Fumbling Next-Gen Marketing - RaychelSnr's Blog

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RaychelSnr's Blog

Fumbling Next-Gen Marketing Stuck

Posted on October 16, 2013 at 11:38 AM.

(25)

Madden NFL 25 Next-Gen

Trying to be positive and excited about next-gen is hard work these days.

It is not because we have to around here, more like we really want to be positive. Excited. Anxious.

What I'd really like to be doing right now is pacing to the calendar to make sure it's still today and not November 15 and then back again. There probably should be a trail worn out on my carpet at this point.

But there's not.

We are now just about a month away from next-gen consoles, the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, hitting store shelves.

We are also now as much in the dark about next-gen games as we've ever been.

Different today is we know the marketing buzz of things to come. CourtQ, Player Sense, Living Worlds, and any other type of marketing lingo meant to get us jumping up and down have been thrown out.

But instead of jumping up and down, we're all seated next to the radio as nothing but static comes over the airwaves, waiting for something more concrete.

You can't blame a gamer for believing there's something worth hiding within next-gen sports games at this point, no matter how false that might be shown to be in a couple of weeks.

Neither company, EA or 2K Sports -- much less Microsoft and Forza 5, have exactly been throwing next-gen content out for consumption.

The initial glimpses of Madden NFL 25 gameplay on next-gen consoles have been very underwhelming for many here on OS, myself included. We've had long threads debating whether next-gen video really was next-gen or not because it looked so current-gen in motion.

ESPN has shown next-gen Madden footage only to pull it hours later after people collectively said, "what is that?!"

The blame for such a reaction falls half on gamers for having unrealistic expectations to begin with and half on EA's marketing machine for doing nothing but encourage those expectations with rendered trailers with buttery smooth animations and marketing lingo which has done nothing but exclaim sports games are forever and drastically changed -- despite the fact that what we've seen in motion looks more similar to current-gen than the rendered movies we were shown back at E3.

At least this time, EA didn't overdo the graphics in the renders to lead us to believe games were going to look 2x better than they actually were.

The same problems exist for NBA Live and FIFA as well.

While, from all reports, the latter of those two is shaping up to be an absolute must own for sports fans -- we've yet to really get good, solid looks at what FIFA is offering to next-gen gamers.

NBA Live on the other hand, we know it can dribble a basketball and Kyrie Irving will likely be pretty realistic. We also now know Ultimate Team is in. That's about it.

This isn't just an EA problem, NBA 2K14 on next-gen is a complete mystery.

While I understand 2K's reluctance to show off its next-gen product with the current gen product having been on store shelves for only a couple of weeks -- a few hints at what the game is offering would have been nice at this point.

So excuse me fellow OS'ers, for I am trying to be positive about next-gen.

I want to be excited, I want to anticipate the launch titles, I want to drool over anything at this point.

My personal expectations for next-gen was for similar gameplay but a few bells and whistles to make the whole package feel new -- so it's not like my expectations were completely unreasonable. Launch titles pale in comparison to what comes in the next couple of years -- that's how it's always been.

But right now, forgive me for being more cynical than positive, more pessimistic than hopeful -- I've been put here by now feeling as if the next-gen games are just good enough to hide under the staircase for a little longer.

I'm expecting the next-gen info to begin to flow in earnest over the next week, just forgive me if my starting point is from the point of a skeptic than it is a fan at this point.

Do you think we should've heard more about next-gen sports games up to this point?

Comments

# 16 uejake @ Oct 16

I can remember the great hype when N64 and PS were going to be released. Then Dreamcast, PS 2, XBOX, etc. Months prior to the release of N64 and PS, video game magazines like EGM and GamePro displayed comparisons. This showed a specs sheet comparison. I couldn't help but feel with this upcoming next generation release that both Sony and Microsoft are a doing horrible job marketing these new consoles. With the exception of E3 and the various conventions, there is not enough information for me to want to spend $400-500 on anything.

# 17 tarek @ Oct 17

Unfortunately the business model for gaming has changed. Both Sony and Microsoft know this and it's why the information that has been released has been less bombastic and more subliminal.
You often see quarterly sales reports and articles that state the console manufacturers often lose money or make minimal profits on the sale of the actual console. This still holds true, and whilst both Sony and Microsoft want to sell consoles, they know their real profit margins will be achieved through service.
Developers also know this, which is why you see the trend from EA mobile to release free-to-play games. If you are a gamer who mainly plays solo or offline, you represent a singular cash point. You buy a console, buy a game and that's the end of it, companies don't get anything more out of you. By promoting the things they have, like coach glass, ultimate team, social media connectivity, etc, they are forcing both the online and offline gamers to be involved. The offliner may still not produce much revenue for a developer or a company, but just by being visible they can turn to advertisers to make their revenue, by providing a customer and audience.

# 18 Jimbo614 @ Oct 17

Listen, We here at OS are essentially Professional Sports Gamers. We're serious about our hobby. And frankly, we're the stiffest critics EA or 2K or SECA will ever face. All of us.. We're the best in the world at what we do.
So should it be any surprise that what is geared to impress the mass market, the wannabes, the pretenders, the casual gamer, doesn't impress us?
I'm kinda proud that they haven't impressed us yet. Good for us.
It'd be really disappointing if we all just caved to the hype.
So c'mon EA, C'mon 2K, C'mon Seca, show us what you can REALLY do. Bring it!! Cuz we ain't impressed much yet.

# 19 Eski33 @ Oct 19

Getting a PS4 day one because I am an early adopter. Looking forward to BF4 more than sports games. However, Madden will be in my purchasing plans since I didn't buy the current gen version. It may not be leaps and bounds better visually but I am looking forward to seeing how the game plays with the new engine.

Other purchases will be on a wait-and-see basis.

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