Chris' Blog: Are Madden Sales Slipping?

[debauchlord]

Quote: Originally Posted by Only1LT

What can probably be inferred by the lackluster performance Madden titles have had recently in the first few months of release is that Madden is no longer as valued a brand to consumers as it once was, and that people are content to wait till the title is discounted to purchase it, as opposed to needing it ASAP, like they once did.

The true meat of the matter is that consumers are slowly coming around to the fact that there are very few "must buy" games. In times of economic spoils, one can be forgiven for wasting money on a horsecrap game. Now, even if they can afford it, people are becoming more wiser as to the worth of their dollar. People need to see value in entertainment these days. There is value in upgrading from a standard def to a high def television. There is value in upgrading from a PS2 to a PS3. What is the value in Madden 11? It is not apparent out of the box, nor is it apparent "on" the box. Graphics are roughly the same. Options are roughly the same. Gameplay is roughly the same. madden 10 held more value than Madden 9, but Madden 11 does not increase, nor even replicate, the value over Madden 10. Sales will eventually even out, I suspect, but the heydays are most likely over. Would this justify letting the NFL exclusive license fade? Possibly, but the threat of losing the exclusive license and having their current sales roughly halved by a competitor is probably too great to just let go like that. Also, i am curious, because if the NFLPA decertifies for the next season, as they are currently doing, that nullifies all contracts, presumably also the exclusive deal. Wondering how that would affect things.

[grunt]

This is the first year in 15 years that I haven't purchased Madden. The game wasn't enough of an upgrade for me. I used my Madden money on NBA 2k11 but I wish the Madden team would step up and make that game.

[mestevo]

The PSP losing to cell phones, the PS2 sales dwindling as that platform dies, and the crap economy, sales look flat, not slipping...

Again, the original reports of sales being poor were premature, not that anyone is willing to revisit that...

Sent from my Moto Droid using Tapatalk

[marshallfever]

Quote: Originally Posted by Senator Palmer

It's something of a double-edged sword, though. I think the disconnect is that many around here feel that the game as it is now is aimed at the casual crowd wheras Ian and Crew will swear on a stack of bibles that sim is and has been the aim of the past few development cycles. If the sales do dip then obviously changes are going to be made. The rub is how are the decision-makers going to read the situation? Are they going to see this as a sign that the game needs to cater to the hardcore gamers and move toward more realism, or are they going to scrap the current approach and make the game more arcade-like to appeal to the casual gamer? Just my guess, but with a cash cow like this, catering to the masses is always going to win out... i.e. just look at the sacrifices that where made this go-round with franchise mode and such.

I completely agree. I actually held off of buying the game this year because it felt too much like the previous version but minor changes. I brought 09 and 10 and didn't feel like 11 was good enough to buy.

I'm really hoping they truly go back to the drawing board and try to figure out whats wrong and what direction they truly want to go in. Either go full simulation or don't go at all.

This has nothing to do with the Madden developers but NBA Elite has gotten delayed indefinitely.....i think because of that EA Sports as a whole will probably take a deeper look into their sports games as a whole. Fifa and NHL sell incredibly well but Live and Madden have fallen off. I truly think its about time these developers went on a 2 year development time frame. I rather get a roaster update one year and know the following year i'm in for an amazing game, i wouldn't even mind "paying" a very minimal price for a roaster update with some tweaks and enhancements.

For some strange reason, i feel like 12 will be a special game. It'll either break or make the franchise in my opinion. With sales going down, if 12 isn't mighty impressive i don't know how they can get their fans back.

[stlstudios189]

I think Madden 12 will make or break the series. I for one am having fun with 11 but, if the game is not improved in dynasty or doesn't have in game saves I will not be spending my $$

[TreFacTor]

Quote: Originally Posted by Tyrant8RDFL

I think there are other factors in declining Madden sales and other gamers overall, but I think this one in particular is the main killer. Pre owned games. Many are willing to wait to buy a pre owned copy of any title, and this right here is killing the gaming company. Now for stores that sell pre won games. There are making a killing. The profit margin is huge. Much larger than selling the title new. They have to find a way to slow this down. I dont think they can, but at this point you can get games used from stores like gamestop, and through sites like amazon, ebay, and craig's list. I believe if the sale of pre own games did not exist in major retailers. Then sales would be very high. Now there is only one franchise that does not get affected by this , and its Activision with the COD series. I guess your product has to be so insane that gamers can not wait for a pre owned copy.

This argument is weak. Not just coming from you, but coming from any company...why does a software, music, or movie company deserve a double dip in the retail sales industry when no other company enjoys such a luxury. If I trade in a slightly used pair of sneakers to get the latest ones, NIKE doesn't complain that they can get any profit from the transaction. If I sell a book, the publisher doesn't complain that it's loosing a sale on the book. It is a superficial, unsubstantiated argument that greedy companies use to make it appear that they are loosing money from resales when they actually aren't. Don't fall for the propaganda. Use your own logic... Chevy doesn't get a share of any car that is resold...why should EA get a share of a used disc.

To anyone who feels bad for the devs...don't. They have the freedom to make the game the way they see fit, and this should be noticeable since the game reached next gen. Now they may have someone higher up that is setting agenda's or trying to meet sales figures, while trying to tap and untapped consumer, but the devs have control over the overall product. Many fans haven't been happy with the series for at least the last decade, but lower sales doesn't mean Madden will change this gen. The yearly turnaround doesn't allow for huge advancements to be made. The next great football simulation video game will not come from EA, at least not in this generation of consoles. I would wager that some other company has been waiting in the wings for the contract to run out, and to pounce on EA in their weakened state.

[Gordy748]

Quote: Originally Posted by TreFacTor

To anyone who feels bad for the devs...don't. They have the freedom to make the game the way they see fit, and this should be noticeable since the game reached next gen. Now they may have someone higher up that is setting agenda's or trying to meet sales figures, while trying to tap and untapped consumer, but the devs have control over the overall product. Many fans haven't been happy with the series for at least the last decade, but lower sales doesn't mean Madden will change this gen. The yearly turnaround doesn't allow for huge advancements to be made. The next great football simulation video game will not come from EA, at least not in this generation of consoles. I would wager that some other company has been waiting in the wings for the contract to run out, and to pounce on EA in their weakened state.

TerFacTor, I completely agree with your view regarding second hand games. But regards the developers, I'm not so sure they have the freedom you say they do. Game publishers care about the number of boxes they sell, not what's in them. For EA Sports, maxing sales means making compelling games where they have competition (e.g. soccer) to take share from competitors, but making less fulfilling games where they have a monopoly (e.g. NFL). If you get bored quicker, then because you're a sports sim gamer, you're more likely to go buy another (hopefully EA) sports game. Gets them $120 of your cash, not just $60. An alternative view is that Tiburon doesn't manage resources well enough to let the developers do their thing. Too many cooks and all that jazz.

Your view that it's the developers fault... well it's possible. But EA's a gaming monolith, and I'd reckon the suits in the big corporate offices are far more to blame for the lack of Madden's innovation than the geek programmers on the shop floor. (spoken as a geek)

Either way, I feel you may be right saying that EA won't be the company to fix Madden. Here's hoping we're both wrong on this, it'll be a couple of dull years if they don't fix it.

[roadman]

Quote: Originally Posted by TreFacTor

This argument is weak. Not just coming from you, but coming from any company...why does a software, music, or movie company deserve a double dip in the retail sales industry when no other company enjoys such a luxury. If I trade in a slightly used pair of sneakers to get the latest ones, NIKE doesn't complain that they can get any profit from the transaction. If I sell a book, the publisher doesn't complain that it's loosing a sale on the book. It is a superficial, unsubstantiated argument that greedy companies use to make it appear that they are loosing money from resales when they actually aren't. Don't fall for the propaganda. Use your own logic... Chevy doesn't get a share of any car that is resold...why should EA get a share of a used disc. To anyone who feels bad for the devs...don't. They have the freedom to make the game the way they see fit, and this should be noticeable since the game reached next gen. Now they may have someone higher up that is setting agenda's or trying to meet sales figures, while trying to tap and untapped consumer, but the devs have control over the overall product. Many fans haven't been happy with the series for at least the last decade, but lower sales doesn't mean Madden will change this gen. The yearly turnaround doesn't allow for huge advancements to be made. The next great football simulation video game will not come from EA, at least not in this generation of consoles. I would wager that some other company has been waiting in the wings for the contract to run out, and to pounce on EA in their weakened state.

In regards to your first paragraph, don't be surprised if other companies follow suit on the double dipping. There are two local stores that are being watched like a hawk by the police department. Merry Go Round Music Store and Half Price Books. The two stores in the area are getting pressure from the local police department to set up a database that identifies people selling stolen property for profit. The stores are trying to fight the ordinance because they have to front the fees for the database. If news like this continues to spread, who's to say that Nike won't want something from the seller or from the reseller in the very near future?

As far as your second paragraph, none of us works at EA to say how the inner workings work. It's been said here when Ian came on board, he asked for a new engine and was denied. So, if that is true, how does that equate to freedom with the way they see fit?