Don't Expect a Change in the NFL License Status Quo

Feature Article

Submitted on: 03/27/2013 by Matthew Coe

This past month has been a very eventful one for Electronic Arts and EA Sports. On Monday, March 18th, Electronic Arts announced that John Ricccitiello had stepped down as CEO. This was only weeks after Sim City released with terrible issues and was a company wide embarrassment. While both events may or may not be completely connected, this was industry changing news and it could perhaps signal a new direction for EA in the future.

At the same time, we are coming to the end of this console generation. Also of importance is that we are near the end of the exclusive deal between EA and the NFL/NFLPA.

If there was ever a time we could believe in the chance to see a change in the football gaming market, the end of a monopoly, and a return to competition, this is the time, right?

The Winds of Change, Calm As Ever

Both EA and the NFL have both been publicly happy with the current exclusive deal, with no comments from either side signaling that the business deal has been less than ideal for either party. The current deal technically ends after Madden NFL 25 releases and before the next iteration of Madden next summer. The NFL and EA Sports have already renewed the deal twice, once in 2008 and again in 2011.

Assistant Executive Director of External Affairs for the NFLPA, George Atallah actually took to Reddit recently and stated that "We have an agreement with EA and Madden. I have heard some opinions like yours, but honestly, EA is one of our best partners. I know they hear some of your input as well and work to improve the game every year.”

Attallah added, "One thing to clarify though, my job and the job of the NFLPA, is to ensure that the players' interests are top priority. I know that might not be the most popular answer, but it's our mission."

We haven't heard anything from the NFL publicly regarding it's position on the deal but one can only assume that they are satisfied with the control that they get by licensing the game only to EA Sports and working closely to decide what is included and how it's official video game is marketed.

Make no mistake, the exclusive license is all about money and control for everyone involved. The NFL wants to closely control it's image as a business and a sport and Electronic Arts wants the exclusive license to the most popular sport in the United States for it's flagship sports franchise in America.

Consequently, the NFL has possibly created a situation where EA Sports is their only potential dance partner if they are to continue the exclusivity that they desire in video gaming and in other areas of their business. EA knows this, as no other company is ready to take on the massive task that is building an NFL game from scratch and having it release within a year on a level that could compete with what EA does with Madden today. Pipe dreams aside, 2K's technology is incredibly dated at this point and their marketing prowess and ability to afford a deal that EA themselves wouldn't already be able to afford makes for an unlikely combination of the status quo changing.

Major League Baseball found themselves in a similar situation as the NFL, with no realistic options at the conclusion of an exclusive license but a strong desire to get another game out. The NFL will be wise not to repeat the same mistakes, and likely they are trying to not bend too much to Electronic Arts' desires. For their part, EA is likely negotiating far more favorable terms for themselves both financially and possibly with regards to length, as they do likely recognize the strength of their negotiating position.

The End of Competition

For every gamer hoping that 2K Sports will be able to “save” them from Madden NFL, it's tough to say, but it's time to snuff out the torch. 2K Sports hasn't made a licensed NFL game since ESPN NFL 2K5 on the Playstation 2 and Xbox. We are now almost two full console generations since that game was released in 2004. That leap is the equivalent of making a game on the PSOne and then having to jump to the Playstation 3 to develop a game in the same sport/genre.

All Pro Football 2K8 was considered a good but not great game, and the expectations for sports gaming and football games are even higher now. 2K Sports simply isn't in a position to make the jump to new hardware AND build a new football engine that could compete with Madden all within one year at this point. NFL 2K5 was an outstanding game for it's time, but it's also easy to recognize that the gameplay in 2K football is well behind Madden in most respects today.

The writing is on the wall, it is time to start talking about the end of NFL video game competition as the present situation and future outlook. Barring a huge string of unforseen events, EA isn't letting the NFL license go so long as the NFL will have them, and that continued partnership between both organizations appears to be exactly what the NFL wants with no evidence to the contrary. EA will be able to likely get a much more favorable deal than in 2004, possibly locking up the license through this upcoming console generation.

This isn't the end of 2K Sports though. NBA 2K, WWE, perhaps MLB, and other potential projects will all continue to flourish. However, when it comes to more than one NFL game releasing yearly, don't bet on it. That ship has sailed, as competition appears to be over in NFL gaming and Madden is almost certainly the only future option for sports gamers. As a football fan this is definitely not my favorite outcome, but it is the outcome we will get.

The continued persistence of the status quo may indicate competition may be over, but NFL gaming is not. Here is to hoping Madden NFL 25 is the best yet, it's our only option after all.

Member Comments

# 61 Crimsontide27 @ 03/30/13 02:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by balcobomber25


	Why in the world would the NFL, a multi-billion dollar organization who has shown its ruthless when it comes to business decisions, agree to a lower deal than what was paid in 2004?? If anything they would be looking for a bigger deal. The NFL does not care about EA's financial troubles, they care about the NFL's bottom dollar, if EA doesnt agree to their terms its on to the next highest bidder. Don't assume just because Take Two and EA are the only main sports game publishers that they would be the only bidders either. Activision Bizzard, Ubisoft, and Square Enix have just as much capital as those two and have all been known to bid on high profile franchises, not to mention the big 3 (Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo). How much do you think Msoft would pay to make NFL games exclusive to the Xbox?

Lets keep in mind that EA was not the highest bidder for the last contract, but in fact had the highest bid for a company that had previously released a football game and already had market proliferation. There is a big difference there.

$400m up front for the contract was just too good to turn down by the NFL. They used to get a flat % per game sold, but when you arer offered that much plus interest, only a fool would turn that away.

I personally dont feel that EA can offer up anywhere near that amount of $$$ to get another contract, and feel the NFL may be able to go back to a % based amount with multiple companies able to release games, versus the exclusive route. It all depends on how much the NFL is willing to sell itself for. Im not aware of any other companies that would be willing to make a NFL game if they even had to put up $100M up front because thats a huge risk and will take years to recoup that investment.

# 62 roadman @ 03/30/13 09:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crimsontide27


	Lets keep in mind that EA was not the highest bidder for the last contract, but in fact had the highest bid for a company that had previously released a football game and already had market proliferation. There is a big difference there. $400m up front for the contract was just too good to turn down by the NFL. They used to get a flat % per game sold, but when you arer offered that much plus interest, only a fool would turn that away. I personally dont feel that EA can offer up anywhere near that amount of $$$ to get another contract, and feel the NFL may be able to go back to a % based amount with multiple companies able to release games, versus the exclusive route. It all depends on how much the NFL is willing to sell itself for. Im not aware of any other companies that would be willing to make a NFL game if they even had to put up $100M up front because thats a huge risk and will take years to recoup that investment.

I agree for the most part Crimson, but I feel that the NFL won't break up their exclusive buisiness model and remain partners with EA at an agreed upon cost.

I would loved to be proved wrong.

# 63 SageInfinite @ 03/30/13 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaymee13


	At this stage in the game a non exclusive will hurt football gaming for a few years before it gets better. Madden 13 showed EAs willingness to finally listen to its gamers with the new physics engine. Lets not lose this momentum. I hope for another long term exclusivity deal. I'm loving the direction we are going.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big FN Deal

I am........

# 64 cuttingteeth @ 03/30/13 12:17 PM

You know...the funniest, most ironic thing is realizing that EA has had competition this whole time. They've competed with themselves year after year by changing the game constantly to try and be better than the previous game...and they didn't even have to. All they had to do was actually listen to their fans or pay attention to their own projects to see what works, what doesn't, what should be fixed, what should be left alone and so on.

If a true, other competitor game developer starts making football games, then the results for EA should be expected as nothing less than chaotic.

# 65 roadman @ 03/30/13 12:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by balcobomber25


	The NFL agreed to a year extension at a discounted rate with all of its exclusive licensing companies that had expiring contracts because of something major that was about to happen: The Lockout. If they agreed to huge deals it would have drove up the value of the NFL revenue causing the players to seek even more money from the owners. Roger is a businessman first and foremost. Roger's biggest thing is exclusive partners with the NFL, and those often go to whoever is the highest bidder. At the end of the day in pro sports its all about the bottom dollar. Roger works for the NFL owners, the owners care more about their bottom dollar than John Madden. That's just the way it works.

I'll gladly agree to disagree at this point, no use going back and forth.

They already have a decades worth of establishing a business relationship and most businesses stick with their customers.

It's my belief that EA and the NFL will negotiate until a deal get's done.

I'd love to be proven wrong and will be the first to admit it.

# 66 KBLover @ 03/30/13 12:48 PM

Quote:


	All Pro Football 2K8 was considered a good but not great game, and the expectations for sports gaming and football games are even higher now. 2K Sports simply isn't in a position to make the jump to new hardware AND build a new football engine that could compete with Madden all within one year at this point. NFL 2K5 was an outstanding game for it's time, but it's also easy to recognize that the gameplay in 2K football is well behind Madden in most respects today.

Really? An 8-year old game can't keep up with a soon-to-be released game? I don't think that really says a lot.

And what part of the engine that Madden has is all that difficult to replicate? Other football games had hitboxes long before the hitbox engine, er, Infinity Engine came into being. Madden was the only engine that had the level of sliding/clipping/suction that it did.

The ability to mutate routes to the degree M13 let's you shouldn't even be in the game (it's not football) which is probably why other games didn't have it as much as any technological limitations.

Anything else seems like every other football game I've played. The only difference is the graphics, not the football.

# 67 KBLover @ 03/30/13 12:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by balcobomber25


	Thats quite possibly the worst argument I have ever heard. Madden 13 was so much better because sales for Madden 12 and Madden 11 were down from what they were projected. The greatest innovation comes with competition.

The greatest innovation comes from creators with vision. I, again, point to OOTP competing in a space with...um...what's another current text baseball sim that has a significant following?

Competition gives consumers choices, but it's not always a choice between a bunch of greatly increasing quality at decreasing prices. Sometimes, it's a choice between the original and clones 1 to 10 with "innovations" that try to make themselves look better, but are still basically clones of *insert popular game from popular genre here* - all at the same price.

Am I saying competition would do nothing? No. But it seems like it's said as if it's this magical thing that always makes things better and cheaper.

You still need people with vision and talent. And that's just the product side. There's a lot of consumer behavior to deal with as well. Brand loyalty, "it's cheaper so it must suck", etc.

# 68 pietasterp @ 03/30/13 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KBLover


	Am I saying competition would do nothing? No. But it seems like it's said as if it's this magical thing that always makes things better and cheaper.

Competition is not the magical panacea and it doesn't guarantee improved consumer experiences. But the lack of competition is a guarantee of lack of innovation (at least, lack of innovation at the level it could be had there been competing products).

# 69 moose616 @ 03/30/13 01:41 PM

SCEA should jump on making a generic football game. They could EASILY put out a respectable product. Gamers just need a second option. If the second option is even a little good, people will flock as it grows its reputation.

I've been playing The Show for years and it continues to set the bar for sports video games each and every time.

Hey Ramone

# 70 roadman @ 03/30/13 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moose616


	SCEA should jump on making a generic football game. They could EASILY put out a respectable product. Gamers just need a second option. If the second option is even a little good, people will flock as it grows its reputation. I've been playing The Show for years and it continues to set the bar for sports video games each and every time. Hey Ramone

Yep, Kolbe from The Show came over to Madden, so, we are hoping that Kolbe brings some of The Show logic into Madden.

# 71 NYJets @ 03/30/13 02:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crimsontide27


	I disagree. There has been an outcry by a ton of gamers about the exclusive agreement, its just that its been censored and suppressed. If you complained about the agreement here, then you were infracted or banned. If you complained about it on any numerous fansites such as maddennation, maddenmania, traditionsports etc...you were infracted or banned. If you mentioned it on the official EA forums, then it was deleted as soon as it was noticed etc. Pretty much the only places you can go and talk about it where it wont be censored is on websites that really have nothing to do with sportsgaming, such as Anandtech, Gamefaqs, and any other numerous sites that dont focus on sports gaming. It is in the best interests of the main video game sports websites to keep EA in its good graces for access to devs and the perks that come along with it.

LOL, nobody gets censored here. There was tons of outraged when the deal happened. There's not as much anymore because it's been like 8 years and some people have moved on with their lives.

# 72 KBLover @ 03/30/13 06:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by balcobomber25


	You think the guys at Tiburon are actually proud of some of the past Madden games?

I don't think they have the vision or talent to produce what we're asking for.

Either that, or they are making they game they want to make.

Competition doesn't necessarily change either of those.

# 73 SageInfinite @ 03/30/13 06:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KBLover


	I don't think they have the vision or talent to produce what we're asking for. Either that, or they are making they game they want to make. Competition doesn't necessarily change either of those.

Exactly how I feel. It's more than evident with how the game is made. I mean just look at what they show at halftime, lol. Pathetic. The way the game looks in motion, they can't honestly think it resembles the NFL.

# 74 KBLover @ 03/30/13 06:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pietasterp


	But the lack of competition is a guarantee of lack of innovation (at least, lack of innovation at the level it could be had there been competing products).

Not really.

What competition is driving OOTP to continually do better? How many text baseball sims are out there?

What competition is there for strategic war games? Not exactly the biggest thriving money-maker out there, yet there's some innovative ideas coming from developers in the genre. Koei's been making them for 26 years, always trying something new, and what's the competition in the space?

Heck, how many RTS's are out there anymore? You don't even see clones that much now. Did that stop SC2 from getting better with its expansion? Fantasy 4x games? Not that many. (Some might say none since Age of Wonders or, going way back, Master of Magic). Didn't stop Elemental from improving.

It's all about the vision of the creators and their willingness to listen to the players and see them as allies in the process, not a force to be broken and suppressed into "playing the game our way." Which is a mentality the seems to exist too much these days in gaming in general.

# 75 SageInfinite @ 03/30/13 08:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big FN Deal


	I go with this one, lol. Like I have stated before, something like CCM is obviously not a lack of vision or talent issue because its' architect, Josh Looman, also created HC09. Somebody or bodies have been encouraging or demanding that everyone at Tiburon look at the NFL for Madden, through some odd "fun" perspective, as if NFL football needs to be changed to be fun and marketable. It's surprising to me how many people seem to be drinking the kool-aid for adapting NFL football in Madden to market it to the masses, instead of adapting the marketing to get the masses interested in real NFL football in Madden. Not only does EA Tiburon not emulate NFL football in Madden, they don't even emulate the NFL's marketing strategy for the NFL. I am no business mogul but it seems like common sense if I pay hundreds of millions of dollars for an established brand worth billions, like the NFL, the best ROI is to copy whatever they have done to be so successful, whenever possible. For all the smart business people I presume EA has making decisions for Madden, it boggles my mind that anyone would be surprised that securing an expensive NFL exclusive but proceeding to make Madden in its' own unique brand of football, didn't pan out as projected. The NFL has been thriving these last 8 years, even with a lockout, yet Madden hasn't enjoyed a modicum of that over the same period. It doesn't take an econ major to understand that Madden obviously wasn't structured close enough to the NFL during this time.

I think the NFL has a clear and direct vision for how it wants to be perceived and how to make as much money as possible with that vision. EA/Tiburon on the other hand has been lost this whole gen since acquiring the license. They wanted to be arcade, fast and fun, and pretty at the beginning, so I think that's how they built the game. I mean just look at Madden 09, lol, which I think was the game they had all wanted to make from the beginning of the generation.

Something in the culture changed(probably the success of more realistic games and madden being the butt of alot of people's jokes, lol) and they wanted to be more sim, but with what they had built, it's been hard to reverse. I hope now they have the vision and leadership they need, but I personally still don't think they have what it takes to make the game that I personally want. I just see too many corners cut with gameplay, animations, and presentation(off the field I think EA has always "gotten" it but bugs and time constraints hurt them). Things that looked good one year are absent or changed the next. I think the biggest problem is we don't get an explanation as to why these things change or why things work the way they do, why these decisions were made. I just hope with Madden 25 and this next generation we see their true potential. If it isn't bright, all of us who haven't enjoyed Madden might as well retire from video game football for good.

# 76 KBLover @ 03/31/13 12:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big FN Deal


	I go with this one, lol. Like I have stated before, something like CCM is obviously not a lack of vision or talent issue because its' architect, Josh Looman, also created HC09.

Which is why I don't get how it came out like it did.

He created HC09, probably the EA game I like the most. And then produced M13's CCM that neither gave coaching love, didn't do what HC 09 did and didn't even keep the M12 features, and didn't improve team building/development, and didn't even make the schemes any more meaningful than in HC 09, if not less so, and what CCM did do didn't go far enough or wasn't fleshed out enough. Even if you like the XP system, it doesn't have enough to it to make it even plausibly logical (picks help you tackle, etc).

If this is the game he wants to make, then, imo, his vision/talent has changed, given the finished products attached to him - which still puts it back in that category (meaning it's still a vision issue). Either of him or others on his team/staff.

# 77 Rocky @ 03/31/13 02:50 AM

I think 2K really has to put everything they have into getting the NFL license. I dont think its realistic for them to steal exclusivity away from EA but they have to pony up a price to make the NFL consider opening the license up to them.

I love the NBA series, but they really need to after football gaming again. If that means taking resources from the NBA game, then so be it. There are stlll many developers at VC that worked on APF and has now taken the NBA2K to the top. I would put them back on football...after all, NFL2K really put 2Ksports on the map.

# 78 jr3153 @ 03/31/13 03:06 AM

Count me as one of the guys who has steadily quit playing Madden. Intact I didn't even get the game last year. Hopefully there will soon be some competition to forces EA to try new thing!

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

# 79 JMD @ 03/31/13 07:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kjcheezhead


	No thanks. I've already seen EA fail 8 times on these consoles. I'm not bothering with it anymore. I'll continue to play better games of other sports and genres. I've gotten through the withdrawls and don't need football "fixes" anymore.

You know, it took me a long time, and I fell for the hype every year, well the hype and my love for NFL Football, but after playing Madden 13 I will have no problem never buying another Madden game. There is just no reason to waste anymore time and money on what we all know will be another disappointing football game. We have all submitted great input on what we feel would make the game great, which issues need to be addressed, EA got the message but they just can't deliver. They have shown year after year that they are just not capable of creating a football game of the same quality of a game like MLB the Show, or NBA 2k. Just look how far ahead those two sports games are over Madden, it's laughable.

When I look back at Madden 2004, 2005 and ESPN NFK 2K4 and 2K5 all I can think to myself is what happened? 9 years ago we had some of the best football video games ever made and now we have this. Things were supposed to get better weren't they? Something has gone horribly wrong here. Just imagine for a moment if that exclusive deal never happened after Madden 05 and NFL 2K5. We would have moved to the PS3 and 360 with both companies coming off their best football games, moving forward to get even better. Can you just imagine what we might have had now if that competition was allowed to continue? Instead one is forced out, the other gets lazy knowing they are the only game in town, and we the gamers suffer for it.

It's a shame that a sub par product has been able to continue to succeed for all these years and it's even more of a shame that I took part in helping it succeed. NO MORE!

# 80 KBLover @ 03/31/13 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ghettogeeksta


	This is what I thought in this Interview with MLB The Show 13 Producer Ramone Russel. Sounded like he took a shot at Madden, lol. Just listen to the fist 42 seconds.

Madden, and probably a lot of the gaming industry these days in general.

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