If NBA Live Has a Future, It Has to Look Radically Different

[shutdown10]

Quote: Originally Posted by King_B_Mack

My man, your Beyoncé, Jay-Z comparison has to be the worst in the history of OS comparisons. It's not the same argument because you run absolutely zero financial risk asking Beyoncé out. Hell, if I got the opportunity I'd do it. It's actually easier than anything, because I know I don't have a shot in hell with her and when she does say no, I walk away with no hurt ego cause I just asked out ****ing Beyoncé son! Anyway, his point makes perfect business sense. Companies think from dollar sign perspectives, the dollars simply don't add up to take the gamble at this time. For example, do you recall last year or maybe two years ago when Microsoft pulled Xbox 360 out of the European market? They released they couldn't compete with Sony in those overseas markets so they said **** it and backed out. Companies pay attention to dollars man. Always have, always will. Can't get behind you on saying stuff that's not true or not confirmed somewhere man. When and where did you hear anything about the NBA contacting EA and threatening legal action if they didn't release a game?

I cannot provide physical evidence, but I have a friend who works for EA and he told me about this matter. I understand that you cannot back me up on this because I cannot support it with documented proof, but thanks for backing up my other points. I won't bring the NBA contract into this anymore because I do not want to be flagged for not having documented proof.

[23]

So... all of these pages. Any thoughts on the actual article itself?

[DonWuan]

Quote: Originally Posted by 23

So... all of these pages. Any thoughts on the actual article itself?

Time to close?

Sent from my M353 using Tapatalk

[23]

No, we don't close front page article threads

Im just curious when people will address what was actually said in the article itself and get off of company x y and z. The biggest distraction of them all is the fact that you always bring in side companies when talking about the issues at hand here.

How about the trust issue, because looking around everywhere, its still busted. Its in the article and I've personally only saw this company open with fans back when Live 10 was being made, and thats it. You had StephensonMC completely transparent even when folks were hostile and he stuck with it and became a favorite of alot of people here... you had Mike Wang doing videos from his house, etc...

After that this year, which I care not to get into the way things were done.. it hasn't done a thing to repair that relationship with the community and I think the article mentions this as well. At this point its like sorry for selling you an unfinished game at full price, but hang on for updates and while you're at it, go ahead and pick up Live 15 when it releases while you're at it....

Well ok then.

[shutdown10]

Quote: Originally Posted by 23

No, we don't close front page article threads Im just curious when people will address what was actually said in the article itself and get off of company x y and z. The biggest distraction of them all is the fact that you always bring in side companies when talking about the issues at hand here. How about the trust issue, because looking around everywhere, its still busted. Its in the article and I've personally only saw this company open with fans back when Live 10 was being made, and thats it. You had StephensonMC completely transparent even when folks were hostile and he stuck with it and became a favorite of alot of people here... you had Mike Wang doing videos from his house, etc... After that this year, which I care not to get into the way things were done.. it hasn't done a thing to repair that relationship with the community and I think the article mentions this as well. At this point its like sorry for selling you an unfinished game at full price, but hang on for updates and while you're at it, go ahead and pick up Live 15 when it releases while you're at it.... Well ok then.

I admit I kinda got sidetracked with my posting lately in this thread recently. I did mention earlier in this thread that the Live team had to embrace the community again if they want to rebuild Live as a respectable title. It just seems like they want to hide behind the shadows on here and post once or twice every other week saying they are seeing what we are writing, but are not keeping an open line of communication with us to see what feedback is being implemented. If they want to survive, then they need to open the lines of communication with the community whole lot more. People want to see their progress and execution for this game going forward.

[blackceasar]

Quote: Originally Posted by shutdown10

If another company comes in that situation, then they will not have the adequate resources to compete with either of the two. It would take a sizable investment to compete with either of the two. This is not a COD or BF shoot em up games situation, because those two games do not have to pay the Military to take in their likenesses in their game. If you want to make an NBA game then you will have to foot a big budget. Maybe a company has the funding to foot the bill, but do they want to take the risk with those two already in the market for awhile? If it was so easy, then why has no other company come in with EA being gone for three years but still having their license contract with the NBA? I'm waiting!

No one said it was EASY...we are trying to tell you in spite of it not being easy, a company could still do it. Don't blame Live and 2k for another potential company not wanting to take a risk. do you think Steve Jobs had it easy when he was trying to build his first computer in his garage and tried to carve out market share? Look at Apple and the iPhone now.. they now hold over HALF the smartphone market share in the world... there was a time though when the iphone never existed and the world was dominated by Blackberry, Samsung, Motorola, etc...

Look at when Myspace was like the place to be online in social. There was a time when Myspace has over 88% of the social media market share... until some smart kid (from Harvard lol) came along and looked at the 800lb gorilla that was Myspace (and a few others) and said "so what, I can make a better product".. and he did..and he carved out some market share... then took over...

Again, whatever is going on with EA Sports and the NBA is between EA Sports and the NBA... this has nothing to do with someone else making a game or not. Im just going back to what you said about "they keep missing the mark, they need to step aside some SOMEONE ELSE CAN put a game out".. someone else can put a game out right now. Sure, there's money and all sorts of things that have to be taken into account but thats not EA's fault. I mean honestly there's nothing stopping me from putting out my own smart phone to compete with Apple's iPhone.. granted I don't because of Apples market share..... market share... that term.. you brought it up again to defend your point about EA.

Maybe you just need to choose your words differently then. Yes, EA and 2k Sports have all of the market share of NBA video games... But do you understand market share is a PERCENTAGE? like.. umm.. X out of 100%? Its a pie.. they both take up the whole pie because no one else has brought a knife to the table, to cut out a slice for themselves. There's never market share thats just "out there"... you gain market share and you loose market share.. and some other compaies throw their hat into the right (or knife to the table) and carve out some market share as well. Yes, do you realize these two companies are always going to hold 100% of the market share because its 100% of the market divided by two.. but its not split down the middle, one has more than the other for various reasons.. game quality, brand recognition, fan base, etc.. ALL of these factor in to just how that pie chart looks like.

Here's something else you need to understand about market share... it's not "given" to a company. Its not like there's this "market share God" that said okay.. you get this much market share, and you over here you get this much.. and you over there you get this much. MARKET SHARE IS EARNED. IT'S NOT GIVEN.. and when I say "earn" I use that term loosley...I mean earn in the sense that companies do whatever they can to get a bigger peice of it.. but again, the pie doesnt have to be divided by just two people.

Granted Madden has 100% of the NFL football video game market share because they own the rights to the NFL... in that sense it's not a free market.. but in a way, it was.. someone else could have bought the rights.. EA just was willing to meet the NFL's asking price.. but again.. others could have tried to get it.

There's this AWESOME documentary on the History Channel.. I don't think it airs anymore but you can watch the episodes on the history channels site.. its called "The Men Who Built America"..and its pretty badass.. it followed Vanderbilt (railorads), Rockefeller (oil), Andrew Carnage (steel), and JP Morgan (banking and electric).. and there are times where they cut away to modern day moguls (trump, mark cuban, etc etc) and they all said the same thing.. these guys succeded because they carved out their own nitches because they took risks when other's would not...

Again, another man's success is not another man's excuse for not trying. Some people have balls, and some dont.. it's that simple.

But again.. market share.. look it up.. really read about what that means.

[blackceasar]

And here's a much shorter post on the article.

Trust. Period. EA Sports has handled the Live situation since Elite 11 the way most politicials handle everything in washington. Not trying to get political here, I'm just drawing a comparisoin. Politicians are good at "talking the talk".. but very very few actually walk the walk. It's usually smoke and mirros with a little bit of actual work getting done peppered in. This is kinda where EA Sports is at with Live now.

They pretty much set themselves up for the blacklash. Here's how a lot of it could have been avoided.

1. Shouldnt have got on the soap box that much when they scrapped Elite 11.

2. Should have started working right away on (at least current gen) Live 14 and got it really GOOD and ported it over to next gen (would have been better than what you have now on next gen Live).

3. After realizing the game wasnt going to be "that good" for 2014.. should have begged the board memembers and shareholders to let them put the game out at All Star Break. NBA season heats up after all star break... would have been an OK time to release the game.


I cant help but feel bigger people who arent into the business of making great games at EA Sports pushed them to push this game out at next gen launch because they were looking at pie charts and stock market tickers and felt launching at the same time as next gen would be good for the bottom line... and it all backfired... mainly because of points 1 and 2.

[El_Poopador]

Quote: Originally Posted by King_B_Mack

Anyway, his point makes perfect business sense. Companies think from dollar sign perspectives, the dollars simply don't add up to take the gamble at this time. For example, do you recall last year or maybe two years ago when Microsoft pulled Xbox 360 out of the European market? They released they couldn't compete with Sony in those overseas markets so they said **** it and backed out. Companies pay attention to dollars man. Always have, always will.

the only problem with that example is the part in bold. sony is the major platform there. it is the 2k in that example. we are not talking about the frontrunner. the argument you guys are making is more like the 360 pulling out because of the ouya.

that will be the last i say of that argument in accordance with the mods wishes.

in reply to 23: scott og has been on twitch a few times doing live streams. aj has commented on a few of the wish list threads about the feedback being left. but you dont mention that for whatever reason. im not sure why you hate live so much but it shows greatly.