To EA and Madden Consumers, Madden Is a Success

[RaychelSnr]

I gave myself the unenviable task of defending this generation of Madden and making a case that it has been a success.

Yeah, I am THAT crazy at this point.

But before I explain why I think Madden has been a success, I think it's best to define success. In other words, whose success are we looking at in this case?

If you look at it from EA's point of view, your definition of success would be entirely different from a fan's idea of success. The point of view I will be using changes the tone of my defense, so let me phrase this as best and as clearly as I can in the next paragraph.

The success of the Madden series is based on more people playing Madden year over year because, at that point, both EA and the consumers must be happy -- otherwise the sales would be decreasing.

Read More - To EA and Madden Consumers, Madden Is a Success

[1WEiRDguy]

good article, but you dont mention how their sales "success" has been skewed. Its been said many times before, but without a direct competitor, it is the ONLY product consumers will buy to get their pro football fix. (see Live Elite vs. 2k11) I won't even try to compare it to Backbreaker, but i guess the comparsion is inevitable

Look at BB...without real NFL team names, logos, stadiums, etc...people dismissed it from jump without even playing it. Now the gameplay was NOT the best...i will be the first to say that, but i thought it did have a solid foundation to build upon. But at any rate, most people passed over BB and just waited it out until madden was released.

Just off sales alone, i guess they are somewhat successful b/c they gain profit and in the end thats all that matters.

[Chivers688]

You simply cannot rule a monopoly as a success. There's nothing to compare it to.

You say sales figures are good, but it's possible that another company could have had 5x the amount of sales Madden has if it had been developing over the same time period.
And the gameplay could have been far more advanced than Madden has.

You simply cannot say it is a success without a direct rival to compare it to. Madden has a monopoly, over the NFL video game market.

[lofeazy]

You should be successful when your the only NFL game in town.

[TheCreep]

I like the line "Madden is far from perfect, but not even close to being terrible" . Very true indeed. I'm a simulation head too and I love it.

[St. Chaos]

Lmao... is this article supposed to be a joke or did it just accidentally come out that way?

Let me summarize the reason that Madden's sales havn't fallen flat. In much less time than it took you to try to make a case for Madden being a success.

There are more football fans, and gamers, interested in NFL football on consoles and/or "next-gen" consoles (people moving from past consoles). Madden is the only choice in the matter.

Monopoly does NOT equal success. Not even a little bit.

The "successful formula" you refer to is also a joke. The formula never changes. The formula is foolproof. The formula is, once again, be the only business in town.

If Wal-mart bought out every other grocery store, electronics store, home improvement store, and clothes store in town, I bet everything I own that their formula becomes "successful" too by your standards.

Many of us aren't asking for revolution. We're asking for the very foundation of the game of football not to be broken, gimmick-ridden, or a complete joke. That doesn't take evolution or revolution. That takes implementing things that should have been in place years ago for this to be called a NFL football game. Especially one with such a slogan tied to it as "Everything you see on Sunday..."

Being successful requires some kind of comparison. Madden doesn't have one. If I say Madden is a failure, you couldn't disprove me because there is no comparison.

[roadman]

Eh, I don't consider Madden sales slumping 18% one month a success.

[guaps]

Quote: Originally Posted by Chivers688

You simply cannot rule a monopoly as a success.

Spot on!

EA being successful when they control the market to an extent that they can keep competitors out isn't really a a great task and hard to define as a success.

As for being a success for the consumers I have to disagree. Without the pressures of competitors getting ahead of them, EA are very slow and conservative about making decisions on new technology/features -- essentially preventing any type of "Creative Destruction" (innovation displacing the old and outdate), and in the end, the Madden consumers ultimately face a "take-it-or-leave-it" choice.