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

[JaymeeAwesome]

At this stage in the game a non exclusive will hurt football gaming for a few years before it gets better. Madden 13 showed EAs willingness to finally listen to its gamers with the new physics engine. Lets not lose this momentum. I hope for another long term exclusivity deal. I'm loving the direction we are going.

[Big FN Deal]

Quote: Originally Posted by jaymee13

At this stage in the game a non exclusive will hurt football gaming for a few years before it gets better. Madden 13 showed EAs willingness to finally listen to its gamers with the new physics engine. Lets not lose this momentum. I hope for another long term exclusivity deal.I'm loving the direction we are going.

[Stafford2Johnson]

Quote: Originally Posted by jaymee13

At this stage in the game a non exclusive will hurt football gaming for a few years before it gets better. Madden 13 showed EAs willingness to finally listen to its gamers with the new physics engine. Lets not lose this momentum. I hope for another long term exclusivity deal. I'm loving the direction we are going.

one too many tonight sir

[Number999]

Sigh, not the happiest to hear that a change is unlikely but can't say I'm all that shocked. The shame is nothing realistically can be done, sure boycotting the game may diminish the sale records a bit but since EA mainly focuses on casual gamers it won't matter. After the SimCity disaster, I just hope NFL eventually come to their senses and make it an open license, yep it's unlikely and it probably won't ever happen but what's wrong with hoping.

[Crimsontide27]

Quote: Originally Posted by balcobomber25

Why in the world would the NFL, a multi-billion dollar organization who has shown its ruthless when it comes to business decisions, agree to a lower deal than what was paid in 2004?? If anything they would be looking for a bigger deal. The NFL does not care about EA's financial troubles, they care about the NFL's bottom dollar, if EA doesnt agree to their terms its on to the next highest bidder. Don't assume just because Take Two and EA are the only main sports game publishers that they would be the only bidders either. Activision Bizzard, Ubisoft, and Square Enix have just as much capital as those two and have all been known to bid on high profile franchises, not to mention the big 3 (Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo). How much do you think Msoft would pay to make NFL games exclusive to the Xbox?

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.

[roadman]

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.

I agree for the most part Crimson, but I feel that the NFL won't break up their exclusive buisiness model and remain partners with EA at an agreed upon cost.

I would loved to be proved wrong.

[SageInfinite]

Quote: Originally Posted by jaymee13

At this stage in the game a non exclusive will hurt football gaming for a few years before it gets better. Madden 13 showed EAs willingness to finally listen to its gamers with the new physics engine. Lets not lose this momentum. I hope for another long term exclusivity deal. I'm loving the direction we are going.

Quote: Originally Posted by Big FN Deal

I am........

[illiterateoption]

I have wasted so much money and time to convince myself, "Hey, Madden (NCAA) is decent this year" only to go back to my copies of 2k8 and 2k5. I don't care about 2k vs EA, but the fact is that when I play 2K games there's swag, fun, and football and modes that work as advertised. I own Madden 12/13 and NCAA 12/13. I know that Madden 13, when tweaked with sliders adjustments, can be an ok football game..NCAA 13 is an absolute freeze fest....but when I can pop in 2K8 and feel like "i'm home" with a football game, a 7 year old football game, something terribly wrong. EA hasn't given us one complete football game this entire generation. It's telling that when I want to play a franchise mode, transitioning from 2k8 to Madden 13, I have to lower my expectations from a gameplay standpoint and shrug off certain things (footwork/planting, qb animations, individuality, atmosphere, etc.) to get through a game...it's 2013.

Just imagine, 2K8 with a franchise mode and character development (players, coaches, franchise history), and a little APFL league history behind it, and 1-patch to adjust the speed differential between DL and other positions, honestly, I wouldn't care about the NFL License and or Madden. I've given enough. Games like Bioshock, Gears of War, etc., they aren't based on much more than fantasy, why as sports gamers do we care so much about the licensing instead of working from a blank canvas and building your team, your way? Isn't that why many here, like myself, miss the old PS2 NCAA series when you could get into recruiting and build your school, your way, with players you want to build with...fictional players.