People are just bitter at the trend they see of 'bioware' as a nebulous entity devoting more attention to every other social media platform than their own forum. Sure, it's not fair to take that out on one employee whose role in this whole dust up is unclear. A lot of things aren't fair about this situation.

Since you're here, Ostensible Bryan Johnson, any chance you can give a less filtered explanation of why this happened than we've gotten from Conal Pierce?

Well, of course Bioware staff members are posting here.


I mean, it's not the BSN, right? LOL

You are one magnificient bastard, Fast Peni-- I mean, Jimmy.

For whatever worth it may be to you: I don't care if you're the genuine Johnson or not. I don't need a BioWare tag to discuss things and I wouldn't be any different. To me, what matters most is the discussion. You can PM me on BSN (same user name) if you want to, but other than me being able to confirm your person, nothing would change.


Was my initial post you quoted first hostile?

Yes. I own up to that. And it is wrong. Why was it hostile? Because I'm angry. Why am I angry? Because a place I like is getting nuked and I have no understandable information as to why. I lack context. Hence I make misinterpretations.

I have no qualms about admitting that I am lashing out. And if this were the BSN, I would have no reservations against you or someone else taking action against my account if it was deemed necessary.

As for the forum moderation:
I may not not trust everything someon official says. To a reasonable degree, that is obviously the correct thing to do. But scepticism is one thing and being an ass is another. And yes, I would absolutely root for BioWare to just crack down on disruptive users and clearly say: "it's okay to not trust everything we say, it's okay to criticize, please do, feedback helps. BUT do so in a reasonable fashion. If you don't like something, tell us WHY and don't say OMGTHISISTHEWORSTSHITEVER".
If people disagree. Fine! Let them. If people disagree and throw a tantrum, they get actioned. That may not be a straight up ban, but the message has to get across -  if one can't abide by the rules of standard civil behaviour, you're not wanted.

Part of the reason why people are quick to antagonize is because it works.

If the community team stays strong and keeps the peace, by steady application of the banhammer if need be, then someday the idea will come across.

Having an enforced set of rules isn't being an authoritatian policy state. It is absolutely necessary. And if some vocal people get uppity about it, let them. What's important isn't the people who hate you. Focusing on those is self-destructive. What's important is the people that love you. And there's plenty around.


Now, the recent events have showed one thing. Community management from BioWare is lacklustre at best. Moderation has been lenient for years and quite frankly I believe that is simply because there weren#t enough mods around to do the job. That can be a financial issue, or likewise a trust issue. Community mods are always an option.


No one in their right mind can fault any individual over at BioWare of abiding by the rules. NDAs are a thing and not wanting to speculate when you don't have sufficient information on a specific thing is commendable even if it upsets some people who just wanted something to talk about. It happens. People get over it. And if anyone calls someone for that a corporate whore, they're an asshole and deserve being actioned. And if they don't get the hint and continue being assholes, like I said, good riddance. Splat 'em with the banhammer and be done.

Hi Bryan, nice to have you here.

The above clip from your post demonstrates a few things, in my opinion, that belie the larger problem at the BSN and why it is failing as a forum.

First off, you're right - you shouldn't have to spend your free time dealing with jerks and pricks. Because nowhere in your job description is anything near that listed. However... something along the lines of dealing with consumer concerns IS something that would be part of, say, a Community Manager's job responsibilities. And not everyone likes every part of their job, as sometimes a job can really suck. The Comminity Manager isn't doing their job, as clearly the Community is either not being managed, or has to be managed by developers in the spare time. That's a problem.

Secondly, there is a very good reason you see so many jerks and assholes on the forum... it's because there are jerks and assholes in real life. You cannot show me one position that has to do with Customer Relations that doesn't involve some prick going off and acting totally out of line, giving abuse to someone who has no real ability to help the insane person, let alone is actually the one who is the source of their frustration. Not ONE job is like that. The real reason communities like Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or Reddit seem friendlier? Because they don't bring in the masses, the people from off the street. They don't have the randoms who don't know that much about Bioware or who don't want to follow every scratch of information that comes out due to being an adoring fan. The forums are where your average Joe is going to go to either look for an answer or complain about their problem. They are going Google the name Bioware, go to the website and wind up in the forums. Anyone going to the other social media outlets Bioware has set up are just fans who are already extremely dedicated and in awe, so of course they have respect and reverence... but that doesn't make them better places to talk to your customers. Arguably, that makes them WORSE - all you have now are echo chambers of your most devoted fans, not the traffic of your average consumer who may actually be disgruntled with your product.

Third, and finally, you make yourself a target. Not by anything you as Bryan Johnson do, say or post, but by logistics - there isn't any other developer or Community Manager presence on the boards. There is no regular interaction or assistance from any of your other colleagues. To a rabid fan who has been posting for months, not hearing anything, not sure if they are talking to anyone else besides other inmates in the looney bin, you become not Bryan Johnson, cool dude who is there to help, but the very face of Bioware, who has ignored their pleas and questions for time uncounting and now is giving "some BS corporate excuse" about not providing them help. Does that excuse rude behavior? Of course not. But would that behavior be a rarity if people knew and saw multiple Bioware people on the boards, interacting and responding regularly? Absolutely, without a doubt.



I know it's not your call, not your job and not your... anything, really. But that's my two cents. The forums aren't inherently a terrible place full of terrible people for some magical voodoo reason no one can comprehend. It's a by-product of the way it has been mishandled for years.

Can't like twice

Alright instead of quoting individuals ill respond broadly.

Conal is the community manager. Allan was the temporary community manager for a time after Priestly was let go. I learned about the off topic removal at the same time as all you guys (this does not mean that it was decided on by one person, it simply means I was not involved).

There are other people that work on the community team but given the wide-array of what is considered "community" these days it is much harder to try and deal with. There is twitter (multiple accounts), twitch, facebook, and reddit for example.

This is something I posted 8 months ago. On why communication has changed between game teams and their community.


My two cents, the entire industry has changed. I have a few posts on this sub reddit that ended up being quoted by English, French, Spanish and German news pages. If I provide a wrong piece of information that information is now in the public domain more than ever and I can be "crucified" for "lying" even years after the fact.
Furthermore we get instances of people being online bullied because they spoke to the public and then something happened that they didnt like. So the person that spent time talking in the community is now the enemy and the person who works behind the scenes has not spent extra time and is not potentially being bullied.
People will undoubtedly say EA changed us (I expect this) but it is infact the industry as a whole. When you have millions upon millions of dollars on the line (with actual legal consequences) you tend to watch your words a bit more carefully.
You'll also notice I have my real life name on this sub-reddit. I am not an anonymous person, people can very easily find out who I am so if I make a statement that someone doesnt like they can easily go out and search for everything I have done and start to tear me apart.
Essentially at this point if I went into something like the PC feedback thread and posted right now, what are my real options?
Post "I have read this thread and will do my best to make others aware of it" - This would get me flamed for not actually saying something that will make most furious people happy
Post "We are working on fixing x, y, and z" - This would then have a response of what about a b and c. Do you not care about those people with a b and c?
Post "We are going to fix everything" - Well now if someone decides not to fix something, then I will be called a liar in the public eye and inevitably damage my reputation by making a statement I have no control over

Do you mean like blending in? If so then that would cause the issue that BioWare doesn't listen to us... there are no mods etc

If you mean just using an alias, that would help limit the damage to the area where the forums are being used.  Using their real names is also a very interesting sign of good faith but it also conveys formality. Using their real name is interesting to say the least.


And in regards to Allan, it kinda makes sense but it's still a bit weird and shocking.

I meant use Aliases like "Reznore" or "Dio Demon" but with a Bioware tag underneath.
If internet bullying is a problem for employee interacting on the forum, I can understand the need to stay anonymous.