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

[Giants4Natic]

Quote: Originally Posted by CYST2000

I think this is a sign that the big wigs at EA are hesitant to making the deal a long term deal, which means that the exclusive deal isn't bringing in the money it once was. This could be a sign that the exclusive deal might be coming to an end after 2013 if sales don't increase.

It is not a sign, they have a 5 yr deal. What this does is extend the contraxct one year to make up for a possible lost year.

In 2013 they will talk about an extension which if EA wants they will get

The sales have to dip way more then it has recently for that to not happen

[LiquorLogic]

Quote: Originally Posted by Giants4Natic

Who cares? The NFL cares because they want their name associated with the biggest gorilla in the game which is Madden due to its 20 year run and mainstream appeal That is just fact: If Madden was such garbage like many call it then it woud not sell as much and EA would not be able to pay for the license

Madden has been leaking oil, in terms of sales, ever since they acquired the exclusive license. Yeah, they still sell a lot of copies, but you can't expect the sales to just plummet to nothing overnight. Madden has been a household name for two decades, and there's currently no competitor, so it will take a while for Madden to totally lose it's mainstream appeal.

It's already happening; Madden sales have been on the decline for quite sometime now. If they start struggling to crack 3.5 million in sales, do you think they'll even be able to renew the exclusive license come 2014 ?

Madden on the last gen consoles ( according to VGCharts) would clear one million in sales, on the PS2, in the first week. Now, they barely crack 600,000 in sales during the first week.

Quote: Originally Posted by mestevo

Sales have decreased, but that's probably more to do with the current state of consoles vs the heyday of the PS2. 360 and PS3 combined equal just 2/3rds the PS2s sold. Touting the decrease as people taking a stand or crediting people not buying Madden for some other reason is just spin absent that context.

COD and Halo seem to be doing just fine.

[Giants4Natic]

Quote: Originally Posted by LiquorLogic

Madden has been leaking oil, in terms of sales, ever since they acquired the exclusive license. Yeah, they still sell a lot of copies, but you can't expect the sales to just plummet to nothing overnight. Madden has been a household name for two decades, and there's currently no competitor, so it will take a while for Madden to totally lose it's mainstream appeal. It's already happening; Madden sales have been on the decline for quite sometime now. If they start struggling to crack 3.5 million in sales, do you think they'll even be able to renew the exclusive license come 2014 ? Madden on the last gen consoles ( according to VGCharts) would clear one million in sales, on the PS2, in the first week. Now, they barely crack 600,000 in sales during the first week.

I am not denying that it has lost some sales. But nowhere near what it will take for them to not get the license.

And the sales also affect all games except games that COD which are geared to all and not just sports fans.

Look at how great NBA 2K11 is and it did not outsell madden

If Madden 12 or Madden 13 is a great game and delivers on many fronts they will get many customers back and the cycle starts again.

It wont end

[76reasons]

I predict that Madden 12 will be the best selling NFL video game this year. The numbers won't lie. Perhaps less than last year but I can say for certain that Madden will crush every other NFL game.

What? I can't buy any other NFL game? Nevermind.

[EddieV]

Quote: Originally Posted by mestevo

Sales have decreased, but that's probably more to do with the current state of consoles vs the heyday of the PS2. 360 and PS3 combined equal just 2/3rds the PS2s sold. Touting the decrease as people taking a stand or crediting people not buying Madden for some other reason is just spin absent that context.

You guys spend so much time defending EA...lol.

Every great game sees its sales go up from one iteration to the next. Like COD, Halo, GT, etc. Madden's sales have been on the side since the exclusive license, no matter how much some of these guys would like to believe otherwise.

[RGiles36]

Quote: Originally Posted by kjcheezhead

Madden may not be garbage (close to it,imo tho) but the fact is many football fans simply don't enjoy it. On the surface, it's a good move by the NFL but eventually it could catch up to them. Giving the fans a product they enjoy is what funds a league like the NFL. Screwing the fans is what causes them to turn their attention to baseball, basketball or some other form of entertainment all together.

I was going to respond, but Ryan36 summed it up perfectly below:

Quote: Originally Posted by ryan36

KJ, you're overestimating your importance here, as a dissatisfied gamer. Most NFL fans follow their team first, and buy a football game second. NOBODY is gonna turn their back on the Packers because Madden sucks. This decision will NEVER catch up to the NFL outside of the video game world. NEVER. It's an isolated niche, man. Yes, many football fans don't enjoy Madden. But not enough to make so much as a RIPPLE in anything the NFL cares about.

I think sometimes our passion gets in the way of always seeing things rationally. Take a step back and digest this: the majority of videogame fans are happy with the state of Madden. Anything suggestion pointing to the contrary reeks of frustration and ill feelings towards EA. While that's warranted in some cases, let's not confuse ourselves into thinking that niche forums likes this (and others) are putting a sizeable dent into the profit of the NFL or EA.

[coogrfan]

Quote: Originally Posted by droopizzle34

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

Not so. The NFL is making far more money in licensing fees than it did when it had multiple licensing partners (fyi - DrJones is a longtime OSer who has worked for both EA and 2k Sports. He knows of what he speaks.)

http://www.operationsports.com/forum...post2038997926

Quote: Originally Posted by DrJones

In the "olden days", the 3 companies paid the NFL/PA a royalty per unit sold, at roughly 10%. Let's say the total football market is about 6 million units. 6 million x $60 x 10% = $36M annually to the NFL. The current EA deal with the NFL pays them between $60M-$70M per year, regardless of units sold.

http://www.operationsports.com/forum...post2037681616

Quote: Originally Posted by DrJones

As I explained before, the NFL and NFLPA (not to mention the MLB and other leagues) were paid by unit before the exclusivity deal. Every time a contract expired, they asked for a bigger piece of the pie. Outrageous demands (like "you now have to pay us double or triple what you're paying us now") were occasionally made, and were rejected by EA and 2K alike, as difficult as it may be for you to believe. The NFL has the hammer in negotations, true, but far from absolute power. EA offered to pay a large flat fee (in essence, much higher royalties) in exchange for exclusivity. The NFL accepted. If the NFL thought they could've made more money by keeping the per-unit royalty system intact and arbitrarily jacking up the royalty fees for all developers, they most assuredly would have done so.

[GaryT531]

thanks to next gen ea i have slowly lost more interest in the nfl each year. just traded in madden 11 (360) for $23.00 on amazon. played it maybe 5 times this season. i suggest you trade yours in as well while it's still worth something.