Do you think gaming companies know how much their consumer base hates them?

Do you think modern gaming companies know how much their consumer base hates them?


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I think a lot of the actual developers are very aware of it and the feeling is mutual. They resent that they are so reliant on people they would otherwise prefer didn't exist, and that the imaginary audience they tried to will into existence never happened.

Most of the decision makers only care about numbers. They only care about games or what gamers think in so far as it impacts those numbers.
FYI, don't conflate the activists who weaseled their way into the industry, along with their activist journo friends, and started to berate gamers with the majority. There's still good folks out there that actually respect/understand gamers' frustrations and want to make a good game. Unfortunately, the former became more dominant and louder in the prior decade.
 
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I'm pretty sure they only care about whether you are buying their games or not. So, you can scream and hate them all you want but if you are giving them money then it doesn't matter. Even if gta is $100 I'm pretty sure millions will still buy the game and mariokart is still going to sell like crazy.
 
Gamers hate game companies yet still buy enough games from said game companies to keep them making billions?

The Community Managers must be so confused.

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EA acknowledged being named worst company of the year several times,

First time they were like "okay we here your criticism, we'll try to do better"
Second time they were like "okay sorry our best efforts weren't successful, we'll try to do better"
Third time they were like: "oh come on, we can't be worse than companies that sell weapons to kill children, can we ?"
 
They probably don't care, and to be honest, they shouldn't.

First of, we have created a rage culture among influencers, to the point of the personality of some of them revolve around throwing a tantrum at any shit that happens, no matter how minor.

Second, most of interactions these days on the internet is done by bots, so why even take that in consideration?

Third, if doesn't affect sales, why pay any attention? When people ask you money for something, they don't want your love, they want the money.

Fourth, loving/hating companies over videogames is pathetic. Paying attention for such needy people is exercise in frustration. These feeling should be reserved to people you know personally, that's the only place were it makes sense.

The industry is so plural these days that kinda hard to even find a niche or genre that goes unserved. There is plenty of shooting games, arcade games, simulation games in all platforms, either free, or subscription based, or just pay upfront. Why waste time with companies that doesn't give you what you want?
 
Do you know how many people working customer service loathe and despise the people they get to deal with?

Its a fact of life you can't please everyone all the time, and when some of those displeased act like flaming assholes, the human response is to stop caring and just "do the job".

Game publishers get to deal with a lot of people, which means that a lot of them are going to be the aforementioned asshole types... so its pretty obvious what the end result is going to be.

Its why almost every beloved company ends up being the villain eventually.
 
If they were willing and blind enough to release a product like Concord, I genuinely think that they have zero understanding about what average gamers think, or their tastes. The trail of toxic positivity probably goes all the way to the top, so these C-level employees are sitting pretty thinking everyone is super hyped for their games, only to get bomb after bomb.

If they know how badly the majority of people don't want the kind of shit they're peddling, but continue to create/release them despite sales, then I'd have to question if they even have double digit IQs. Has to be that they're just unaware.
 
Bitching and complaining on some internet bubbles is pointless if their revenues and profits numbers tell a completely different story.
What they get is if something doesn't sell like they expected, they they're forced to change direction/strategy.
But getting hate from some vocal online groups isn't that relevant also because they know there are people trying to create drama online for their own traffic goals on socials so it has become part of the game.
 
Yes, but it's not a matter of caring or not giving a shit. They need to make money, and some methods give them money. Everyone talk shit about Diablo on phones and Blizzard won this bet

We can also have EA as a whole, maybe the most hated gaming company, and they always make a profit
 
If customers hate them they why are customers spending so much money on their stuff?
Its like with hot chick, u can hate her but u still gonna smash given opportunity, good game we like from company we hate is like that sex opportunity from hot chick we hate for us gamers :D
 
Do you know how many people working customer service loathe and despise the people they get to deal with?

Its a fact of life you can't please everyone all the time, and when some of those displeased act like flaming assholes, the human response is to stop caring and just "do the job".

Game publishers get to deal with a lot of people, which means that a lot of them are going to be the aforementioned asshole types... so its pretty obvious what the end result is going to be.

Its why almost every beloved company ends up being the villain eventually.

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People bitch so much im sure companies are just like ignore them.
And ragebaiters on Youtube/Twitter are the worst offenders.......if youve watched/read one the algorithm will now only send you that shit and youll assume the entire gaming industry is fully shit and every game is trash and all gamers hate every game.

Find more positive channels/feeds and youll have quite a different view of the gaming landscape.
Sure games bomb here and there, some game are legit bad, but generally speaking if you are having a hard time finding a game to play, this hobby probably just isnt for you.
At any given time theres gotta be like 10 games not just worth playing but that are truly enjoyable, you'd have to have like no job no social life to actually clear out the backlog of good games that have been coming out over the past what decade?

But somehow the industry is still shit?
What?

If they were willing and blind enough to release a product like Concord, I genuinely think that they have zero understanding about what average gamers think, or their tastes. The trail of toxic positivity probably goes all the way to the top, so these C-level employees are sitting pretty thinking everyone is super hyped for their games, only to get bomb after bomb.

If they know how badly the majority of people don't want the kind of shit they're peddling, but continue to create/release them despite sales, then I'd have to question if they even have double digit IQs. Has to be that they're just unaware.

Bomb after bomb?
Before Concord what was Sonys last bomb?
Destruction All Star like half a decade ago?

For every major bomb theres probably like 5 success stories each year.
So they must be doing something right.
 
You hate them because you think that you have to play their games. Stop buying games because of fomo and learn to appreciate older titles.
 
One day, a certain company announces games will cost more. The fans reaction:

DROP THE PRICES
DROP THE PRICES
DROP THE PRICES
DROP THE PRICES

2 weeks later, other comanies announce they rise their prices.

They know.
They don't care.
 
They for sure do know how much their consumers hate them.

They just pretend to not see the hate or acknowledge it to please the investors and push for more gaas and battle passes and turn every sp franchise into mp gaas.
 
I don't think most gamers give a second thought to gaming companies, much less feel the hatred and resentment that some hardcore gamers do. I don't even think most of the core gaming audience feels that way, just some people who get stuck on blame/hate for whatever reason.
 
Most people don't hate them at all. Sure, some do in the "hardcore" areas but the vast majority of people could name who makes their game or who publishes it.
 
OP, I really do wonder. I don't have any proof of this, it is more of a general feeling based on things I've heard throughout my life but these are my hypotheses:

Higher ups in big companies must have some business culture beliefs and practices that they adhere to that don't truly reflect reality.

I imagine them talking to each other about techniques they learned from a famous business book, or some mentor they had, or some example they look up to. Them and their peers make these ideas self-sustaining as they are in loop as this group of people is relatively closed. It causes them to not take in some useful information, because of their deeply ingrained beliefs about business. (I think politicians suffer from this too, but too a lesser extent since the system is less closed.)

We hate _____ and some idea they follow makes them not care or not know. We can blame the "normies" for continuing to support the companies we hate or they hate too (for whatever reason we hate them), but I think various bouts of anger have contributed a lot of lower sales for whatever it is the company in question makes. That's what further makes me believe they are "stuck" in a certain way of thinking.

[Edit] "Not care" can mean they think our opinions are not worthy, or it can mean they don't think our opinions have a big enough impact on their business for them to matter.
 
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It sure seems like in most scenarios the amount of outrage pales in significance to those that don't care and are having fun consuming content. Of course that's not always true, but it's been my experience that enthusiast sites of most products aren't echoing the majority
 
Their consumer base doesn't hate them.

We are terminally online. Most people aren't spending time on NeoGAF or gaming twitter or whatever. Most of their consumer base is completely unaware of what you are talking about.
 
I'm 100% positive the marketing depts know. They also know it's a loud minority on social media while little Timmy still pays up and learns body types and 136 gender names without asking questions, so ...
 
Are you sure they are so hated outside Gaf?

Are you sure this is hate?

How do we weight hate in such an era like this, where hate is the most common money in the social media economy?
 
I don't personally hate them but I bet a lot of them hate a decent chunk of their consumers and fans. Seeing devs speak on Reddit or other places, I get the sense of being misreble & wanting to go to a different field. One told me he was afraid of getting blacklisted if he started looking.

I just mostly play what I'm sure I'll love.
 
This question is better framed as, "Does GAF represent the average gamer at all? And if it doesn't (it doesn't) should publishers care much what we think?"
 
Bomb after bomb?
Before Concord what was Sonys last bomb?
Destruction All Star like half a decade ago?

For every major bomb theres probably like 5 success stories each year.
So they must be doing something right.
Classic schizo Sonybrain response. I was talking about the industry at large, not specifically Sony.
 
They have departments for that, for example people online will tell you that Assasin's Creed Valhalla is the worst game in the series but their research department tells them it is the best selling and most played in the series
 
Classic schizo Sonybrain response. I was talking about the industry at large, not specifically Sony.

Even worse then.
Cuz the industry as a whole is winning way more than its losing.




First time ive been called Schizo Sonybrain.
 
Gaming companies know that their consumer base are the dumbest, most gullible, irrational, immature, retarded and enabling on the market and they act accordingly.
 
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No, they are different for more long-term reasons, regardless of what the gif might imply.

A) "They think our opinions are not worthy..."

This is worse for us because it means they don't respect our opinions. You don't make changes to suit people you don't respect.

B) "They don't think our opinions have a big enough impact on their business for them to matter."

This is better for us. They respect our opinions but they think our impact is not significant. It might not actually be! I think it is, probably, but we can't be sure. If our opinions are respected, change is easier once our impact becomes significant enough or they notice it.
 
No, they are different for more long-term reasons, regardless of what the gif might imply.

A) "They think our opinions are not worthy..."

This is worse for us because it means they don't respect our opinions. You don't make changes to suit people you don't respect.

B) "They don't think our opinions have a big enough impact on their business for them to matter."

This is better for us. They respect our opinions but they think our impact is not significant. It might not actually be! I think it is, probably, but we can't be sure. If our opinions are respected, change is easier once our impact becomes significant enough or they notice it.

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You are talking in circles.
 
I think game companies are aware of a vocal minority that "hates" them but choose to pay attention to that vocal minority only if it obviously affects the bottom line.
 
They're billion dollar corporations, and a big part of their existence is gauging public interest, reactions things they do and release, and marketing to, well, the public. If giant publishers didn't know that a very vocal minority online didn't like them, then they wouldn't be doing that great at their job.

Appeasing to that vocal minority is a different thing entirely.
 
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Do you think gaming companies know how much their consumer base hates them?

As someone who worked in the past -among many other things- as head of a CM team in a top publisher and with friends in other ones, I can tell you that yes, they are aware that a few too emotionally invested fanboys (including random trolls and crazy rat kids) hate them, and also are aware that in most cases are just a tiny portion of the playerbase of let's say less than 0.01%, and also that are very loud, annoying and stubborn in gaming forums or social media.

The higher ups of the teams and companies get weekly reports with a recap of what people says about their game (or studio/company depending on the account/team), community sentiment, etc.

Normally companies don't give a fuck because that percentage is so small that isn't representative of the population subsegment that includes their potential customers, and that is even way smaller than the percent of people with mental health issues in general.

But other than this, they take note about what people complains about (specially constructive feedback from sane people / normal players), and do what they can to address it if there's available time/resources/budget available, fits with the company (including potential impact for shareholders)/game vision, priorities and insterests, the ideas from the devs and many other player feedback sources like ingame metrics, market data, focus testing, internal playtesting, internal / media / player reviews, etc.

You may not know it, but in the interwebs there's a gazillion different opinions, including many conflicting ones. Meaning, it's impossible to appeal everybody because doing what some players love may also be the same that other people hate, and at the same time can go against what is needed to run a business and specially one where each project costs some hundreds of millions of dollars to be made and when they have shareholders expecting certain results for each quarter. So they normally lean to what works for that type of players/game type/subgenre/etc.
 
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