Volunteer Labor?

[jezz555]

Or even, if you are feeling especially brutal, play DA2.

 

YOU MONSTER!

[Hassat Hunter]

@ Monte; I probably should find that a lot less funny than I do :D

[Gatt9]

I agree that the game should use unpaid volunteer labor. Unfortunately, many people would decry what I consider to be unpaid volunteer labor as slavery.

 

Actually, the problem is Electronic Arts.

 

When Ultima Online released, EA gave a number of people free UO accounts in exchange for spending some amount of time handling minor in-game issues. Months later, some of those GM's banded together and sued EA, and won.

 

So that set a legal precedent regarding fan involvement, that could be used today. Worse, literary works like writing in game books could get *really* ugly. Technically speaking, if you reprint someone's writing, they're due a portion of the proceeds in some situations. Someone could easily copyright what they wrote while Obsidian was finishing the game, and then blast them with a lawsuit demanding royalties 6 months after release. Would it fly in court? Maybe? Even if Obsidian won these suits it'd cost them to do it.

 

Much better off just leaving things as access to beta, it's alot less risky than letting people help them would be.