Originally Posted by Niara
Okay, so, wait....

So...

After the PFH2, last time, which was (in this poster's personal opinion) an overproduced waste of time, money and resources, for the sake of announcing a patch update to their EA game... They're now doing another PFH, to announce their Next patch update for their EA game... and THIS time, they're Hiring Out A Landmark Castle For a Private Function? A castle whose historical day tours can cost up to $1000 per head, and they're booking it out for their panel. THIS is what they're spending their development budget on?

Please, someone tell me I've misunderstood this.

I think you're missing the main point of why they are doing what they are doing. The money they spend on marketing for an event like this is peanuts compared to what paid advertisement costs.
The effect of one panel is multiplied by every online gaming site reporting from it. It stands out, everyone talks about it (good or bad) and you make noise that has actual reach.

They would have to spend 10x the money for an ad campaign with the same reach.