicans coming into their country and "taking over everything".

chiefpoopingpants

America doesn't sell well right now because our lazy media gave bush and the pentagon TV generals high fives and a free pass in exchange for access and video clips of things exploding..

America is bigger than darth cheney and PNAC and we will be glad to be friendly and loved again once the parade of old white male leaders ends here. and it must. don't give up on the US please, there is much to salvage in the rubble..

railskins

It's not doing that well in Europe. Only the UK seems to like the Xbox and even then the PS3 will probably over take with little effort.

chiefpoopingpants

On the Anti-American front, most people realize that it is the Bush administration that they have such disdain for. I mean I have it too so I understand it. Bush and his cronies have really torn apart America and done us more harm than Al Qaeda could ever hope to do. Some of the blame lies on us Americans as well because Bush did get elected twice (technically once) so a majority of voting Americans agreed with him. I told myself before the last election that Americans couldn't be stupid enough to vote for him again, of course, I was proved wrong. I fear we will be stuck with more Bush-lite if McCain gets elected.

AkumaX

Look, I'm a New Yorker, and I love many other cultures and I am not some one toothed overweight moron as the stereotyping goes. I just find it ironic that the people on the forum I moderate claim americans to be "ignorant/egotistical" yet they should look in a mirror. And why oh why am I always being compared to a hillbilly from the south? I dare do not claim that the French are the same as Germans, even though some of our states alone are bigger than most countries (I'm lookin at you Texas) Jeez, I know it sounds hippy like, but can't we just enjoy what others have to offer?

So for once (I can't believe I'm saying this) I agree with Peter Moore that Anti-Americanism is quite high, I mean just look at that show Top Gear for crying out loud. However, I disagree with the fact that it is this reason why EA is not "super awesome winzor of teh internets." Sure anti-americanism might be slighly influencing, but overall it is for their bad business practices is why gamers hate EA. He shouldn't worry about their American image as much as he should worry about their "HEY WE'RE THE BIGGEST @$$HOLE$ IN THE INDUSTRY!" image.

Covert_Knight

What he instead should look at is how to make games better targeted at Europe and not to make us feel very much in last place.

There should be more interest towards us. Not to be viewed as THAT OTHER continent or give us the feeling of that. The game industry is still very centered around the US. That goes for games to special editions and extras to launch dates. Euro is the eternal runner up to just about anything. (Yes Australians, I'm aware it's even worse for you so this all counts even more for you guys. We feel your pain).

Those are far bigger issues to look into then my dislike of US government actions.

StormdragonBlue

UltraMagnus

Thanks for making a well-reasoned, substantiated post, makes a nice change from "my country is awesome, if you don't like it then you suck" which seems to be the common reaction from some people whenever anti-American sentiment surfaces. For the record, I greatly admire perhaps 95% of everything that comes out of America, it just bugs me when people won't even acknowledge any criticism, however well-intentioned, because of knee-jerk patriotism.

Also EA sucks.

phicaluk

bornonce

We do not hate you (you as in American people)
We hate the way your Government acts, and maybe the overexposure to things exported by your marketing culture.

But the people, as in any part of the world, is as good or bad as they want to be.

As for American football, it will NEVER be popular outside USA.

daCuk

otarumx

SwindleUK

otarumx

SwindleUK

Thank you for saying that. Seriously.

dead_red_eyes

[www.heritage.org]

[www.globalissues.org]

The latter link, most recently updated last Sunday, is a wealth of information on the subject. Here are some highlights for the tl;dr crowd:

- That 0.7% target for GNI/ODA was agreed upon in the mid-70s. To this date only five countries have reached this goal, the U.S. is hardly the only one.

- Further, a lot of countries contribute more in terms of raw dollars, but are simply low on the GNI percentage. The U.S. leads the list of total amount, beating the #2 slot (Germany) by almost 2x.

- Private contribution is a huge thing in the U.S. American taxes are significantly lower than that of other nations higher on these lists, (other countries do have tax incentives, but our taxes are still lower) which is done in part to encourage private citizens and groups to choose when and where they want to contribute. In 2004, private citizens and groups contributed $71.2 billion in foreign aid, trending upward from the last real analysis done in 2002. (likely later polls will show a continued increase.) Researchers using this data make the claim that Americans are the most generous citizenry on the planet.

- The base numbers bandied about do not take into account other factors of "aid" such as food relief, subsidies on exports, debt relief, grants to pay for services of nationals of donor countries in foreign lands, etc.

It's a really good read, lots of data and many arguments to be made in there. Worth checking out if you're interested in this kind of thing.

Mav

Mucki

However, we still have much more freedoms (need to repeal those Acts and repeal immunity for ex-VPs) and wait...we CAME from Europe, the Americas and Asia...why dis your relatives???

SigmundTheSeaMonster

Mainly because most people know the US actually has WMDs. As for Iraq, most Americans disagree with it enough that chances are we'll have a Democrat president in 2009.

Frank

I love the US, everything is so damn cheap over there, apparently you can get a brand new BMW M5 for about 90k USD! Here in Norway, it's selling at 350k USD.

Sure, we make a lot more money than you do (average salary rests at about 90k USD), but everything is much more expensive because of taxes and stuff. Sure, all our schools, universities and hospitals are completely free, but I still want that M5..

Nico8332

coffinmouth

otarumx

It's a complex issue that gets diluted when seen through the eyes of americans because after all they are US citizens and through their eyes their country is perfect.

otarumx

Ashkihyena

Perhaps Norway gives a bigger percentage of its GDP because its citizens are more generous than those who reside in, say, the UK or the USA? Or perhaps they really do just have a bunch or spare cash lying around and it makes more sense to give it as foreign aid than to, say, fire it into space or burn it.

phicaluk

Frank

Just as well, "foreign aid" is a broadly-defined term, and sometimes said aid ends up in dubious hands.

Frank

Darlan

Life's just one big anti-American conspiracy, ain't it?

@aldo_14:

A friend of mine once pointed out that, in GDP terms, a country's ideal citizen is "a terminal cancer patient going through a messy divorce".

phicaluk

nope. A number of nations signed an agreement in 1992 to target 0.7% of GDP; the reason for a percentage being precisely because each nation can feasibly afford different amounts of aid (Norway, for example, gives the most - 0.94%).

In terms of raw numbers, the US is only 4th in the list of donors (despite its vastly larger economy) - the UK, France and Japan are ahead. It's also relatively low down (19th) in terms of per-capital. See [www.nationmaster.com]

So it's certainly wrong to indicate the US is a 'big donor' in foreign aid; if anything, it's a disproportionately small one for a wealthy 1st world country.

It is, of course, debatable whether GDP is a reliable economic indicator, as even 'harmful' enconomic activities add GDP (for example, a mining company badly polluting the countryside adds GDP both from the mining activity and from the cost of the ecological cleanup).

aldo_14

"And we were very worried that we weren't seen as a global brand. We went off to find out: does the logo work? Do the colors work? Does the voice work? Does the tagline work?

So we commissioned some research - and we didn't want to pitch ourselves against - no disrespect, but it wasn't versus Konami or 2K Sports: it was versus Nike, Adidas, and ESPN. And we asked the question, 'Which of these brands do you see as global? And which do you see as linked to a specific country?'"

--------------------

As far as other countries being critical of the U.S.. Well, we're more critical of ourselves. This is why there are so many documentaries on everything we do. Either through public funding ([www.pbs.org]) or through paid means ([www.history.com]). The one thing that every generation has hated about the "media" in the U.S. is that everyone's faults and foibles are documented and dissected for everyone else to see. I think we're probably the only nation that goes out of its way to remind ourselves how bad we sometimes get.

Tepoz

Given that the GDP of the US is actually disturbingly high compared to other nations, 0.16% comes to quite a bit of money. They just say percentages so they can guilt-trip Americans into giving even more.

Frank

PlaidNinja

Lov3

EA, an American company has the NFL on an exclusive contract limiting commerce, capitalism, competition and choice when in comes to Football games(American Football for those that need the clarification.)

Sorry but it's EA that sounds a little UnAmerican to me.

Final

EA has become/has been the Microsoft of the game industry... some to love and hate. Hopefully EA wont be releasing a Vista anytime soon, oh wait isnt that the Madden franchise every year?

usaevo8

Ha, yeah, I live in Glasgow though, hence the internet access. If I was still in Dunfermline I'd be writing these comments in crayon and posting them to the States.

phicaluk

I don't think being "isolationist" is such a bad idea, really. I'm not sure how much longer we can afford not to be, really, with all the trillions wasted in Iraq.

erlik

@Sugaray:
I think it's not just the (Iraq) war that causes it, but the Iraq war is the main focal point for anger because it kind of symbolises many of the things that people dislike about the USA (hubris/arrogance mainly, especially in the denouncement of 'old europe' when France and Germany were in opposition, but also a sense of bullying or bribing the US - the latter being aid offers to security council members to secure votes).

It's kind of the nature of things, of course - if you're on top of the mountain, the only way is down. And I think it's important to remember that it's also (in europe) a sign of intense frustration that the US is so powerful, yet seemingly beholden to a small group of powerful individuals (lobbyists and fundraisers mostly).

Plus, the US has a lot of good things about it, but it's the more negative aspects (war, politics, trade protectionism, and a right numpty of a leader) that get 'projected' to the rest of the world. And one definite negative is when people deride criticism universally as anti-American, when some may be very well justified.

aldo_14

The anti-Americanism i've seen has been towards the country as a whole and that's unfortunate.With China still communist and an up and coming world power and Russia going the direction it's going in, if i were living on the other side of the pond, i'd be VERY nervous and kinda glad the USA was around.

Sugaray

Myxomatosis

tomsamson

"We're not a japanese company, we are an international company"

While anti-Americanism is higher, people that judge a game based on where it is made and who makes it is just plain sad and wrong. Nationism at it's worst.

huginn

You did a good job with the facts and figures and such, but I predict that your calm, rational post will fall on some deaf ears. Try not to take it personally, I for one appreciated it.

phicaluk

Really? I didn't get that memo, could you forward it to me please? I need to know what kind of robe I should be wearing and how long my beard should be.

If you can't find a copy, perhaps you should just try being a little better informed about world affairs.

phicaluk

You know, just maybe.

ShirtGuyDom

rainofwalrus

Or quit sending money to the U.N.

Or not show up the next time some crazy dictator decides to attack a neighboring nation.

I mean, since you guys hate us so much.

Er, I'm not into the whole hating thing, but there is some just criticism to be made on these sorts of things. I don't want to start a political thing, but it's useful to provide the counterpoints before someone more, ummmm, shouty does.

1/ The US deliberately withheld its UN dues under Reagan to try and force change, and is still over $1.3bn in arrears. There is currently a bill in progress (not yet voted) which would only pay half the current annual dues, in order to force UN change more amenable to the US' interests.

2/The US has sought to sideline the UN under the current administration, with the obvious examples being the Iraq war and the appointment of John Bolton as Ambassador to the UN (Quote; "There is no such thing as the United Nations. There is only the international community, which can only be led by the only remaining superpower, which is the United States.")

3/Amongst the worlds top 22 wealthiest countries, the US currently sits 2nd bottom (ahead of italy) in terms of foreign aid vs GDP. It's about 0.16% of GDP. or just over 1% of the discretionary budget. Although many nations fail similarly, the general 'target' set by both UN agreement and pledged at the 1992 Rio conference is 0.7%.

4/ Whilst the US has attacked some dictators (albeit rarely in my memory), it has also supported others. Most noticably during the Cold War, of course, but a current number of the Middle Eastern allies (such as, most obviously, Saudi Arabia) can be counted as dictators (they certainly aren't interested in human rights or democracy).

Just the counterpoint, you understand. Always need to see both sides of the coin to understand the toss. Obviously the US has its place in the world, particularly as a counterbalance to Chinas growing power and Putins brand of nationalism, but the number one enemy of any country is its own hubris.

aldo_14

aldo_14

Frank

Mohican

I_Hate_This_Place

LOL

cello

not_tom_brokaw

The 360 is doing exceptionally well in the UK. However it is not doing as well in the rest of Europe.

I travel through Europe regularly. In bricks and mortar stores you can find it in France, parts of Germany, some of Spain. But mostly gamers in Continental Europe just dont see it as an option and stores and customers have shunned it.

@Kohath:
Kohath. I live in London. The UK and USA have traditionally had strong diplomatic and historical ties. However, (and I dont want to get into the politics of it) the USA's War of Terror has polarised the views of a lot of Brits. Im not talking about British Muslims, Im talking about white working class & middle class people that were very pro-USA have a genuinely negative sentiment to the politics of the USA. Bare in mind this is NOT animosity to the American people, rather its is antipathy to their political stance.

Andronix

Tangential post ahead, sorry
While Moore seems to frame it as "I'm worried that the EA brand may be hurt by the world's current distaste with America" it does havesome merit.
It might be hip to hate on America just because of the Bush administration but it's not like this is something that suddenly happened at the dawn of the new millennium. What I've learned (or at least by reading a Chalmers Johnson book ) is that at least part of the antiamerican sentiment can be traced to American foreign policy in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union. That is, the US has become increasingly aggressive in making other countries work on its terms, with blatant disregard for the idea that its policies may not jive with the way things are done in those countries, or that what it does in those countries may come back to haunt it further on down the road.

not_tom_brokaw

Kempatsu

Frank

But some people are going to be rightly pissed when you release a game that promotes PMCs. [kotaku.com]

"This game should help PMCs." - Oh, please fuck off EA.

hahnchen

Fulgurator

dsmx

I agree (which is why I said much the same thing upthread), but that doesn't seem to be what he's saying. In the full interview, he doesn't talk at all about the appeal of different sports. It's all about how EA is perceived as American for marketing/cultural reasons: "And we were very worried that we weren't seen as a global brand. We went off to find out: does the logo work? Do the colors work? Does the voice work? Does the tagline work?"

See? Nothing like: "Are we making games about sports with global appeal?" It's remarkably wrongheaded, but then he is a marketing guy.

cdammers

Peter-Moore

HurricaneDave

BBC: World views US 'more positively'
[news.bbc.co.uk]

The Austrailian: Esteem for US rises in Asia
[www.theaustralian.news.com.au]

Kohath

It's like trying to shove a square peg in a round hole, it's never gonna work. Everything is blamed on George W, and while I agree he deserves a lot of it, this is getting ridiculous! Is it anti-Americanism that causes Europeans not to buy Madden, NCAA, MLB, NASCAR? No! It's because they don't fucking care about those things anymore than an American cares about UK fucking Football.

I understand he's a salesmen, and must make excuses, but goddamn if that isn't as far off base as he could get. I mean just stop and think about it for over five seconds and you'll see what a mound of bullshit it is. Good day, sir.

/rant

ca$h

okenny :)

Fulgurator

Peter Moore is an asshole, I'm guessing he is trying to setup a frame for lower sales expectations, but "anti-Americanism" is a terrible excuse.

HurricaneDave

Here in Europe there are lots of "self-proclaimed anti-americanists" who don't know (or don't care) where EA is from.
The Antiamericanism could be "higher than it's been in a long time" but that won't hurt the EA sales. That sounds like a lame excuse for something.

Fulgurator

Yes, we hate EA in some cases due to them taking over the great small companies and ruining them. Yet I also love EA for the FIFA series which I personally prefer more than PES.

Hating Americans has nothing to do with it. I obviously hate alot of Americans due to their attitudes towards the British, their love for being immature and their simple ignorance. However this doesn't apply to every American and a lot of Americans I like much better than some fellow Brits.

American Football isn't widely known in Europe so that is obviosuly going to have an affect on the sales of games such as Madden. Europe is big for real Football (Soccer) and other sports like Rugby etc

Eon.

Luke Plunkett

katboi

Or quit sending money to the U.N.

Or not show up the next time some crazy dictator decides to attack a neighboring nation.

I mean, since you guys hate us so much.

Aurvant

But yes - 360 sold very well in the UK even when anger over Iraq was a bit fresher. There wasn't any kind of general boycott of American products. I don't really see an issue here.

Sure people think the US administration are clowns (in the sense of 'scary' as well as 'incompetent'), and that some other aspects of US culture are a bit of a joke as well, but um, that wouldn't stop most people buying video games. Unless the video game involved attacking an abortion clinic while wrapped in the US flag and also torturing any passers-by who look a bit Muslim.

quen

You look at a company like Apple, and they are innovative, passionate, a good side of American culture, but EA are like a news reader with fake tan, and huge white teeth and a big fake fucking smile that you just want to smash in with your fridge.

jigglypoofs

StartRunning

But I wouldn't blame Madden's sales on that, it's probably just the unpopularity of American football in Europe. It's not so bad here in Australia, since we love pretty much all sports and from what I've seen of gridiron (as we call your football down here) it seems to translate quite well to a video game. It's nowhere near our own brand of football of course. (which also isn't played anywhere else in the world)

Here's a hint, vote Obama and we'll love you for it. Seriously. He's the only guy who won't blow up the planet.

Sabre_Justice: Okay, no more long name.

Though things are getting better and slowly the Anti-Americanism is fading as they realize we are a lot better than our common enemies. I mean Germany and France have both elected fairly pro-American leaders after their previous leaders' grandstanding against America proved quite ineffective.

I just think people don't buy Madden because the US is practically the only country that plays Football. Americans are fairly anti-soccer so I'm sure the soccer games sell much better over there than here, although playing a soccer game I'm sure is a million times more fun than watching a real game.

battra92

That first paragraph should read something along the lines of 'I agree with the anti-american view affecting sales of game outside of the US but it's not politically motivated and is instead based around the cultural aspects portrayed as American in games.

Duoae

Fistynuts

Captain Impulse

I think you've got a point here. I agree with the anti-american world-view that gets transposed into games. It's no politically based in annoyance but more the social differences between the EU and the US.

While i don't really play sports games (i only own Italia '90 and Fifa '99) but i really hated the change in direction that the Colin McRae series went in with the introduction of Dirt. The attitude really ruined it for me and i despise that kind of 'I rock hard all the time!' mentality that you get in games. I know it doesn't really reflect all american culture but it's an exaggerated aspect of it.

It's like having wrestling being depicted as real life....

Duoae

Anyway, I don't envy Moore. There's not a lot to be done against resentful people who can't handle that they're weaker than someone else. It's all very Nietzcshean slave morality when a hyperpower is around.

Mister Adequate

After all, only in America!

But as for bad mood, maybe if most American wouldn't feel like if they're owning the whole world it would help.

LightStriker

alextz

KM91

kiigan

The problem runs deeper in the industry though, with pretty much all major game releases these days being tailored to the North American market... so culturally videogames feels more stunted, more homogenous, and more exclusionary than ever before.

As for Madden, it doesn't sell outside the USA because hardly anyone outside of the USA cares about the sport.

kiigan

I mean when was the last time you heard an American band/musician on the radio?

Its almost like American influence upon European culture has disappeared...

in Bizarro World!

Florence-McSniffle

Um, maybe it's more relevant that EA mostly makes games based on American sports, and their European sports games (Rugby, Cricket, FIFA) are rubbish.

cdammers

And that's probably the only reason.

Swegamer

@loempiavreter: Yeah, that too.

cheeses

Fonic

The Xbox(360) brand is popular in Europe and doesn't feature any of the "American Criteria" Moore recited in that statement.

It's, colorful, open and inviting without any hint of dominant or exagerated "manliness".

I mean, just consider the slogan: "Jump in." and remember the commercials which were mostly light-hearted and funny.

American product from an American company, but a very global image.

Blue_Six

in5ane

vig0r

Antiterra

Pun of the day.

Chadders

PenguinJim

Vistrix

steliosco

Dumb kids may rag about Bad American EA and Bad American Microsoft on internet forums, they'll still buy the games and systems when they see something they like. American movies are largely #1 in most European country, same thing for music and, generally, popular culture.

IMO, Moore is largely overestimating the power of politics compared to that of good ole consumer lust...
Make a reliable console instead of covering your ass a posteriori with hundreds of millions of dollars, and you might get a better reactions from those crazy Europeans: if there's one thing Europeans are allergic to, maybe excessively, it's the idea of a huge corporation trying to fool its customers and buying its way out of everything - that's the perception anyway (no matter what your view of the subject may be), and it also explains why, despite what you heard about the Europeans' sweet spot for Sony, the PlayStation image also took a fierce blow.

As for EA, make games that aren't yearly iterations of the same tired formula, and we'll buy them. That, and we couldn't care less about Madden. ;)

Antiterra

Huckleberry

dionion

KafkaTamura

2SBs

With Pro-Evo for the Wii, I won't probably won't buy FIFA '09... unless they implement an even better control system.

Chadders

KafkaTamura

But not because of the war, administration or bush. It's all about the Attitude...

loempiavreter

With Pro-Evo on the Wii, I will never buy FIFA '09 from EA, unless they implement a similar control system.

Chadders

Oh well Bush is out of office soon.

SkutSkut