Response from EA about NBA Live 2004 PC

I sent the following email to EA about the release of the PC version of Live, which others may have done, and I wanted to share their response with you guys. Here is what I sent first:

Customer - 10/19/2003 03:38 PM
I noticed that there is no definite release date for the PC version of NBA
Live 2004 like the console versions. I wanted to know if there is a set
release date for the PC version and if so when? Was this delay due to the
port over or because new features were added? Were some of the bugs from the
console version corrected? Thanks in advance for your time and the questions
you are able to answer.

Giovanni


Here is their response:

Response (MS Pankaj C) - 10/19/2003 04:12 PM
Greetings Giovanni!



"NBA Live 2004 for PC Version" is currently being sold as a pre-order and is
not available for shipping yet. The tentative release date for that game is
beginning of November 2003. Actual release dates cannot be given out as the
games are still in production. Those dates can be pushed back at a moment’s
notice or released earlier than expected. If you wish to pre-order the game,
you may visit our EA Online Store at www.eastore.ea.com. As soon as the game
is released, it will be shipped out to all our pre-order customers on a
first come first serve basis. The earlier you placed your pre-order, the
earlier you will receive your game.



If you pre-ordered this game, you are provided with the ability to reserve a
copy of a product before its scheduled release date. On the product release
date, pre-orders will be shipped first.


Basically they provided no valuable information. I'm not sure their reason whether its legal or not but they could have done better than that as a response. Beginning of November can be anytime. Gamestop says 4th of November but I'm not sure. Either way I just wanted to share this "very informative" response with you

Well no offence, but you shouldn't have expected an "informative" answer.
I don't think EA themselves know exactly when the game will be finished other than the fact they're aiming for November.
Personally, I like it more this way. It's better than them saying Nov. 4th and then missing the date and having ppl bitch at them right?
Delayed games are normally better than buggy games that should never have been released in the first place (if anybody played Battlecruiser 3000AD here, you know what I mean).

Actual release dates cannot be given out as the
games are still in production.

What? The game is still in production? You think us PC users will finally get our own UI? Wonder what he meant by still in production... .

Of course the game is still in production. The consoles are finished. The PC version is not. That's what the hold up is!

My guess it was some sales rep or auto response where they insert the game title and release date, and if it is not yet released, they say it is still in production.

That would be informative if it weren't for its ambiguity and vague overtones.

An example of how to answer something without actually answering something. All good politicians should learn this skill.

Johnny Howard sure has mastered it..