I don't see any value in a group boycott of the game. Everyone can make their own decision to buy or not to buy and BA will not even notice if the people on this forum don't buy the game. Also, without people here buying the game, it is very difficult for any sensible debate on the merits, or otherwise, of the game as it stands.
BA have a very particular business model which is to create games for niche sports that they know no other developer or publisher will try to compete in. It gives them a monopoly on the sports that they cover and, as such, anyone who is a fan of that particular sport and likes video games, has only one option. BA would never produce a soccer, golf, baseball, or basketball title because they would have to compete with other developers. It is a sensible business decision as they sell into an uncontested market. The downside is that the reason this market is uncontested is that it is viewed as being too small for major developers to engage in. Although BA would probably like to produce high quality games, the size of the market means that they can't really afford to do that and, because they have no competition, they don't really need to. They will spend their time on things that have superficial appeal (e.g. licences and player likenesses) to increase sales to casual gamers but there is less incentive to address harder issues with gameplay because that is something discovered after purchase. I am pretty sure that if a competent developer entered the market for cricket games, BA wouldn't sell another unit and would quickly drop the line of products rather than compete. But no other developer will enter the market, so we will have to live with whatever BA serves up.
For some, perhaps many, what BA serves up is good enough. It sort of looks like cricket and sometimes feels like cricket. And that's fine. For those who can't live with the flaws and sloppy design, then don't buy the game. I won't be buying mainly because the career mode, which is the one mode I crave, is absolute hot garbage and unpatchable. That does not mean that a one-off match or other modes might not be good enough entertainment for some. All that said, I would be much more amenable to buying the game if BA actually engaged in a positive and constructive way with their customers. Unfortunately, with Ross at the helm this is not going to happen and I feel really sorry for the developers who will be forced into working weekends and evenings to compensate for his poor leadership and decision making.
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