Friday, April 28th 2017
AMD Backpedals on Quake Champions Promo Link with Radeon 17.4.4 Drivers
AMD made headlines yesterday (27th April), when AMD Radeon users discovered that their GPU driver update places a promotional link to a "Quake Champions" beta signup on their desktops. The Radeon Software Crimson ReLive 17.4.4 drivers leave a shortcut on your desktop which reads "Quake Champions," and has the official icon. The shortcut, however, points to a URL, which leads to a "Quake Champions" beta signup on publisher Bethesda's website. You can't opt not to see this icon during the driver setup's "custom setup" component selection page. The URL contains a referral extension, which made some people accuse AMD of trying to make money off it, a charge the company denies.
This caused major uproar in social media, with some comments calling it "adware" and AMD losing the moral high ground over NVIDIA, which marketed games through its GeForce Experience app. Sensing a PR fumble on its hands, AMD updated Radeon Software 17.4.4 drivers on its downloads page, which no longer plants the "Quake Champions" shortcut on your desktop. AMD could be testing the waters with how it could monetize its driver updates further. The company, like NVIDIA, already has game banner advertisements in the driver installer. AMD denied that it is making any money off the referral link, and that it is only using referral data to gauge activity.
Could the "Quake Champions" beta signup desktop shortcut be part of a deal AMD struck with Bethesda earlier this year, which sees Bethesda optimize its games for AMD Ryzen and Vega in return for promotions from AMD? This isn't new, as most NVIDIA "The Way it's Meant to be Played" titles work on a similar model of hardware-optimization in exchange for marketing (through driver installers, GeForce.com content, GeForce Experience, and more).
In a statement posted on Twitter, Terry "Catalyst Maker" Makedon, director of software at AMD, apologized for this incident. "Some of you didnt like game icons installed so we just updated the Radeon Software package without one. We heard you. Sorry," he stated. He added that AMD only intended to earn goodwill by giving gamers access to "Quake Champions" closed beta. He then stated that AMD isn't making any money off this, and that it only wanted to gauge consumer interest in Quake Champions and to test if AMD could pursue similar beta offerings in the future.
This caused major uproar in social media, with some comments calling it "adware" and AMD losing the moral high ground over NVIDIA, which marketed games through its GeForce Experience app. Sensing a PR fumble on its hands, AMD updated Radeon Software 17.4.4 drivers on its downloads page, which no longer plants the "Quake Champions" shortcut on your desktop. AMD could be testing the waters with how it could monetize its driver updates further. The company, like NVIDIA, already has game banner advertisements in the driver installer. AMD denied that it is making any money off the referral link, and that it is only using referral data to gauge activity.
In a statement posted on Twitter, Terry "Catalyst Maker" Makedon, director of software at AMD, apologized for this incident. "Some of you didnt like game icons installed so we just updated the Radeon Software package without one. We heard you. Sorry," he stated. He added that AMD only intended to earn goodwill by giving gamers access to "Quake Champions" closed beta. He then stated that AMD isn't making any money off this, and that it only wanted to gauge consumer interest in Quake Champions and to test if AMD could pursue similar beta offerings in the future.
66 Comments on AMD Backpedals on Quake Champions Promo Link with Radeon 17.4.4 Drivers
Almost makes you let Microsoft update the drivers for you. Almost.
IT also helps that they saw their fault and have fixed it.
AMD users are easily outraged after all. :P
If only there was a way to remove the shortcut from desktop. A man can hope tho... a man can hope.
bitly.com/2o4bLtg+
When AMD does it, "They mean good"
Such hypocrisy.
And as pointed out its a link, I wouldnt care here nor there but.... BUT it's QUAKE CHAMPIONSSSSSSSSSSS :rockout::pimp::roll:
I guess one normally brings to life, something that isn't alive.
So Zombies confirmed in HL3!I expect AMD to respect my arse and not push bloody shortcuts to my desktop, thank you very much.
Good that they've quickly removed it, after major reddit outcry.Needs to come from the same users.
Being cool with both is as consistent as opposing both.
If you let any company get away with something, they will push the limit further and further. First it's harmless links, next thing you know, you end up with telemetry baked into your drivers ALA nvidia. It's important to let them know how unacceptable these things are before they get out of hand, especially an underdog like AMD that depends on being better then nvidia just to survive.
Also, LOL you still use individual installers? Ninite has been a thing for years.
It isn't that it is an icon, it is that they don't give the option anywhere to not put it on your system, or even warn you that it will happen.
That being said, I don't think it is something they should be raked over the coals for. It isn't a piece of software that actually gets installed on the system. If it was, then I could see the outrage. This is just more of a blunder that they deserve a little push back on, but not anything I would consider "outrage".
I wish AMD would have stood their ground and added additional confirmation to opt in during installation instead.