EA/NFL Extend NFL Exclusive License by One Year to 2013

[rickmitchell22]

this is horrible news

[Giants4Natic]

Quote: Originally Posted by droopizzle34

I don't want to see ANY company with an exclusive license. Its all bad no matter who would have it cause we are limited to one game. 2K has no vote of confidence because of MLB 2K....that game is not good and unless u go buy a PS3 you are limited to only that game for MLB on the 360. NBA 2K11 has had NBA Live to push it to good heights,but yet you can't ignore the horrible online experience..so there's really no vote of confidence with 2K other than the nostalga of 2K5's greatness... I want CHOICE....I want competition....i want to be able to have a choice to go get a different brand if I don't like the other one.And it is proven these companies(EA with the NFL and 2K with MLB)rest on their laurels and don't give 100% when they have no one to push them... bring back choice in NFL simulation football and break us out of this prison NFL...down with this exclusive license and make video game football fun again by giving us CHOICE...

I am sure the NFL is willing to give up the millions to give people a choice of their liking for a video game

[Icarus2k9]

I'm just going to act as devil's advocate against the vast majority of people here, but just to clarify: people think it's fair for EA to potentially have to put out an annual videogame - as per their legal agreement with the NFL, btw - that would be gimped license wise, potentially costing them large chunks of money and then not be recompensed in some way (after all, people buy the game just as much for the player and team likenesses and so on - cornerstone of many arguments on this site).

But people think it's unfair that as a show of goodwill to a client who is paying them a lot of money to produce an NFL-approved vision of football that millions of people enjoy every year, the league would allow them an extra year of the license to make up for a potentially damaging year for finances?

Yes, the game would benefit from improvements like everything else in the world, and yes, those improvements are probably a little slower because of the funds needed for the license and the lack of competition, but please stop acting like this is the end of life as we know it, and the end of "good" football games until the end of time - which is purely an opinion thing which millions of consumers disagree with.

[droopizzle34]

Quote: Originally Posted by Giants4Natic

I am sure the NFL is willing to give up the millions to give people a choice of their liking for a video game

The NFL is gonna get money either way,whether its one company or four,they still get paid...

gamers are not caring how great a business move this is,that doesn't console people suffering with this game one bit. Yeah its great to eliminate your competition and get rich,but we as gamers suffer because of it.you can tell people "well don't buy it" or "why complain" but to alot of people these games represent fun and relaxation in their lives and shell out their hard earned money for this game, and to deal with someone half doing something because of "good business" is foul no matter how u spin it...we don't care about the business deal,we care about the game,and it is not where it needs to be after all these years of the exclusive license and stuck with one game with no choice.

[mestevo]

Still waiting for a quality unlicensed football game, a NFL license isn't required to make a good accurate game. The competition needs to stop getting cute and shipping incomplete/gimmicky games. The lack of one gives me no confidence at all that a competitive product would have any leg up over Madden. The most recent efforts by both 2k and NM were pathetic.

Until then, Madden easily gets my money, this deal doesn't bother me, I'll buy NCAA and Madden every year, and every year there are enough changes to satisfy me as I bounce between the two pending the releaseof their replacements.

[mr janny]

Quote: Originally Posted by johnprestonevans

I dont want to debate the overuse of certain guns in COD vs plays in Madden and the exploit some gamers use in both of these comparative games. My point is generally about the quality of the game itself. From a visual standpoint, tight shooting mechanics and from presentation - there aren't many games delivering online on the level and COD is doing right now. (Like I said I prefer BFBC2 over COD). And that really is my point - There are some other great shooters we can choose from. Killzone, Battlefield, Gears, Halo, Uncharted, etc. And which one of those you like best depends on your own personal experience and enjoyment of the game. My problem with Madden is that it is a lesser quality product when you lay it next to other sports games and it is the ONLY NFL game we've had the opportunity to play in the last 7 years.

The fact that there are other options out there only bolsters my original point. In the ultra competitive FPS genre, the most popular series is the one that offers very little in the way of change from release to release. CODBO is marginally better than CODMW2 which is marginally better than CODWAW which is marginally better than CODMW.
That goes to my original question, does competition always inspire change? Obviously it doesn't.
And it's obviously a business model that works. That's because the COD series is no longer designed for the hardcore FPS fan, just like Madden is not made for the hardcore football sim fan. Both games are made for the casual audience. They've become easier to pick up and play and reduced focus on balanced gameplay. In an industry where it's becoming more and more expensive to produce games, developers have to make sure their product appeals to the widest audience possible. And while the posters on sites like OS might be the loudest group of fans, they are not the largest. EA pays lip service to them, and throws them a bone once in a while, but it's only that. They are not EA's main audience. That's the reality of the situation.

[droopizzle34]

Quote: Originally Posted by khaliib

This deal just extends this Game Engine to 2013, Sales wiil be the "Only" factor that drives how often this get extended. That's right, your dollars will continue to drive this Exclusive Agreement you hate so much. The same Game Engine that a Dev verified to be Maxed out to what they can do. What this deal says is that the Business is going to ride you gamers that must spend your $60 to get your NFL fix. You talk a good game through your complaints on forums, but in the end, you'll be there purchasing within the first 3 days.

sad, but very very true......

[Giants4Natic]

Quote: Originally Posted by droopizzle34

The NFL is gonna get money either way,whether its one company or four,they still get paid... gamers are not caring how great a business move this is,that doesn't console people suffering with this game one bit. Yeah its great to eliminate your competition and get rich,but we as gamers suffer because of it.you can tell people "well don't buy it" or "why complain" but to alot of people these games represent fun and relaxation in their lives and shell out their hard earned money for this game, and to deal with someone half doing something because of "good business" is foul no matter how u spin it...we don't care about the business deal,we care about the game,and it is not where it needs to be after all these years of the exclusive license and stuck with one game with no choice.

Like I said, the NFL does not care about that. they care about making money. Just like any other company does

There is no moral of the story here.

If you can get a exclusive deal from the biggest sports game name in the last 20 years you go with that.

You do not spread yourself to other companies that cannot come close to matching the popularity and pockets of EA. People need to realize that this is a business.

The only way to end the NFL love for ea is when EA cannot pay them and it starts to be a game that suffers like live did. As long as madden still sells and still has all the stars and celebrities talking about it. Is it s a money maker that 2K or any other company cannot touch