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

[roadman]

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.

[balcobomber25]

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.

No one was aware that Take Two was going to be the biggest bidder for the WWE franchise, despite never making a wrestling game in the past. The WWE license is just as big of a commitment financially, if not more than the NFL's. I could see companies paying upwards of $100m for the chance at the NFL license. The NFL name sells itself, people will buy just about anything associated with the NFL name in record numbers, just take a look at Madden 12...

[balcobomber25]

Quote: Originally Posted by roadman

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.

Is that why after decades of Reebok being the official supplier of uniforms, they switched to Nike who was a higher bidder? Past NFL commissioners would usually stick with what was familiar, Roger operated on a money first, money second, friendship last model.

[balcobomber25]

Quote: Originally Posted by KBLover

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.

Of course you need people with vision and talent, but those people dont control the purse strings and therefore don't make the business decisions. You think the guys at Tiburon are actually proud of some of the past Madden games? The higher ups at EA knew people were going to buy their games regardless of what was or wasn't in it, for the simple fact that people had no other choice. That is why from Madden 07-12 it was basically a roster update with a fresh coat of paint and one or two new gimmick game modes. It's no coincidence that in the year the license is set to expire EA finally lets its developers revolutionize the game. If there was no exclusive license we would have CCM mode four years ago.

[NYJets]

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.

[KBLover]

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.

[SageInfinite]

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.

[KBLover]

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.