When I first heard that EA were breaking off their licensing agreements with arms manufacturers I naively assumed it was for ideological reasons, that the publisher had found it was no longer comfortable funding businesses whose primary goal is developing tools to kill people. Nah, it’s because EA reckon they can’t be sued if they don’t pay up.
Speaking to Reuters, EA’s Frank Gibeau said “We’re telling a story and we have a point of view. A book doesn’t pay for saying the word Colt, for example.” While I can’t fault the logic of that statement it seems close to hypocritical considering the number of cease-and-desist letters EA have sent out over the years to modders who they feel are infringing on the company’s properties. It’s different, yes, but also similar.
This isn’t the first time EA have tried to get out from paying licensing fees, Bell Helicopters filed a cease-and-desist against the publisher after featuring one of their helicopters in Battlefield 3.