To be fair, the number of users in a given games forums always tapers off significantly as the weeks pass after release. It's always been like that and the fact Madden continually has 200+ users browsing that forums this long after release is actually more than most games and more than Madden has in the past. (Of course that can also be attributed to OS growth in population as well).

As far as Ian leaving this forum, personally I don't blame him. But that could just be me.

I don't blame him for leaving, I blame him for leaving in the manner he allegedly plans to leave in.

Looking at his post, it goes something like this:
"*Issue x* is a big problem with *product Y*. I'm fed up with waiting for *people in position of power* to do something about it, but I offer no constructive criticism or suggestions on how to fix the problem and instead threaten/promise to abandon *product Y* and return to *product Z* that I used to use, so there!"

Maybe it's just me, but doesn't that synopsis sound remarkably like the posting formula a 2k fanboy would get an infraction for using?

I agree with the blogger here, though I am not as active within the Madden community here at OS, but I read a lot of what you guys as well as Ian have posted. Before Madden was released he was here sharing all the info he could give and how we are going to be pleased with Madden this year. However, as soon layers of the Madden onion were beginning to be peeled away, we looked to Ian for answers, and where was he? Up and left us..... I think that regardless of what the situation you should be held accountable for your actions good or bad. I wonder if we will see the same exact thing if Live fails to meet our expectations?

maybe he could have handled it differently but a lot of people here are immature and really out of line. they don't understand what it takes to develop a game and are out of line by trashing him and just repeatedly criticizing anything he says. i don't even want to know what PM's he's getting. bottom line is this: we're going to be much worse off without interaction and feedback from the devs. people will never learn...

With the ridiculous personal attacks that were aimed at him whenever he tried to post something or tried to gather information, i doubt you, I or anyone else around here would have stuck around.

To call him out for it in this manner, is in my opinion unfair and shortsighted.

Again, could just be me, but that's how I see it. I would spend my free time taking a bunch of abuse in that matter during my free time.

I meant I wouldn't spend my time doing that in that last paragraph.

you should try mailing EA.this is not very professional on your part.You think execs and game devs give a crap about an angry emailer?guess again.Private letter work better and show true class.Of course if you really dont like the game dont buy it.That is the ultimate vote.

^^^this

I like the game. I got it shortly after release & I've played the daylights out of it.

I just personally think it'd be totally classless of him to play the take-my-business-elsewhere card on all Operation Sports forum users in retaliation to the group of take-my-business-elsewhere "2k > madden" problem causers, and I've no problem calling him on it.

It is business, he did his best to sell the game. We were privileged to have him come here daily and be active. It wasn't in his job description. Give the guy a break, he is doing his job, and if you didn't notice he put out the best next-gen Madden to date.

From all the issues that continue with the game 5 years in on 'next gen' consoles, did his presence here really make much difference one way or the other?
Im thinking not.

Soooo...IAN Took his ball and ran home.....if so are we really surprised? smh....Madden has had several years to "get it" right....I really look forward to what they will "say" is going to be in next years game vs. what really is....lol

Bottom line- Madden is EA's bread and butter. They were nervous they would see a 15% drop in sales due to the recession. That's the only reason Cumming's was blogging and keepin you posted. It's a PR move. During economic downturn; the number one rule in business is to keep your existing customer base. Score....EA 1/Fanboys 0. EA needs to bring back David Ortiz.

I thought it was sales all along. Anyone who thought otherwise hasn't done sales before

The fact Ian got flamed by a lot of people here should not be surprising and this site is probably more mature than most gaming sites out there. If Ian was disappointed that he got flamed then he really didn't know what he was getting into and was naive imo. Developers are like referees - you only notice them for the screw-ups and then you shout obscenities at them. It's reality and something you have to accept if you want to interact with the community. Otherwise, go back to your own forums (with MUCH less traffic) and see if you can do better.

Developers hopping on message boards is becoming more and more common. It's a good way to improve your game AND market the game. And yes it IS a marketing thing no matter what anyone says. Thick skin is a must and Ian is a thin skinned individual. So am I. I couldn't handle it either but I knew what I would be getting into.

The Show development team was much worse imo. They interacted heavily until release and then we never heard from anyone other than Russell afterwards. They released a garbage patch and never even addressed some simple and common problems like the DH fatigue. How could they not even answer that question? I'm still waiting.

Other EA teams here like the NCAA team take a lot of abuse. I'll give Adam Thompson a ton of credit as he IS thick skinned. He answered the questions he could no matter how tough and how angry some people got. Why some people get that angry over a video game still baffles me but we are all different.

The NBA Live team is still here and Stephsonmac deals with a lot of crap too. But he knows how to filter through the garbage and not take things so personally. That can be hard to do when you devote so much of your time into a project.

All I can say is that having developers on a board is a double-edged sword. It is great to get all the info and insight they provide. But it also tends to amplify the happy gamer vs. angry gamer as the opposing camps tend to get really testy. Some guys start to think of these developers as though they are their buddies or even family and get upset at any criticism at all. The freedom to express your opinion when a developer is on the board tends to get muted a bit. I'm not sure that is a good thing. In some ways, it might be best if the developers just stayed on their own forums to avoid some of the fighting that happens.