Can a Two-Year Cycle Work?

[RaychelSnr]

Can sports game developers use a two year cycle to publish games? Chris Sanner has written an article discussing that question and any possible options on the table.

Quote:

"We, the sports gamers of the universe, have grown accustomed to a very sour taste in our mouths the past few seasons, the result of unfinished buggy products that need patches just to work right."

[savoie2006]

I believe MLB The Show and NHL 08 are living proof that a one year cycle can work.It's just a matter of dedication by the developers.If there is a widely noted problem one year,a patch should be released or they should at least take the time to fix that issue before doing anything else.Most problem are small nagging problems not major.Developers need to spend less time trying to draw people in with fancy new features and worry about correcting any and all gameplay issues.

[nxt]

Quote:

But why do companies insist on releasing half finished products even if it means turning out a product that is of terrible quality?

money, and people are still buying the product regardless of how terrible it is. "if we build it. they will come."

[jmood88]

Of course a two year cycle would work but no company would ever think of doing that with a game that makes alot of money for them each year.

[ehh]

Quote: Originally Posted by savoie2006

I believe MLB The Show and NHL 08 are living proof that a one year cycle can work.

People forget that the MLB franchise was a mess for many years before 2005. That game hardly became great during a one year cycle.

Companies would have to figure out a way to make the off year profitable, either charge $60 for a roster update or charge $130 for the game every time it comes out and give free roster updates during the off year.

Money is the bottom line but things are slowly starting to change for many gamers I know. The five buddies of mine who are pretty hardcore with sports games haven't bought Madden in at least three years. I just sold my 360 and all my sports games in favor of a Wii. The sport-game industry is dooooooomed, IMO. It's sad when you compare it to other genre's on the next gen systems. So just from myself alone there's $200-$300 that EA and 2K won't be getting any more. More and more are going to bite, even if there still are a good amount of sheep left out there.

[DaveDQ]

Most importantly, what we need to start seeing is the foundation of these games being more stable, without the immediate need to "fix" a specific game from the moment it's released. Madden 08 is an example example. The game is filled with more fluff and non-essentials that it's taxing the actual menus in the game. From the irrelevant Marshall Faulk pre-game babble, to the Josten's in game ring feature, it's just unnecessary. I'd much prefer a well polished game engine that is slightly imperfect than a broken game with fluff.

[spankdatazz22]

The two-year development cycle is one of several misconceptions many in the hardcore community want people to believe they want, but they don't. Why won't devs go to a 2-yr development cycle? Because there's too much money to be made from fans - pretty simple. The 2-yr development cycle belongs on the same pile as:

- "We want substance over hype" - hardcore fans are constantly begging to be hyped. And fault products that don't hype them enough

- "All that matters is gameplay" - maybe last gen, not this gen. Hardcore fans are more than willing to forgive gameplay faults or lack of depth if they feel the game is pretty enough

[Lynsanity]

Quote: Originally Posted by ehh

People forget that the MLB franchise was a mess for many years before 2005. That game hardly became great during a one year cycle. Companies would have to figure out a way to make the off year profitable, either charge $60 for a roster update or charge $130 for the game every time it comes out and give free roster updates during the off year. Money is the bottom line but things are slowly starting to change for many gamers I know. The five buddies of mine who are pretty hardcore with sports games haven't bought Madden in at least three years. I just sold my 360 and all my sports games in favor of a Wii. The sport-game industry is dooooooomed, IMO. It's sad when you compare it to other genre's on the next gen systems. So just from myself alone there's $200-$300 that EA and 2K won't be getting any more. More and more are going to bite, even if there still are a good amount of sheep left out there.

I did the same thing with my PS3. I think a more complete game would be able to be a bi-annual purchase, but nothing like NBA live 2008 for wii. It lacked player lock, dynasty, create-a-player, and more. If you could somehow create a game that had most of the gameplay bases covered and monthly or annual updates, it would work.