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Assassin's Creed: Unity CEO apologizes for bugs, offers free DLC
Everyone who owns Assassin's Creed: Unity will receive the Dead Kings DLC for free once that launches, Ubisoft Montreal and Toronto CEO Yannis Mallat says in a blog post. The freebie is an apology for the technical issues that have plagued Unity since launch. "Unfortunately, at launch, the overall quality of the game was diminished by bugs and unexpected technical issues," Mallat says. "I want to sincerely apologize on behalf of Ubisoft and the entire Assassin's Creed team. These problems took away from your enjoyment of the game, and kept many of you from experiencing the game at its fullest potential." In our review of Unity, we noted that the game was "in dire need of a technical re-tweaking." Today, Ubisoft launched the game's third patch, bringing in more than 300 fixes. Players who purchased the Season Pass for Unity would have already received the Dead Kings DLC, and they are now entitled to one free Ubisoft game from the following lineup: The Crew, Far Cry 4, Watch Dogs, Assassin's Creed Black Flag, Rayman Legends and Just Dance 2015. Ubisoft is discontinuing sale of the Season Pass, the FAQ reads. [Image: Ubisoft/King_Anesti]
World of Warcraft apologizes and compensates for Warlords of Draenor issues
Blizzard is so, so sorry for the expansion launch issues -- and it is trying to make things right. This is the word from World of Warcraft Executive Producer J. Allen Brack, who issued a public mea culpa on the forums for the problems with Warlords of Draenor's launch. "The quality of the content does not excuse the subpar launch experience we delivered, and I apologize for that," Brack wrote. He outlined the events and studio response over the past weekend, saying that the team is expanding its instancing tech to reduce queues on realms. To compensate players for their troubles, Brack said that Blizzard is giving five days of game time for all subscribers as of last Friday.
Bono apologizes for that U2 download you didn't ask for
Apple and U2 may have touted that Songs of Innocence iTunes giveaway as a breakthrough music deal, but not everyone appreciated seeing an album forced into their collection. And apparently, front man Bono is now well aware of this -- he just used a fan Q&A on Facebook to offer an apology of sorts. He's sorry that U2 got "carried away" with its idea, and claims that the band was worried that years of work "might'nt be heard" if it had a typical launch.
Facebook apologizes for spurning drag queens, might do something about it
Facebook's real name policy has caused quite a stir recently, especially among the drag queen community. Several performers found themselves on the receiving end of merciless deletion because they used their stage names, rather than their legal names for their profiles. When those accounts were reported as fake (apparently by a single individual with a vendetta against drag queens) they got swept up into Facebook's system and removed along with the bullies, impersonators and trolls. Now the company's chief product officer, Chris Cox, has issued an apology, though one that makes it clear the policy will not be changing.
The man responsible for pop-up ads reveals why he cursed us
The sad truth of the internet is that lots of the snarky blogs and lovely longform content you can dig into are there because they're commodities companies can sell ads against. The most odious of the bunch? Pop-ups, naturally -- an entire cottage industry sprang up to quash them with extreme prejudice. In a lengthy (but totally worthy) essay dissecting the birth of the ad-supported internet over at The Atlantic, one of the creators of the pop-up ad apologized for what he and his team unleashed upon the world. But how did they come about in the first place?
Razer's CEO is sorry for 'screwing up on anticipating demand,' wants to do better
If you pre-ordered Razer's new 14-inch Blade laptop the day it was announced, there's a good chance you still don't have it. Frustrated? Don't worry -- your voice has already been heard; Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan says he's sorry. "We suck at this," he said in a heartfelt Facebook post today. "I suck at this." Unfortunately, Razer has made a habit of underestimating customer demand, and Min's team is struggling to find a solution that won't keep customers waiting. "We've tried different things," he said. "We've tried doubling / tripling / quadrupling manufacturing capacity, we've ramped back to phasing in launches by geography... we've pushed back launch dates, and still we end up disappointing our customers."
WildStar compensating players with bonus loot
The saga of WildStar's name reservation system appears to have come to a close. According to a forum post today from community manager Tony Rey, the system should be working properly now with no further issues. And while Carbine Studios can't turn back time, the studio is at least trying to offer up an olive branch to players and fans affected by the system's instabilities. Players who have pre-ordered will automatically be granted five Boom Boxes, little bonus packs of items being awarded for logging into beta that contain mounts, mount customizations, costumes, and so forth. (There's a short video past the break showing these off.) These boxes will also be awarded to any players who pre-order before 8 p.m. EDT on Friday. There's also a full technical breakdown of the issues encountered on the way for those curious about what went wrong from a technical standpoint. So you might not have gotten your first name choice reserved, but you do get an apology.
Nintendo apologizes for Tomodachi Life's lack of same-sex relationships
Tomodachi Life, an upcoming 3DS game that places the Miis of a player and their acquaintances in various scenarios, has drawn criticism from fans over its lack of support for same-sex relationships. Nintendo of America recently explained that the company "never intended to make any form of social commentary" with Tomodachi Life, but the bungling response only upset people further. With fans amassing awareness for the issue through the Miiquality hashtag, Nintendo has now issued an apology for "disappointing many people by failing to include same-sex relationships." "Unfortunately, it is not possible for us to change this game's design, and such a significant development change can't be accomplished with a post-ship patch," the statement continues. "We are committed to advancing our longtime company values of fun and entertainment for everyone. We pledge that if we create a next installment in the Tomodachi series, we will strive to design a game-play experience from the ground up that is more inclusive, and better represents all players." It's nice of Nintendo of America to play damage control, but since the response is from the company's American division, we wonder if the strive to be more inclusive would only be evident in Western versions of the next game. Of course, that's assuming that another Tomodachi game will be made in the first place. [Image: Nintendo]
Heroes of the Storm director apologizes for response to interview
Dustin Browder is the game director for Blizzard's upcoming MOBA, Heroes of the Storm. The game features heroes, heroines and plenty more from Blizzard franchises, and it's Browder's job to oversee and, as his title might suggest, direct its development. When Rock, Paper, Shotgun interviewed Browder and specifically addressed the artistic direction of many female MOBA characters, Browder gave a response he is now apologizing for on the Heroes of the Storm website. "I responded poorly to a statement the interviewer made about over-sexualized character designs in games, and I want to apologize for that," Browder wrote. "This is a serious topic and I don't want anyone to think that I, or anyone else at Blizzard, is insensitive about how we portray our characters." Browder went on to state that he wants every player to find a character they can identify with, and thanked RPS for their feedback. The topic of sexualization in video games has been particularly prevalent as games continue to gain mainstream attention. Sometimes it results in a distressing moment with a mermaid. Sometimes it results in an apology.
Konami issues apology for Xbox 360 Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 online issues
Konami has issued an apology to owners of the Xbox 360 version of Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 for errors related to the game's online features. Some users report being unable to download a required data pack to activate online multiplayer, and instead have been greeted with an error message claiming the "download file is broken." Konami Digital Entertainment President Shinji Hirano said the publisher "would like to apologize to any users who have been unable to enjoy PES 2014 online and would like to reassure fans we'll be fixing the issue as quickly as possible." An update on Konami's European support page for the particular online problem noted that the publisher is "still in discussions with Microsoft trying to understand what might be causing this," and recommended that players attempt to download and install data pack 1.00, as "some players have reported intermittent success" in doing so. Konami added that it plans to update its support page on Monday with more information.
Ouya CEO offering store credit to unsatisfied Kickstarters
Unsatisfied contributors to Ouya's Kickstarter campaign may request a $13.37 credit for the console's Discover store, Ouya CEO Julie Uhrman revealed in an email to backers this week. Uhrman's email acknowledged late shipments, missing controllers and delayed responses from customer support as missteps during the console's launch. Uhrman offered the credit in an effort to "do more than tell you how much we appreciate you." Kickstarter backers should check their inbox for the message and click the email's included link to request the credit. The full email is available after the jump. [Thanks, Scott!]
Red 5 CEO details Firefall fixes, apologizes for open beta issues
Firefall jet-booted into open beta on July 9th, but the transition ended up being a bit trickier than Red 5 expected. Tutorials broke, crafting crashed, abilities vanished from hotbars, and logins were jammed. CEO Mark Kern offered a letter to Firefall players today apologizing for the problems encountered and detailing all the fixes the team has put in place. According to Kern, login errors are resolved, server capacity is raised in all regions, instances are stabilized, tutorials are un-stuck, and calldown menus function again. Additionally, dropships are cruising along the correct flightpaths and the game's crafting and customization menus are smoother, faster, and more responsive. Kern conceded that Firefall isn't perfect (or even finished), but wants players to know that he and his team are working on it: Please accept our apologies for the rocky start, and while we are not past all of it yet, things have improved tremendously and we are working on resolving the remaining issues. Meanwhile, please join us for a series of new content and features that are rolling out regularly. It's been an incredible experience and only made possible by you, the community. Thank you and see you in Firefall. Red 5 has an open beta Firefall tournament scheduled to start this Sunday, August 4th.
Chinese media satisfied with Tim Cook's apology
In a letter from CEO Tim Cook, Apple apologized to Chinese consumers and pledged to improve its warranty policies in the Asian country. According to Reuters, the apology has been well-received by China's state-run media. Popular tabloid newspaper, the Global Times, writes this about Apple's apology: "The company's apology letter has eased the situation, softening the tense relationship between Apple and the Chinese market ... Its reaction is worth respect compared with other American companies." The Global Times operates under the control of the People's Daily newspaper, which is owned and operated by the Communist Party of China.
UK judge who upheld order for Apple to apologize now works for Samsung
You may remember a case last year in which the a UK judge overseeing the Samsung vs. Apple case forced the company to post a public apology on its website stating that Samsung did not infringe on Apple's iPad design. FOSS Patents is reporting today that one of the judges who upheld that bizarre order, Sir Robin Jacob, is now in the employ of none other than Samsung. Apple, to its credit, used a little snark in its court-ordered apology last year and noted that, "while the UK court did not find Samsung guilty of infringement, other courts have recognized that in the course of creating its Galaxy tablet, Samsung willfully copied Apple's far more popular iPad." Apple was forced by the court to change that statement and complied, but placed the revision in a location on its UK home page that required users to scroll all the way to the bottom of the page to read it. After Apple's first attempt to comply with the strange order, Sir Robin noted a "lack of integrity" by the company in their dealings with the court. FOSS Patents' Florian Mueller hits the nail on the head in reporting this situation, stating that, "For someone so concerned with 'integrity' it is utterly unusual to issue a high-profile and extreme ruling in favor of a particular party (Samsung in this case) only to be hired as an expert by that same party in another dispute."
The War Z yanked from Steam, Valve apologizes
The brief and baffling run of The War Z on Steam is over... for now. Valve called the release of the title on its digital distribution platform a "mistake" and "premature" and has since removed it. "We apologize for this," the company said, "and have temporary removed the sale offering of the title until we have time to work with the developer and have confidence in a new build." The furor over The War Z's launch on Steam centered around its status as an early beta build and a list of misleading features on the Steam page that were either partially implemented or absent from the game altogether. Hammerpoint also issued a short statement saying, "We're making sure that our Store page is 100% correct. Bottom line: Our end goal is to have satisfied and not angry customers, so this is more important for us than everything else." Steam said that players who purchased it may choose to continue to play it or can get a refund.
Aventurine apologizes for Darkfall delay
Darkfall fans have good reason to be disgruntled at the news yesterday that Aventurine announced a major delay in the relaunch of the game. The studio has posted a brief explanation as to why the announcement cut it so close to the anticipated release date. "We want you to know that 55 people fought until the last minute to make that announcement unnecessary," Tasos Flambouras wrote. "This is not a matter of lack of respect towards the community; it's a matter of unfortunate timing." Flambouras apologized, saying that the delay allows his team "to do what's best for the game and for [its] players" and that Aventurine is not using Darkfall's transition onto Steam as an excuse.
Nintendo president 'very sorry' for the Wii U's frustrating set-up process
Nintendo's Satoru Iwata has apologized for the Wii U's time-consuming day one update -- a compulsory patch that takes as long as an hour to download and which prevents users from accessing the Miiverse, play Wii Games or use Hulu Plus. In an interview with IGN, the company president said that he was "very sorry," and that he feels users should be able to "use all of the functions [of a console] as soon as they open the box." He added that people can expect further, incremental software bumps that'll add functionality to the system over time, and that new Mario and Zelda games would be announced just as soon as the company had worked out how to produce games that utilize the console's unique hardware. Update: Looks like Nintendo put out a video for getting your Wii U online; we've embedded it after the break.
UK court says Apple notice was 'false and misleading,' orders full repayment of Samsung's legal costs
Nothing truly says "I'm sorry" like a large sum of cash, and Apple will have to open up its wallet to Samsung thanks to "false and misleading" information it published in a court-ordered statement. The decision stems from an earlier UK high court ruling ordering Cupertino to post an apology on its British website stating that the Galaxy Tab didn't copy the iPad. However, according to a new judgement by the the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, the apology it issued contained statements "calculated to produce confusion," like references to unrelated, favorable judgements. Though Apple issued a second apology, the court is taking the unusual step of forcing it to pay all of Samsung's legal fees for the entire case on an "indemnity basis" -- in other words, to compensate the Korean maker for losses suffered due to the original statement. If you'd like to parse the legalese for yourself, hit the source. Update: Some thought the original phrasing "which it did" implied that we thought Samsung did copy Apple, rather than the intended meaning -- that Apple did issue a retraction. We've changed the wording, so thanks to everyone who pointed it out.
Apple uses a little code to help hide its Samsung apology in the UK
After the company's first attempt at its court-ordered apology came off a bit sarcastic -- and angered a UK judge in the process -- Apple has now posted its second attempt at the official statement on its UK website. However, while this new statement appears to have much less snark, the company has another treat in store: Apple's front page code has been tweaked so that the the blurb and link to the statement won't appear unless you scroll down, regardless of your screen resolution. The interesting code tweak was first discovered by members of Hacker News and Reddit. A simple Javascript addition ensures that regardless of what resolution your display is set at, the large iPad mini banner pushes the apology link off of the screen. If you visit Apple's website with any degree of regularity, you'll already know that scrolling down isn't typically something you need to do to find what you're looking for. When the court ordered that the company admit that its first official statement on the Samsung matter was inaccurate, there was also the stipulation that a link to the corrected statement appear on the homepage. Well, technically, the link does appear on the homepage, but unless you decide to scroll down to what is typically a non-existent page extension, you're not likely to see it. It's a clever move, but we'll have to wait and see if the already miffed UK court also appreciates the ingenuity. [Via: The Next Web]
Apple posts revised 'Samsung did not copy' statement, acknowledges first version was inaccurate
Apple has just reposted its statement acknowledging that Samsung did not copy its tablet design, after the initial wording was deemed unacceptable by the UK courts. The new version is a lot shorter, and simply repeats what it published in national newspapers this week, stating that the court did not find Samsung to be in breach of Apple's registered design No. 0000181607-0001, reminding us that it was also upheld by the Court of Appeal, providing links to the appropriate patent and judgement documents online. The mention of the same case going in Apple's favor in Germany has been removed completely. When first published, Apple included a short link at the bottom of its homepage. Now, to completely comply with the court's bidding, there is a short statement accompanying the link, confirming that its initial acknowledgement was inaccurate. The court also told Apple that it must keep the admission online until at least December 14th. Will this be enough to appease the UK courts? We'll just have to wait and see.
