Of course EA also does this to protect their investments e.g. Bioware and Pandemic. Pandemic has a new game on the way called 'saboteur' which takes place during WWII(2) and my guess is that this games also features some sort of optional love scene. It, therefore, would be stupid for EA not to their best to protect their investments. Hence, the line 'the parent company of Bioware' in the statement.
I don't get the Amricans obsession with sex either, but I think it has to with fear of society falling to pieces if anyone just could do as they please - in terms of sex. If we look at both Holland and Denmark, people having doing this for the last 30-40 years. And society still stands.
When a new corporation like Fox News Channel (FCN) distorts facts about a videogame that is being made by Bioware, a subsidiary (now) of EA, EA really has no choice other than to react swiftly and vehemently setting the record straight.
As for the the 'why not sue now' question, I hink it is common courtesy to give the other party, in ths case FCN, a chance to retract the false, inaccurate statements made towards a game, in this instance, Mass Effect, before carrying out the slightly disguised legal threat in the statement from EA. Another sligtly disguised threat is the whole 'this comes straight from John Riccitiello, the (big) boss of EA'. EA certainly has the mucsle & the money to take on Fox News Channel (& Fox News Corporation).
As for the good of the gamers, I think it actually will benefit gamers in a way. Many people have pointed out that the average gamer is now about 30-35 of age, while many gamers also are women. I have consistently pointed out that the ESRB's ratings are guidelines, not mandatory and also that parents should be monitoring what games their children and teenagers play.
As for EA's motives, of course they're trying to protect their investments in Bioware and Pandemic as well as looking out for their own business interest as well. I'm fine with this since EA knows that if EA does not say anything about this, they will not sell as many games at they, EA, have hoped to gamers.
EA probably also knows that in the long run, FCN's inaccurate report and blatant lies about Mass Effect will hurt the whole gaming business, simply because it will mean that developers and publishers will be attacked again and again and that this could (or will) lead to developers and publishers not developing any other other games than pacman, pong and pinball. Not that there's is anything wrong with these games, but the gaming business has evolved since the 1980's.
I don't, however, think that FCN will correct their mistakes. And then maybe EA will bring out the big legal sticks. They certianly have the corporate money to do so.
/aries100