Sometimes it's best just to admit you screwed up, and that's exactly the route that gaming giant EA has gone after its horrific SimCity launch.
SimCity's popularity means that any problems are likely to hit the headlines and EA have been badly stung after server problems left its fans fuming.
In a blog post, Lucy Bradshaw, who heads up EA's Maxis brand admits that the company was 'dumb' not to realise just how many people would log on.
Epic fail
"So what went wrong?" wrote Bradshaw on Friday. "The short answer is: a lot more people logged on than we expected.
"More people played and played in ways we never saw in the beta. OK, we agree, that was dumb, but we are committed to fixing it. In the last 48 hours we increased server capacity by 120 percent."
The game has proven to be divisive, with PC Gamer suggesting that being perpetually online is actually damaging the gameplay, but many critics more positive about the game when the servers actually work.
"This SimCity is made to be played online, and if you can't get a stable connection, you're NOT having a good experience," added Bradshaw's post.
People will be offered a free game to make up for the mistake (although Bradshaw does confess this feels "kind of like buying a present for a friend after you did something crummy").
It's a nice gesture, and EA are clearly keen to not let the early frustrations stop SimCity from becoming a hit.
Via BBC
