NFL fan? Hope you enjoy Madden. (1 Viewer)

[David Rogers]

EA's actions represent the stuff we have to look forward to now that regular (i.e., non-gamer) busineses and corporations have realised that Gaming generates more money yearly than Movies do.

Thank you, drive through please.

 

[Chris Bardon]

Sorry, but this has been going on for a while now-how else would you explain the ultra-generic sequel fest that we've seen this generation. Look at the top games this year-how many of them are sequels to known properties? There's certainly some really really high quality stuff there, but the fact of the matter is that they're all safe bets. Put the time into a sequel, and you've probably got a built in audience. Gaming went corporate a while ago.

 

[Scott Walburn]

I cant believe this. This is horrible. ESPN games were amazing for 20 bucks. That forced EA to reprice at 30 bucks. EA has no incentive to make any noticeable changes and I guarantee Madden will be 50 bucks for ever year from hear on out. I just can't believe this. 2005 ESPN football was probably the best football game of all time, and this is coming from someone who really likes Madden as well. I hope the rest of the pro sports don't cave like the NFL did. I love ESPN college hoops and their baseball game, and lets face it, you can't beat the price. Shame on the NFL. You can't blame EA, it is probably good business but this news makes me sick. It's just not right to have only one title to choose from for each major sport. I hope to God, that the other sports don't follow the NFL's lead

 

[Ken Chui]

What worries me is that this could very well be a precursor of things to come between EA and the other professional sports leagues, particularly the NBA. ESPN's NBA outsold EA's Live on the Xbox platform for the first time this year, despite EA's implementation of Xbox Live support. Given the NHL's precarious position at this time, I think the likelihood of an exclusivity arrangement of any sort is slim, but never removed from consideration, at least where EA is concerned. The MLB, with multiple offerings from various developers, may be the only candidate that isn't pursued with a fervour due to EA's market share.

I have never purchased a Madden title, and this recent announcement will serve in reinforcing the status quo. to the NFL and EA for this arrangement.

 

[Chris Farmer]

This was interesting. According to an article at ArsTechnica this decision was actually the NFL's and EA just was the one with big enough pockets to make the winning bid. However, it appears it originated with the NFL and they were the ones that wanted to go to a single license. Some interesting speculation there was that the NFL was frustrated with Sega for pushing EA into a price war and causing the price (and possibly licensing fees due to lower margins) to drop and was looking for a way to solidify the pricing of the games and avoid the drop to $20 the Sega was pushing. If accurate, I have to admit it's harder to blame EA for this, they were just the ones in position to take advantage of someone else's move. Either way, I still think it's a bad move as without competition the incentive to upgrade at all has gone out the window. Sure, the big games this year were sequels, but Halo 2, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Ratchet and Clank 3, Jak 3, Metroid Prime 2,Pikmin 2, and plenty of other sequels all brought plenty new to the table and weren't simple refreshes and updates to the existing games.

 

[Andrew Grall]

I'm speechless...

I like both ESPN and Madden, but without one pushing the other...

:frowning:

 

[Gary Seven]

Most distressing news. Unfortunately, the license is given to a company that has far more marketing power than game authoring skill. EA codes for the LCD and it shows. I can't think of a single game in the past 10 years that EA has produced that did something to revolutionize or improve gaming standards (compared to a stellar house like Ubisoft). Quite a bummer.

Another example where marketing power outdoes quality.

 

[Brandon_H]

First of all, let me state up front that I am a "Madden" guy, although I have purchased and enjoyed both EA's and Sega's titles for several years.

That said, while this is ultimately bad for the consumer, I don't think it equates to EA being the "Evil Empire" of gaming. After all, one could easily speculate that, its high-minded statement aside, the Take-Two/Sega consortium would have snatched up the opportunity to an exclusive license without so much as a second glance -- as would any intelligent, reasonable and competitive company. EA was simply the only firm with the pockets to afford an exclusivity deal. Doubtless, it knew it was the only firm with those pockets when it lobbied for the NFL to go exclusive, but ultimately, it still comes down to this --the NFL put an exclusive license out to bid, and EA won.

EA is simply behaving as any competitor would do. It's on top of the industry and enjoys the clout it does for a lot of reasons -- its marketing prowess, to be sure, but also because it puts out consistent, quality product. (Sure, it has published some clunkers -- but so does every other studio, and I'd argue that EA's ratio of bad games released, compared to its overall output, is smaller than most companies.)

None of this is to say EA is perfect -- just that it's unrealistic to think that any other company wouldn't behave in the same manner, given the chance.

 

[Chris Farmer]

I agree Brandon. I have a lot less anger at EA after reading that article. Hell, they didn't even lobby the NFL to go exclusive, the NFL made that choice themselves and EA was just the one in position to take advantage. Ain't no way any of the other companies would have done any differently in this case. Sega wouldn't have turned down the chance to eliminate Madden completely, nor would any other company. This was the NFL's bungle, EA just was there to reap the benefits.

That said, I still think this is a bad idea and that Madden will both stagnate and see its price increase. Oh well, I've never been a fan of sports games anyway, although this was sure how I felt when as a Mac user I saw MS buy Bungie to make Halo X-box exclusive (even if it did find its way back to the Mac eventually).

 

[Carlo_M]

I am a Madden fan (actually fan of the Madden engine, I play NCAA Football 2005) and personally I thought competition was always a good thing. So I see this exclusivity as a bad thing.

However, I wouldn't be surprised to see a competing FBall game or two, with the ability to enter player information, and then for those files to be available on the web for people to download...

 

[Tim Markley]

Well, that's weak but don't blame EA, blame the NFL. Exclusive rights to anything is never good.

 

[Sean Moon]

If the real players arent in the game, and if real teams are not, most people will NOT buy it. Trust me. I have worked too long in retail and video games to know this. Just look at the Burnout and Ridge Racer series. Most people scoff at them(most meaning j6p)because they dont feature actual cars, just invented ones or ones based on real ones. The realism factor helps people for some odd reason.

Anyone remember when Acclaim had exclusive rights to NFL on N64 for that one year? When MADDEN 64 came out without any real players or teams? But that was only one year. This is for FIVE! Thats a whole damn console life cycle!

If Microsoft or Sony wants to win next gen they just need to buy EA, that way the have the only nfl game on the market. And football games REALLY drive sales too!

I am sickened by this. Truly sickened. I dont play sports games but casually, but choice always made things better. Of course maybe now Midway can go back to their crazy Blitz days, but all characters have big heads or mascot heads! I would buy that.

So what is next? Nintendo buying the exclusive rights to the "A" button? Or the analog stick?

Sickening!

 

[Marc Bax]

Sean, Madden 64 still had the NFLPA license so they had the actual players. They just made up new team names and uniforms.

 

[BenS]

It would always have been the NFL's decision but EA asked for the deal to limit the competitiveness in the industry. Accoring to the following quote from gamespot.

The deal, one EA admits to having lobbied for over the past few years, is an exclusive five-year licensing deal granting EA the sole rights to the NFL's teams, stadiums, and players. However, the publisher and Players Inc. denied a similar deal was in the works in May 2004, even requesting publications that ran the story run public retractions.

 

[Chris Bardon]

If you think about it though, isn't this just standard practice for sports leagues? They all have exclusive contracts for things like apparrel, drinks, TV etc, so why should games be any different? They're not going to allow all three networks to air the Super Bowl, so why let three game developers create NFL games?

 

[Marc Bax]

Chris it's not standard practice in video games. It's a first for the 4 major sports (at least in recent memory) and it sets a precedent that I home others leagues won't follow. Sure one network airs the Super Bowl but four networks air NFL games. Just last month Tagliabue turned down FOX's offer to purchase the rights to broadcast ALL NFL games, for more money than they would've made negotiating four separate deals. He demurred, citing the need to prevent overconcentration. How is this different?

 

[Sean Moon]

I think sports liscences are different than others, like WWE or things like Spider Man and DBZ. Those are intellectual properties, much like films. I cant think of how to describe it, but with properties like those there is a certain ammount of creative control about the property that the owners have, where with sports it is only the image of the sport and teams, not a cohesive story and whatnot. I cant describe it , but I think others get my drift.

 

[BrianB]

Nascar, the PGA, the WWE, FIFA, WRC, Formula 1 are all exclusive licences.

 

[Marc Bax]

If you read my second line you'd see what I was talking about. NFL, MLB, NBA, & NHL. I'm well aware of the smaller licenses. I'm just not as concerned with them as I don't follow any of those "sports".

 

[BenS]

Actually apperall is not exclusive it's only exclusive on a year by year basis with jerseys. One year nike has an exclusive deal the next it's reebok the next it's addidas and so on.