EA Still Owns the NFL License Exclusively

[JaymeeAwesome]

Quote: Originally Posted by SageInfinite

I would do everything in my power to make sure we had the superior product. My money would go into my product not into ensuring a license so the quality of my product suffers as well as my old and new costumers. I'd make my consumers forget the competition through quality, not licensing. If I did somehow eliminate competition through licensing, I damn sure wouldn't have people clamoring for competition back every chance they got because my product was subpar/mediocre. Everybody doesn't think like that man.

I would have to say you wouldn't make a good business man. Shareholders and members of the board care about one thing...$$$$$. If they heard that you had an opportunity to wipe out the competition and increase your margins, and you told them "I'll just make a better product", you would be fired immediately.

All your responses are consumer minded. Brand recognition and marketing are what's keeping EA profitable, and that's all the Execs want. Money.

...and as a side note, have you not seen what M15 looks like. For the third game, in a stated 3 year cycle, it has improved. As long as they don't rip and replace next year, the future looks a little brighter.

[SageInfinite]

Quote: Originally Posted by JaymeeAwesome

I would have to say you wouldn't make a good business man. Shareholders and members of the board care about one thing...$$$$$. If they heard that you had an opportunity to wipe out the competition and increase your margins, and you told them "I'll just make a better product", you would be fired immediately. All your responses are consumer minded. Brand recognition and marketing are what's keeping EA profitable, and that's all the Execs want. Money. ...and as a side note, have you not seen what M15 looks like. For the third game, in a stated 3 year cycle, it has improved. As long as they don't rip and replace next year, the future looks a little brighter.

You're entitled to you opinion.

[JaymeeAwesome]

Quote: Originally Posted by SageInfinite

You're entitled to you opinion.

This opinion has some knowledge of business behind it though. It's one of the reasons Steve Jobs was thrown out of apple in the 90s. Now the moral of the Jobs story fits your opinion of how you would run things and be successful, but that's an exception and not the rule. Not many people are Steve Jobs.

[spankdatazz22]

Quote: Originally Posted by JaymeeAwesome

I would have to say you wouldn't make a good business man. Shareholders and members of the board care about one thing...$$$$$. If they heard that you had an opportunity to wipe out the competition and increase your margins, and you told them "I'll just make a better product", you would be fired immediately. All your responses are consumer minded. Brand recognition and marketing are what's keeping EA profitable, and that's all the Execs want. Money. ...and as a side note, have you not seen what M15 looks like. For the third game, in a stated 3 year cycle, it has improved. As long as they don't rip and replace next year, the future looks a little brighter.

I don't completely disagree, but understand Sage's point. The situation is somewhat similar to what Microsoft was doing when it was consolidating it's power base; it squashed competition. Until the government stepped in to slow their anti-competitive ways. People hated Microsoft for many of it's business practices. If Microsoft could eliminate Apple, should it? If Microsoft had eliminated Apple, do products like the iPhone or iPad ever get created? For sure, technology doesn't evolve in the way it has. Apple wasn't always the monster it is now - it was a big deal when Microsoft invested $150million to help prop up Apple (but mainly to keep the government off it's back for it's anti-competitive ways):

http://news.cnet.com/2100-1001-202143.html

In the end it benefited both companies as they pushed themselves to make better products. Microsoft isn't anywhere near as reviled as it used to be, in part because they've made good products to make up for "what might've been".

Imo EA was following that same blueprint, but they haven't stepped up to make a superior product. They did what they did to kill competition, but they never did what they needed to make people forget/move on. This situation is solely their own fault. I was a huge 2K football fan and I'm bitter about what EA did. But like many others I would purchase both games because there were things in either I liked/disliked. Most people would've moved on if EA/Tiburon had done like other companies and stepped up to the plate - they haven't. Anytime I see people say "but Madden's getting better!"... it's supposed to get better. The question is where should it be. I have to post this:



Look at the interaction. Look at how organic the player movement and interaction is. Look at the sideline interaction. Listen to the play-by-play. Go to the 5:16mark and look at the replay presentation. Then understand, this isn't where Madden is (imo) even now - nor where it should be, which is 7yrs and a next gen console generation beyond this. This isn't even a licensed game, nor was it a fully 2K-efforted endeavor. That's why some people get bitter. And it's made to be worse when you have a the guy in charge of Madden puffing his chest out like they've accomplished something, and making hollow challenges.

[SageInfinite]

Quote: Originally Posted by JaymeeAwesome

This opinion has some knowledge of business behind it though. It's one of the reasons Steve Jobs was thrown out of apple in the 90s. Now the moral of the Jobs story fits your opinion of how you would run things and be successful, but that's an exception and not the rule. Not many people are Steve Jobs.

Like I said, you're entitled to your opinion, but the fact is neither you or I know how successful I would be if I were in the position. I just know my product would speak for itself.

[iamgramps]

This was a hypothetical question posed which caused for a hypothetical response. If 2k could purchase the license, that would be his response. The key word is if. Why ridicule this man for speaking hypothetically?

[Goffs]

Quote: Originally Posted by spankdatazz22

Damn...I forgot how good the animations were for this game....watching the "next gen" madden vids they still can't get how organic/realism the players move...

I remember someone saying a long time ago how the players in Madden moved like robots. I can see what they mean now when the players just go through the motion. There's just something the way how the players interact and move on the field in 2k.

[Big FN Deal]

Quote: Originally Posted by Robo COP

......So if you were the owner of said business and you had a means to ensure your product remained profitable by limiting the competition you wouldn't do it? Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight. And I already acknowledged that deal sucked for us as a consumer. I hate the Madden series now. I merely said that if anyone else; me, you, Santa Claus, anyone! was put in the same situation as EA of course they would have made the same decision. Obviously the development team has not done a good job, but EA made the correct decision and anyone who wouldn't have bought out the licensing like EA did has no business sense whatsoever. It's hysterical to me that you guys are throwing around that EA was "scared" of 2Ks advancement. Of course they were concerned about it! Just like 2K was "scared" that madden was going to cut into their profits. And "scared" that they would buy out the rights It's just funny how you guys are trying to use the word "scared" as somehow another way to bash EA. Like "Oh man! They were so scared! Big old EA was so afraid! Wet their pants and bought out the licensing! LOLOLOLOLOL" Just stop...please....stop...You sound absolutely ridiculous

I don't see anyone trying to "bash" EA on the sly, they are just presenting some facts, that some may have missed. Before those court documents confirmed EA's concern/fear over NFL2k gaining more market share, there was all types of misinformation being put out, still is at times, like someone from EA directly claiming they were more concerned/fearful of NFL GameDay than NFL2k and the infamous "an exclusive license was the NFL's brainchild", lol.