In the wake of heavy criticism of the relationship between the games industry and gun manufacturers – not least from the NRA, which claimed that the industry “sells, and sows, violence against its own people” – EA has stated that it will no longer license branded weaponry for its games, though those branded guns will still feature. In an interview with Reuters on Yahoo!, EA's President of Labels Frank Gibeau is quoted as pointing out that “a book doesn't pay for saying the word 'Colt'”, and the article translates that to mean EA will claim that the right to free speech allows the use of these trademarks in its games.
The article also points out that no gun maker has ever yet actually sued a video game company for using branded guns without a licence. Besides which, EA seems comfortable in court, presumably helped by its large sums of money. For example, when Bell Helicopter stated that the depiction of helicopters in Battlefield infringed trademarks, EA preemptively sued the company to settle the matter.
It's a good time for EA to make such a bold announcement, what with all the bad press it's received lately – specifically the SimCity launch issues – that partly led to its “Worst Company in America” award. Stepping away from the accusation that violent games are tightly bound up with gun manufacturers, as is explored in this lengthy feature by Simon Parkin, is a step in the right direction. But do you think it'll help the way the industry is perceived?
