2K Sports Confirms They Are Done With Baseball

[DrJones]

Quote: Originally Posted by strawberryshortcake

Exactly what I'm saying with regards to pricing. Yes, I know the current price is for exclusivity. Call the "exclusive" price a "nonexclusive" price, and allow anyone wanting to create an NFL football game, pay to play so to speak. How would you know no one would be willing to pay that amount for non-exclusivity. If something is a hot commodity, there will be buyers. There are things that are overpriced out there in the world, and people still pony up the dollars.

How do I know? Maybe because I worked at EA for 7 years and spent another 3 making games for 2K and know how the deals work?

If the NFL asked for a flat fee of $60M from EA with no promise of exclusivity, EA would say LOL. 2K would say, where the hell are we going to get that money? We lost $30M per year on the MLB deal and almost went bankrupt!

If the NFL is such a hot commodity, why doesn't EA charge $100 or $150 or $200 for Madden every year? Everybody would still buy the game, right?

Quote: Originally Posted by strawberryshortcake

One argument for only having one developer is because it's too difficult for the NFL to monitor more than one company making an NFL football video game. Having to deal with 2K and EA and Sony creating an NFL football game would be too difficult is what some might argue for why the NFL would rather deal with one single game developer. I'm saying how could it really be that difficult if the NFL is monitoring more than 30 different teams (49ers, Seahawks, Broncos, Patriots, Colts, Steelers, etc.) throughout the entire year. The NFL seriously can't manage to draft guidelines for 2 or 3 video game developers to follow when the NFL is already doing so for more than 30 teams in the league?

Good Lord. Every sports title ever made involves people from the leagues and unions "monitoring" the companies. Which basically means "get the logos and uniforms right, don't mention steroids or anything that would make us look bad, where's the money?" The NFL didn't cut an exclusivity deal with EA because it would be "easier to monitor", they did it because they make a lot more money this way.

You think the NFL is leaving a lot of money on the table via exclusivity? By all means, you should get in contact with them and tell them your idea.

[nemesis04]

Quote: Originally Posted by kehlis

I agreed with it being simple... I don't see having multiple games as an issue at all. I'm saying this is the first time I've EVER heard that argument used. I've never seen it given as an actual reason for exclusivity other than strawberry's speculation.

I was just supporting your argument by showing that another sport did it.

[DrJones]

Quote: Originally Posted by Mendota

2K tried tit for tat by locking EA out of baseball, but with a more friendly deal that allowed for Sony to keep making their game.

I'd use "suicidal" instead of "friendly". The deal 2K signed with MLB was insane, and a huge money loser. You guys don't know how close that deal came to resulting in the end of all 2K Sports titles (yes, including NBA).

[kehlis]

Quote: Originally Posted by nemesis04

I was just supporting your argument by showing that another sport did it.

Ha, my bad. Went into all out defense mode there....

[Mendota]

Quote: Originally Posted by kehlis

I agreed with it being simple... I don't see having multiple games as an issue at all. I'm saying this is the first time I've EVER heard that argument used. I've never seen it given as an actual reason for exclusivity other than strawberry's speculation.

I have heard people speculate that the NFL wanted an exclusive deal because it would be easier for them to control the product. But I never got the impression it was because dealing with multiple publishers was hard. Rather, it the increased leverage they had over EA, since they could always threaten to take their exclusive deal elsewhere.

But there is not a shred of real world logic in shortcake's posts.

[kehlis]

Quote: Originally Posted by Mendota

I have heard people speculate that the NFL wanted an exclusive deal because it would be easier for them to control the product. But I never got the impression it was because dealing with multiple publishers was hard. Rather, it the increased leverage they had over EA, since they could always threaten to take their exclusive deal elsewhere. But there is not a shred of real world logic in shortcake's posts.

That would absolutely make sense to me.

Don't bite the hand that feeds you.

[Mendota]

Quote: Originally Posted by DrJones

I'd use "suicidal" instead of "friendly". The deal 2K signed with MLB was insane, and a huge money loser. You guys don't know how close that deal came to resulting in the end of all 2K Sports titles (yes, including NBA).

I agree 100%. That deal was purely emotional, and it didn't hurt EA nearly as much as it hurt 2K. EA lost a decent selling baseball game, but 2K went into a complete tailspin.

When i said friendly, I meant that they provided a loophole for Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo to make games to compete with them. They were not locking up baseball, but just blocking EA.

But you are right, it was suicidal. They just had no margin for error, and 2K8 was released in a nearly unplayable state. While it improved, it was too late. And then 2K overreacted, fired Kush and brought VC in to fix the game, but essentially created a situation in which they had less time to get 2K9 out, which shipped with a ton of bugs and problems. Those two releases rendered the much improved later games irrelevant. And it was all because they were operating in panic mode.

This is probably why they never had community days or other outreach programs. They were playing from behind from the beginning.

[DrJones]

Quote: Originally Posted by Mendota

But you are right, it was suicidal. They just had no margin for error, and 2K8 was released in a nearly unplayable state. While it improved, it was too late. And then 2K overreacted, fired Kush and brought VC in to fix the game, but essentially created a situation in which they had less time to get 2K9 out, which shipped with a ton of bugs and problems. Those two releases rendered the much improved later games irrelevant. And it was all because they were operating in panic mode.

Close. What really happened was half of Kush quit to form their own company during 2K8's Alpha. Blue Castle (where I was working at the time) was brought in to help the remnants of Kush get 2K8 out the door. 2K's deal with MLB included extremely harsh penalties for not shipping on time. If 2K8 didn't ship, the entirety of 2K Sports would've been scrapped, and it's fairly likely that Take Two itself would've been acquired by EA. Fun times!

The more you know, huh?

EDIT: Why'd that guy just get banned?