EA Announces Madden NFL 09 Ship Date and Special Collector’s Edition

[grunt]

Quote: Originally Posted by Pared

Genius. Just genius. Didn't see this one coming. All those couch jockeys will pick this up because they can be the "uber" head coach and take their team to the promised land. "Besides, it comes with Madden." It would be hilarious if playbook importing was somehow bugged and/or had a glitch. Anyway, I keep coming back in the Madden forum hoping this game will some day be relevant again in my sports gaming... nope, not today...

Your last statement captures how many gamers are feeling now about madden. Madden is becoming more and more irrelevant in my gaming. This was the same game I waited in line at midnight a few years ago. How the mighty has fallen.

I remember a few years ago when we saw the first images/videos of Madden in the Burger King promotion. If someone told me "next gen" Madden after 3 development cycles wouldn't surpassed last gen football games, I would say "hell naw".

[Nza]

Quote: Originally Posted by coogrfan

Why exactly should EA not look at sales numbers to determine what constitutes a "major platform"?

First of all, it's a major platform because of the amount of people who play on it. There are still millions of PC gamers out there, and it's up to EA to sell it to them. If they've failed to do that to an acceptabl level so far, then fine, run away, but when they signed that NFL deal, they signed an obligation to make their exclusive NFL game for all platforms in my view. What they'd be doing is owning full rights for NFL games on the PC, and not releasing it on the PC. So basically us PC gamers are being blacked out. I still can't believe that's legal if it is - I'm almost certain it isn't in Australia anyway (we had a problem once with media companies buying broadcast rights and purposely not showing it).

Secondly, I don't understand how the NFL could agree to this, especially after a year where Madden sales dipped. EA are effectively limiting their reach relative to last year with the removal of PC, and hence the NFL's reach. Madden NFL is now the NFL's product. They make as much money from it thanks to the license after all and it is probably their number 1 promotional tool. Particularly overseas - and going off the community at Football-Freaks.com, there are far more International Madden PC gamers than I've ever seen in Madden Consoles sites like this one. Probably 10 fold. If it's the same reason as why I'm a Madden PC'r, originally it was because, thanks to region issues and late release dates, Madden PC was the only version us gamers outside the US could get on time (if at all). Removing that can't be helping the NFL's International fan cause they seem concentrated on.

Lastly, DS and PSP. Come on now. How many DS copies would really sell? And need I remind everyone that EA agreed to MAC versions of their titles under a year or so ago? This is a joke.

[coogrfan]

I understand your frustration, but the plain fact is the pc version doesn't sell well.

Quote:

BioShock: Best Selling PC Game of August Sep 13, 2007 at 3:24 PM ******** type="text/javascript">%64%6f%63%75%6d%65%6e%74%2e%77%72%69%74%65%28%27%3 c%61%20%68%72%65%66%3d%22%6d%61%69%6c%74%6f%3a%6e% 65%77%73%40%76%65%33%64%2e%63%6f%6d%3f%73%75%62%6a %65%63%74%3d%4e%65%77%73%25%32%30%53%75%62%6d%69%7 3%73%69%6f%6e%22%20%3e%41%6e%64%72%65%77%20%42%75% 72%6e%65%73%3c%2f%1) Bioshock - 2K Games 77,374 2) World Of Warcraft: Burning Crusade Expansion Pack - Vivendi 49,126 3) World Of Warcraft - Vivendi 4) Guild Wars Eye Of The North Expansion Pack - NCsoft 5) Civilization IV: Beyond The Sword Expansion Pack - 2K Games 6) The Sims 2 Deluxe - Electronic Arts 7) Age Of Empires III - Microsoft 8) Madden NFL 2008 - Electronic Arts

Compare that with the consoles sales numbers for the same period:

Quote:

1) Madden NFL 08 - Xbox 360 - Electronic Arts 896,592, 2) Madden NFL 08 - Playstation 2 - Electronic Arts 643,617 3) BioShock - Xbox 360 - 2K Games 490,910 4) Madden NFL 08 - Playstation 3 - Electronic Arts 336,189 5) Play With Remote - Wii - Nintendo of America 256,781

http://ve3d.ign.com/articles/news/34...Game-of-August

It doesn't take a business degree to see why EA decided to pull the plug. They are doing the same to the Xbox version, for pretty much the same reasons.

[Flamehead]

Quote: Originally Posted by Jistic

I somehow get the feeling this is just an attempt for them to be able to say that they sold more copies of Madden than if it was by itself. Instead of making the game better, their focus is on marketing, as usual. And yes packaging is marketing. I'm sure we'll be able to pick up individual copies of HC on ebay though. That's what I'll do. I don't even care about Madden anymore.

I agree 100%. I just can't take an unknown leap of faith in Madden anymore. The lack of quality control these past few years left a bad taste in my mouth. I'd rather wait to see what the consensus is first before deciding if it's even worth a purchase.

HC for me on ebay as well.

[Nza]

Quote: Originally Posted by coogrfan

I understand your frustration, but the plain fact is the pc version doesn't sell well. Compare that with the consoles sales numbers for the same period: http://ve3d.ign.com/articles/news/34...Game-of-August It doesn't take a business degree to see why EA decided to pull the plug. They are doing the same to the Xbox version, for pretty much the same reasons.

A game that makes the top 10 PC charts isn't sustainable? Come on, that's BS. Madden 08 PC would have still generated MUCH more revenue than it costed EA to make the game. Also, I highly doubt those numbers include EA Digital Download purchases of Madden PC, which going off the FootballFreaks community a considerable percentage opted to do last year. These are figures from game stores.

And as I said, they made a MAC version. Now, it was just the PC version packaged with Emulation software, but the packaging, the retailing, the licensing to get the emulation software etc isn't free, and the MAC version probably sold under 10,000 total copies. The PC probably close to 10x that if not more in total.

And you're meaning to tell me Madden DS sells more than PC? No way. And EA actually more or less make the DS version from the ground up - the PC is a cheap PS2 port.

The Xbox version was pulled because the Xbox is no longer supported by MS.

[Nza]

Quote:

1 1 World Of Warcraft Vivendi New 2 Madden NFL 2008 Electronic Arts 3 3 World Of Warcraft: Burning Crusade Expansion Pack Vivendi 4 4 The Sims 2 Deluxe Electronic Arts 2 5 Civilization IV: Beyond The Sword Expansion Pack 2K Games ( Take 2) 6 6 The Sims 2 Seasons Expansion Pack Electronic Arts 5 7 The Sims 2 H&M Fashion Stuff Expansion Pack Electronic Arts 10 8 Battlefield 2 Electronic Arts 8 9 MS Age Of Empires III Microsoft 9 10 Warcraft III Battle Chest Vivendi

http://www.yougamers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=59785

"This list is based on units sold by over thirty channel partners."

Yeah, PC version doesn't sell Keep in mind, this is a game EA put basically zero extra resources into - they probably ran a conversion script on the finished PS2 code, applied a few patches, and wholla, PC version. #2 on the PC charts may not mean a whole lot compared to consoles, but it's not like it isn't making EA money.

[coogrfan]

All right. If EA isn't canceling the pc version because it isn't a money maker, why are they doing so?

[blklightning]

Quote: Originally Posted by jake44np

EA is smoking crack if they think I am going to spend $90 on two bad games!!

finally, a voice of reason.

what the hell is wrong with you people?

"wah, wah, madden '08 sucks"

"ooh, they just announced madden '09. ima go pre-order it now."

the sheeple have returned.