EA Wins 'Worst Company In America,' Did 'Mass Effect 3' Ending Impact Votes? [VIDEO]

It seems that gamers have stepped into the forefront when it comes to voicing opinions on the Internet. The lackluster ending of Mass Effect 3 sent video game fanatics in an uproar, and now game publisher Electronic Arts has just won The Consumerist award for this year's Worst Company in America.

The video game company beat Bank of America, who was the other frontrunner in the competition. After more than 250,000 votes, readers decided that EA was worthy of the title.

To those who might sneer at something as 'non-essential' as a video game company winning the Worst Company In America vote: It's that exact kind of attitude that allows people to ignore the complaints as companies like EA to nickel and dime consumers to death, it read on The Consumerist website under the results.

But this doesn't seem to faze the game-producing company, according to Kotaku. EA Senior Director of Corporate Communications John Reseburg issued the video game news website the following statement:

We're sure that British Petroleum, AIG, Philip Morris, and Halliburton are all relieved they weren't nominated this year. We're going to continue making award-winning games and services played by more than 300 million people worldwide.

The most buzz worthy controversy to surround EA as of late is the hype surrounding the ending of Mass Effect 3. Since the company took over BioWare, fans have noticed a difference in the way mega titles such as Mass Effect and Star Wars: The Old Republic have been handled.

EA is at the forefront of some of the most annoying practices in the industry to date, such as restrictive DRM, seemingly abusive DLC and appearing to trade creativity for cash, writes Forbes gaming/business writer Paul Tassi.

One of the major criticisms the company has received involves the release of downloadable content expansions. EA endured accusations such as withholding game content with the intention of charging a fee for it later on, according to The Consumerist website.

Earlier today a report surfaced in a Mexican newspaper indicating that the upcoming DLC for Mass Effect 3 will not change the game's ending. Daniel Gonzalez, director of marketing and public relations for EA Latin America, told the newspaper that the expansion would come in about two weeks, and would explain the series' conclusion in further detail.

The effects of EA on BioWare have not gone unnoticed. The latest segment in MrBTongue's Tasteful, Understated Nerdrage series offers insight into the effects EA has had on BioWare since it purchased the development studio. The video takes viewers through a brief introduction and history of how the two companies began to mesh, and then delves into the effects.

EA is doomed to mess with BioWare's creative process whether they want to or not, the video's narration says.

Last year, BP took home the Worst Company In America award, with Bank of America placing in second.