Filed under: MMORPG News, MMORPG Related, Opinion | 5 Comments »
Early adopters of SOE’s new TCG addition to SWG were surprised, earlier today, when an announcement that a tournament test was about to begin – but non-US players would be unable to take part.
Rushing to the game’s forums, it soon became clear that some of the fine print in the game’s EULA states that tournament play – one of the most hotly advertised features of the TCG – would be for US citizens only. As you’d expect, players have been quick to voice their extreme disapproval:
LordErman: I respect all US players but let’s face it; the rest of the whole world is always > the US. Of course they should find a way to include us into the tournaments.
iosifinig: This is a shame. I accepted I couldn’t get a prize, it didn’t matter. But now I can’t participate. I have spent money in this game and now I’m screwed up.
TCO-blur: These laws must be extremely poorly written if kids can’t compete for worthless trading cards; it’s not like this is Texas Hold Em poker, or something.
My advice to SOE? Don’t let this become yet another SWG-related cock-up. Find a way to let foreign players into the main SWG TCG tournaments – and fast. Even if it means forfeiting any prizes. Better still, why not read the fine print of those US laws in question? It staggers me that if players aren’t competing for real money, that there could be any kind of real problem here. Put a dollar-value of $0 on any cards or boosters given as prizes, or something. Please.
[...] tournaments being an extremely well-advertised part of the TCG “experience”. I’ve blogged it for MMOCrunch: My advice to SOE? Don’t let this become yet another SWG-related cock-up. Find a way to let [...]
Using laws as an excuse as they may or may not be doing doesn’t even make sense in this context. There are no actual dollar-values attached to any reward cards in the TCG (hence the fact that you get reward cards for completing the single player scenarios).
If the TCG would fall under US gaming laws, then so would rolling for loot in an SWG heroic instance. Bureaucrats and lawyers still have not managed to adapt to the Online world, it would seem.
Here we go again…way to go SOE.
I was really annoyed about this, but is really SOE’s fault?
It is US law that is the problem. It restricts access to certain gaming activities especially where prizes are awarded to players.
Happily the Sprint Tourneys are open to all players. Not ideal but at least we Euro players can join in.
It’s because SOE charges an entry fee for the tournaments that offer prizes. No entry fee, no problem. Come on SOE, people are already paying for card packs, a station pass or an SWG subscription. Ease up on the cash grabs and let people have some fun.