Glassdoor review points finger at small group of fans

Dealing with assholes is an unfortunate, but unavoidable element of customer service. Gaming industry isn't much different, except maybe game-devs are easier to find and target on social media since they often use it publicly to promote games etc.

I recall exactly this happening with a feedback thread being opened on BSN Prime (which became a battleground).

I suppose they could've gone the Rian Johnson route as well, which is to become arrogant and not admit to a single mistake while trolling about it. That'd have been a blast. Like, okay, I understand why devs generally tend to go the PR route on something since backlash such as the ME3 thing or even Andromeda was on such a massive scale, but I actually thought at least with Andromeda they addressed it better. It was a lost cause since so many fundamental things would've been an issue even with a ton of bugfixes and animation fixes but the communication and transparency from a lot of the leads like Ian was like 200 times better than whatever Ray Muzyka or Casey... or EA, gave us back with ME3.

I think it's healthy that we get to see both sides of a situation in this industry of both fans being "mistreated" with games that have BS in them but also devs being open about not loving all the hate, but I just think BioWare, starting with DA2, then especially after ME3 have gotten really good at almost having this antagonistic attitude towards their fans. Some of it I understand, I just don't think it's a good thing to keep mentioning it on social media.

Like, ok, I get bullied in middle school. Sucks, but what do I do? Do I sit down and start whining that I'm being bullied for sympathy and with no dignity? Do I confront my bully (and then get beaten down) OR do I shake it off and think "wow, what an asshole, but I'll show him!" and then I keep doing my thing so he can see it does not bother me? Andromeda had a tinge of this in how they just went "fuck it, let's go to the future! New setting!" but then it failed. The point is, I don't wanna see developers start whining about being bullied, it's not going to change anything just make everyone roll their eyes back.

I really don't see that.
What I do see is high levels of control to not discuss stuff (for a mostly good but some bad reasons) which is typical of a AAA studio.

And 'fans' differ.

I value honest developers but the truth is probably that whilist they work directly in their company they are under certain contract of obligation to avoid saying certain things as they are, for PR-related stuff.

Just try going to Twitch.tv and follow Mike Laidlaw or tweet respectfully with DGaider and they're willing to talk about stuff I don't think they'd have ever mentioned when they worked on the franchises, stuff like the rules of telling stories in a game IP or the issue of cinematic budget etc. Mike said something interesting last stream about how a fictional universe has an arc and until that is no longer planned out you'll be able to tell more stories in it, but otherwise you're out of stories to tell. He can't say that without it having been an internal discussion throughout ME3's issues for example despite him not working on that, and it shows how BioWare plan their stuff, whereas officially there would be a "Mass Effect Next" after ME3 because that was what the community needed to hear for a while to not hurt their rep.

I really feel like, if ME3 hadn't been a polarizing title BioWare would've just made Montreal create a multiplayer-exclusive title or an MMO or something and call it a day.

Anyway, this is way off-topic I think, so sorry bout that.

Well, kinda but afaik David Gaider also got semi-infamous among BioWare fans back then because some of his posts I've seen quoted for being arrogant and patronizing to the fans. He said people were experiencing grief and unable to accept the product as legitimate and things. He's a bit like that on Twitter too, but I like that. He has his own special way of honesty.

Count me in the group that thinks BioWare mishandled the reaction to ME3 and came off as rather patronizing towards the fans (whether intentional or not) and unwilling/unable to really explain or address their vision in a meta-sense (I'd love to see a senior BW writer/lead who worked on ME3 come out and talk about why they wrote what they wrote, how they saw the game going, etc. though I understand that that's probably not likely for a variety of reasons.)

That said, looking back, mishandling of the fans aside, BW did try to engage with fans - I think the main concern for many fans (and totally understandable on BW's part) was that BW wasn't going to give any illusion of an equal stage for discourse, and a lot of people really got upset about that. It really showed in the reaction from the fanbase - I mean, barring totally changing every aspect of the ending and removing the material that presents a serious moral/ethical dilemma (even if it was terrifically botched in the execution,) many vocal fans weren't going to accept any kind of compromise, and, although BW was in the right (however unsympathetic their characterization,) this was only further exacerbated when BW made it clear that there wasn't equal value to what the fans wanted to see versus what BW wanted to portray. Again, I personally believe BW's response had a bit of an unsympathetic and patronizing tone, but their words do ultimately ring true. A lot of fans really had problems accepting that (and some still do.)

Thanks for the offer...

The pointing the finger at fans is what made me lose respect for Bioware. Makes them seem extremely arrogant and shows a strong lack of self awareness. A bandwagon doesn't cause your game to be universally panned. It being a bad game does. Claiming some bandwagon is responsible for the reputation of a product is nothing but a coping mechanism from someone who refuses to take responsibility for their own failings, a narcissist. No product gets widespread hate for nothing, that never happens, ever. We are individuals, and some angry nerd post on the web does not have the kind of power to influence the whole sphere of critics. That's absolutely ridiculous. Release a better product, there will be no "bandwagon". Sit down, be humble Bioware. The games deserve to be criticized. I'm into ESO right now, and it's a damn shame that an MMO has a better sense of exploration and a more thriving, living world filled with radiant AI/NPCs than a single player RPG. C'mon Bioware, you can do better.

Those would be angry entitled asshole fans, please show some respect.

That's also fair, it's hard to put the 'badge' to one side, I realize.
I try hard to not be an arsehole when moderating (success not guaranteed ) and wherever possible I'll try to use the little police emoji to indicate obvious moderating.