EALA Admits 'Chronic Issue' with PC Game Support, Forms Dedicated Patch Team

Command & Conquer 3 developer EA Los Angeles has admitted that it has had a "chronic issue [with product support] for more than four years," and is forming a dedicated support team to try and address the issue.

"I am not as proud of our record in supporting our games after launch. In fact, I'm downright unhappy with that aspect of our business," EALA general manager Mike Verdu wrote on the official C&C site.

The admission stemmed from a long-delayed patch for the PC edition of the C&C3 expansion pack Kane's Wrath.

Verdu noted that EALA tends to release a "limited number of patches for our products and in many cases those patches take longer than they should," attributing the issues to "tension between developing new products and supporting our older products."

However, he was clear the the problems "are not a matter of being greedy." In fact, Verdu claimed the time and "seven figure sums" invested in support for past EALA releases, including C&C Generals and the Battle for Middle-earth games, "could have built an entire new product."

The new team will be charged with supporting EALA's RTS efforts post-release along with a goal to " protect and serve" the Command & Conquer games, universe, and community. Support for EALA's upcoming C&C Red Alert 3 will be transferred to team a few months after its October release.

"I am not going to say that this initiative is going to instantly solve all of our support issues and I don't think we have the credibility with our customers to make that claim anyway," Verdu concluded. "But over a period of months and years, I believe the benefits of this new approach will be evident."

Thanks to Capt Tripps for the tip.