EA Sports and the NFL "Still Have a Number of Years" on License

[jrivera34]

Quote: Originally Posted by tril

just make an APF2k with a legacy dynasty mode for next gen, and make it customizable.

Unfortunately there will not be enough sales to support it.

I wish I could hit the lotto, pay for the 2K engine and pay some people (maybe SCEA!!) to make the game. I wouldn't care if I made money or not :-)

Call me a fanboy or whatever but Madden is just a boring game with no life to it.

[kgbrolic]

Why doesn't 2k Sports make a comeback into college sports and just make a phenomenal College Football game for next gen? Don't they see that gamers are fiending for a new 2k Sports Football game?

[FaceMask]

Quote: Originally Posted by DJ

I am enjoying M25, and feel like the current Madden team has the game moving in a positive direction.

I've read this same quote countless times since 2005. The question I pose to those who say it is: when will EA finally reach the destination they've been directing towards for 10 years?

[FaceMask]

Quote: Originally Posted by kgbrolic

Why doesn't 2k Sports make a comeback into college sports and just make a phenomenal College Football game for next gen? Don't they see that gamers are fiending for a new 2k Sports Football game?

There will be no more college. The NCAA has declared themselves out of the video game licensing business.

It's either pro or nothing.

[FaceMask]

Quote: Originally Posted by jrivera34

Unfortunately there will not be enough sales to support it.

The individual player licensing that 2K did with APF killed their profits. At 400K units, it wasn't big by any stretch, but it would've been more than enough to cover general production expenses otherwise. APF was a very low-budget production.

I know it's a popular opinion that a non-NFL licensed game can't sell, but I disagree strongly because:

- Blitz The League 1 sold 1.6 Million copies and was an even lower budget production than All-Pro Football was. Midway made a killing on that game. Companies like 2K need to examine why Blitz worked. In my opinion, it worked because the fictional league and its teams and players were all given a strong professional identity that drew you in and made you believe it. The story pulled you in even deeper, and the tough hard-nosed no-holds barred approach was appreciated by fans because no other football game was ever that honest and in your face. The marketing was also excellent. It was basically GTA with football, except you couldn't have physical control of your off-field character.

On the field, it was like what you would've pictured an XFL video game to be if the XFL had lasted. Cool on-field camera angles post and pre-play, dirty hits, and tons of trash-talking. A sim version of this game with better graphics and an open-world off the field story would be a monster.

- Games like All-Pro Football and BackBreaker didn't fail sales-wise simply because they lacked an NFL license. Big reason yes, but not the only reason. They failed also largely because they were designed wrong.

APF had WAY too many customization restrictions, and no worthwhile modes and activities to keep your attention. There were no stories, the team names were terrible, the uniforms were abominable, the league had no identity, and did I mention all the restrictions? And then the marketing was a legendary disaster. APF never stood a chance.

BackBreaker was just a big tech demo. Just about everything was wrong with that game except for the great team editor and some cool RTP collisions.

I strongly believe that there is a 1 to 2 Million unit potential for a non-NFL football game that does this the right way. I believe that if they add in a fleshed out Story Mode as well, that number could multiply.

[kpkpkp]

OK, so no wind direction arrow that points the right direction for a few more years.

[kjcheezhead]

Quote: Originally Posted by BBallcoach

I love how everyone is hating on EA for this... you should be mad at the NFL. EA was smart enough to pony up the cash. 2k wasn't thats on them. EA made a great business and people here on OS give them crud for it? why? because they don't know how business works. If there is anyone to blame it is the NFL and how they conduct exclusive licenses. And BTW if you think 2k5 or APF are better than Madden 25 (especially next gen), then you're just crazy biased.

There is so much wrong with this line of thinking, I hardly know where to start. I am just as upset with the NFL as I am EA. When I upgrade to a new console this spring, I won't be buying the official NFL one. And this is not a jealously thing with EA because they made a great business decision, but because this agreement killed 2k football, game day , tecmo and all the rest.

And BTW if Madden 25 wasn't better than a 2004 ps 2 game or a 2008 generic low budget game it would say more about Madden than those games. Even so, I still enjoy APF and using players I grew up watching. It's all about a preference for variety and choice.

[bspang2]

I really have no words.... EA is ruining sports gaming. NFL deserves some of the blame in regards to how they conduct business in terms of "exclusivity". EA business wise came up a winner in creating this monopoloy on the Football Sim gaming world. EA disappoints each year with Madden and every year for the past 10 years we keep seeing comments like "Madden is now moving in the right direction" .... at what point are they actually going to end up at desired destination? EA couldn't careless about its consumers and developing a game we deserve. I personally would pay $100 for a NFL2k next-gen Football game instead of a $60 crap game EA puts out each year (not worth $60 btw).
IDK thats just my opinion....