BRAINSTORMING: Reason the 360 MOH Beta was Delayed?

EA is on the brink of bringing back one of the most recognized war franchises from the back row to the front. This franchise is of course Medal of Honor. With Medal of Honor treading into territory not familiar to them (a game based on a future war), the game is looking very good. And with DICE, the studio behind Battlefield Bad Company, making the multiplayer it has a good chance to grab gamers frustrated by the glitch filled Modern Warfare 2. A beta was released last week for all systems, and all we've been hearing is positive things. Wait, I said all systems, I forgot the Xbox 360 was left out of the loop.

The beta for the Xbox 360 has been delayed to "a later date." But what is the reason for the push back? Well on EA's site it says "We are extremely disappointed about this, but want to assure you that we are dedicated and determined to delivering all of you this awesome multiplayer experience as soon as possible." So was the Xbox 360 version glitch filled? Was there something wrong with the games code when converting it to the Xbox 360 format? In my own opinion, I say NO. My belief the reason was delayed was because of one simple reason.



I think that Sony wanted an edge with the beta, and get it prior to the Xbox 360 owners. At the Sony press conference it was announced that for two EA games, Dead Space and Medal of Honor, that Sony was getting exclusive games bundled in. Then they went into the friendship Sony and EA had since the first Playstation. So could the delay of the Medal of Honor beta for [i]only[/i] Xbox 360 users be because of a close friendship between the two companies? I think so. And I felt that EA needed to be called out, because as a Xbox 360 owner and player, I feel it is not fair for the Xbox 360 users to suffer because EA has a buddy-buddy relationship with Sony.

So have I just called EA's bluff by writing this blog? Or is the delay of the Xbox 360 Medal of Honor beta really due to technical difficulties? I believe the first reason. So I say this:

Dear EA

I have always been a fan of the titles you put out by you and your sub-developers, from Madden to Need for Speed, Rock Band to Battlefield, SSX to The Sims. But there is one title that I want to talk about more. Medal of Honor. When I first saw the trailer to Medal of Honor, I knew that this would be the game to bring the series back to its glory days. Then, at E3, I found out that the multiplayer is going to be made by DICE, the company that brought us Battlefield Bad Companies well thought out multiplayer, I could not wait to get my hands on this game. And then, when I found out that there was going to be a multiplayer beta going live for the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC on June 21st, I became excited. So I took my car, drove to gamestop, and pre-ordered a copy, just to try out the new multiplayer experience from your company. What I received was disappointment.

On June 21st, when trying to redeem my code, in the system selection box, I only saw two systems. Playstation 3 and PC. I then found out that the beta for the Xbox 360 was going to be pushed back a week. When searching for a reason why, I could not find one. So then I was drawn to this one question.

Did Sony get an exclusive deal to get the beta before Xbox?

Because if that is the reasoning, why couldn't you just say so? Instead of making us wait for a beta that is delayed for a reason we do not know, we would at least know why. At least we would know that you are playing favorites with Sony, and leaving Microsoft trailing behind in the dust. As a fan of the EA studio, I feel disappointed if this is the reasoning. With all of the exclusive content, like Dead Space Extraction with Dead Space 2 and Medal of Honor with Medal of Honor: Frontline, it makes me feel that EA is throwing Microsoft in the dust. Now I am sitting here waiting to see the news of "EA becomes an exclusive Sony developer."

Now, I will probably continue to support your great studio and I will be playing the Medal of Honor beta when it is released for the Xbox 360. But I still will be questioning myself why the beta was pushed back for Xbox 360 users. All I want is the honest answer to my question. Did Sony get an exclusive deal to get the beta before Xbox?

Sincerely,
Jon Haeffele


PLEASE NOTE! THIS BLOG IS ENTIRELY OPINION. NONE OF THIS IS PROVEN FACT, BUT ONLY SPECULATION...