SEC, Pac-12, Big Ten Won't License Trademarks in Future Video Games

[prowler]

Quote: Originally Posted by nortobc

I totally disagree. There are thousands of die hard college football fans out there. And if a solid customizable football game is created, I guarantee it will sell like hot cakes.

A large majority of the people who play this game still don't know named rosters exist, there's no way they'll get on board with a game that requires heavily customization just to get to the baseline. That being said, if it were any other company I could see them taking a gamble on that type of game but not EA.

NCAA Football was never one of their big ticket games to warrant all the extra effort it would take to sustain it. They'll cut their losses and funnel NCAA users toward Madden.

[LowerWolf]

Quote: Originally Posted by aholbert32

There is no line. Likenesses are completely different than trademarks. The could call the league the "South 14" and be fine.

True, but if the schools pull out and the "South 14" contains schools named "Knoxville", "Gainesville" and "Tuscaloosa" I bet the SEC would find a way to go after them.

[aholbert32]

Quote: Originally Posted by LowerWolf

True, but if the schools pull out and the "South 14" contains schools named "Knoxville", "Gainesville" and "Tuscaloosa" I bet the SEC would find a way to go after them.

It would be a waste of money and the case would get tossed at the motion to dismiss stage. The SEC has smart attorneys. They wont waste money suing EA for that especially because EA's use doesnt open the SEC up to lawsuits from other parties.

[fistofrage]

If EA had just made 1 solid NCAA title this generation, it really wouldn't be that much of an issue. We could just update rosters and customize conferences and still be able to play until all the legal matters get hammered.

But instead they released inferior products year after year. I never envisioned a new fall season going by without rushing out and getting NCAA football. I owned every one since Bill Walsh. But now I'm actually happy if this is the end. EA got a free pass for too long. They made piles of money while rehashing the same engine and finding a way to break some working feature or delete a working feature every year.

Oh well, all things eventually come to an end, and apparently so does the era of college sports video games.

[nate1986]

I think EA is gonna stop making college football games soon, having "schools" known as "south bend" doesn't seem to have the same appeal when u know it's a knock off

[aukevin]

I don't necessarily care about Conference Names, but if there aren't real school names and logos then I won't buy until they return.

[bad_philanthropy]

Quote: Originally Posted by aholbert32

Hold on. I'm not attacking you. This is just a discussion. I'm really trying to understand your thought process here. I just dont get in this age why someone would not buy the game because of a logo. The confusion should be lessened by marketing and by the amount of info available on the web. Back in 1994-95, when EA released its last unlicensed game, I could see people being confused because most people didnt have the internet and marketing budgets were much smaller. Just cant see that happening now. Also saying "there are dark times ahead" is kind of a declarative statement.

I think appearance of logos and authentic images do a lot for some people in terms of immersion. Just look at FIFA vs. PES. For a while PES was by far the superior game, but in terms of licenses FIFA had the lions share. Now FIFA sold more largely on the basis of brand recognition, but I have to believe that if FIFA didn't have the Premier League brand it would be less of a draw even if it had some facsimile "English" league.

I think the draw of simulation video games goes beyond representation of its subject authentically in terms of gameplay and only somewhat authentically off the field and in visual details. There is a keen focus on details these days including getting all the licensed equipment and visual icons in the game. If this was never thought to produce any draw in the first place why license anything really? FIFA loves to announce whenever they've signed a new league or team to a deal.

It seems people generally want sports games to resemble what they see in real life, and the presence of authentic images an icons—no matter how shallow it seems—is bound to be a big part of capturing that sense realism.

Is there a difference between caring if a conference is visually represented authentically versus a specific team? What is the line about what is and isn't an acceptable level of visual authenticity?

[aholbert32]

Quote: Originally Posted by bad_philanthropy

I think appearance of logos and authentic images do a lot for some people in terms of immersion. Just look at FIFA vs. PES. For a while PES was by far the superior game, but in terms of licenses FIFA had the lions share. Now FIFA sold more largely on the basis of brand recognition, but I have to believe that if FIFA didn't have the Premier League brand it would be less of a draw even if it had some facsimile "English" league. I think the draw of simulation video games goes beyond representation of its subject authentically in terms of gameplay and only somewhat authentically off the field and in visual details. There is a keen focus on details these days including getting all the licensed equipment and visual icons in the game. If this was never thought to produce any draw in the first place why license anything really? FIFA loves to announce whenever they've signed a new league or team to a deal. It seems people generally want sports games to resemble what they see in real life, and the presence of authentic images an icons—no matter how shallow it seems—is bound to be a big part of capturing that sense realism.

The difference is there was a game with the leagues and logos (Fifa). If 2k was releasing a college football game with the SEC, I could understand your point. But next year its EA or nothing. I cant believe a college football fan would choose not to play a college football video game just because the SEC logo isnt in the game.

I could see people complaining ("Why isnt the SEC in the game. Why is it called South 14") but still buying it because Bama is in the game.

Also if Fifa had the 20 teams but not the premier league branding, people would still buy the game