Madden NFL 11 News Post

Weak Madden Sales Signaling Trouble for Game Industry

01:22 PM - August 20, 2010 by RaychelSnr

CNBC has the story on Madden's weak sales numbers and it's impact on the industry as a whole. Sounds like a blog coming from yours truly soon.

Quote:


	Just one week after its flagship franchise hit the streets, EA is already seeing retailers dramatically discount this year�s installment of �Madden NFL�. Amazon, Wal Mart, and GameStop have all dropped the price from $60 to $50. One possible way to interpret that is the 2010 version of the game hasn�t been selling at the same pace as the 2009 version (which, incidentally, failed to match the 2008 numbers). That�s troubling, since EA relies heavily on Madden for up to 10 percent of its annual revenues. Admittedly, there were concerns about this year�s game prior to its launch. Pre-orders were flat and Colin Sebastian, an analyst with Lazard Capital Markets, noted that the 2010 installment was �a �show-me� story � People who are tired of what �Madden� has become are saying �I know some of my fiends are going to pick it up and I�ll see what they have to say first.'�

Game: Madden NFL 11Reader Score: 6/10 - Vote Now
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Member Comments

# 121 Exonerated @ 08/21/10 09:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhillyJim76


	Madden will always do well, because it is Madden. That is the problem. I am as guilty as anyone, although my copy was purchased for me as a birthday gift, but look how many people buy Madden out of habit. That's the problem, and we are all culpable!

The problem is with the game, not the consumers.

I'd rather have fun with Madden and hope for a better game, than sacrifice my own enjoyment to make an unheard stand.

# 122 Lerxt @ 08/21/10 10:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Exonerated


	The problem is with the game, not the consumers. I'd rather have fun with Madden and hope for a better game, than sacrifice my own enjoyment to make an unheard stand.

Aren't poor sales figures being heard? Granted, Madden may sell as well in the long run, but the initial numbers are down. I bet you EA well aware of the sales figures.

# 123 rooney8 @ 08/21/10 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roadman


	You might try using the winking smiley or the laughing smiley next time instead of the grumpy smiley. Hard to tell the way people feel on a messageboard. (just a suggestion)

Yeah my mistake.

Quote:

Originally Posted by marktg30


	It has a little to do with it. Gaming has weathered the recession better than ANYTHING else... Besides maybe pron and cigarettes.

Madden 05 sales on Ps2 and Xbox = 6m
Fifa 05 sale on Ps2 and Xbox = 4.5m

Madden 10 sales on Ps3 and 360 = 4.5m
Fifa 10 sales on Ps3 and 360 =6m

The economy has affected everything but people are still willing to pay for quality. $60 is still pretty cheap if you get 100+hours from the game and Madden just doesn't offer that. Not to me at least.

# 124 roadman @ 08/21/10 10:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lerxt


	Aren't poor sales figures being heard? Granted, Madden may sell as well in the long run, but the initial numbers are down. I bet you EA well aware of the sales figures.

No, poor sales numbers aren't being heard.

The article didn't have any sales numbers on Madden, just pure speculation.

VG charts has the game selling roughly the same as last year.

# 125 Ivan71 @ 08/21/10 10:44 AM

I just picked up Madden 11 today. I usually have Madden in my hands on release day, but due to my finances I had to hold off. Me personally from experience believe this is more about the economy than anything else. I have a group of friends that buy Madden annually on release day, but out of the 5 of us that usually get it only 2 of us have it because of financial situations. Really the timing of the release and the economy played a huge role in the sales this year. It comes down to buying Madden or school clothes and supplies for kids, with the release of Madden only 2 weeks before school starts it's a burden this year, I know this was the case for me and my friends this year. I think the whole gaming industry will suffer the same fate. The economy is forcing us to spend our money wisely and not on video games. I know at one point in time I would get every big game release of the year now I'm lucky if I can get my hands on one of them.

# 126 stretch45 @ 08/21/10 10:50 AM

this game isn't stale on gameplay to me i really didn't play last years
reasons kickoffs run back everytime
horid run blockng
morph or clipping on defense to for tackles and picks

this years all that has been fixed
franchise is stale boring
but the run game is fun i never had fun running the ball in any madden
it seems like playcalling matters more than in past
also gameflow is alright (tinked up ask madden but still better)
preplay controls are new kinda hard to get use to
thats all i notice so far

# 127 Valdarez @ 08/21/10 10:54 AM

What's crazy is preOrders were flat when you could get it for nearly $40 (cheapest I have seen since 2005's 2K5 game).

# 128 moemoe24 @ 08/21/10 11:07 AM

Im not sure why this is surprising to some. Madden hasnt been worth a crap since next gen consoles came out. Had they stuck with what worked on the regular Xbox and PS2 sales would still be chart topping. INstead the game has gone backwards. I used to be a guy that would by Madden on release day....since 07 I havent even thought about buying it.

# 129 maademperor @ 08/21/10 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by markprior22


	This is the first year I wasn't even the least bit tempted to buy Madden. I am an offline franchise player and the franchise mode is going to need quite an upgrade to pull me back in.

i didnt read all the posts but this sums up my position...make it better and people will buy it at retail...as it is, i'll wait until I see an acceptable used price

# 130 TDKing @ 08/21/10 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roadman


	Ok, I won't go down the same road, I'll take the higher one. When topics like this come up, my business experience overrides my video gaming experience. None of us knows exactly what EA does in the board room. All I know is the President of EA wasn't happy with the direction of sales with Madden 10 addressing the stockholders last year. If the low stock price and the declining sales of Madden keep continuing, EA may keep reducing the resources to each of their games, not just Madden.

You can reduce resources and still make a good game IF your resources are focused on the things that really matter.

# 131 Fiasco West @ 08/21/10 11:26 AM

Personally, I've been a big fan of NFL games. Owning most of the series. This year I am passing on it. Maybe I'll get it in the bargain bin before '12 but this year I stop buying Madden just because it's Madden. For me, they lose that trust that they will put out a game enjoyable to my taste.

When the main feature touted is playing a game in half the time, and Franchise(offline) not being touched...no thank you. Funny thing is, the demo is fun, it seems like the gameplay has improved. If they added one thing to Franchise, who knows...maybe I would have bought it.

IMO Madden needs to cater back to football fans. You cant' depend on casual fans to buy your niche game. That's what it is, it is a niche game. Madden's success depends on the success of the NFL...so cater to NFL fans.

That's what NBA 2k does. It cater's to NBA fans. Whether they are the casual fans who enjoy Oops/Dunks and random 3-point shooting, or the hardcore fans that want defense and strategy. It caters to the NBA fan and the game will only do as well as the NBA does.

I don't feel like Madden is paying attention to NFL fans. Not while marketing "YOU CAN NOW PLAY THE GAME IN HALF THE TIME!" okay...obviously they did not have the NFL fan in mind when working on this innovation. They had the casual gamer in mind, the one that has a short attention span, the one that wants to play two online sessions of Halo for 30 mins and move onto the next game or go do something else.

GTA/HALO/COD/SIMS...these are not niche games. Anyone can get into these games and therefore these games will usually do massive numbers. EA/Tiburon must realize they are in a niche market and must appeal to a niche crowd. While the NFL is huge in America, it is a large niche market...the same can be said for a Star Wars game.

IN the end, I don't think one week of sales can tell you anything. But I would not be surprised if the sales did start to slip. Usually with lesser sports the drop is noticeable.

Take UFC 09 and UFC 10 for example. They don't have the benefit of name Madden does, they do not have the large following of the NFL that Madden does...but like Madden they do have the exclusive rights. I think most fans of the game will tell you it has a more arcade feel to it...way too many KOs...and subs are...meh. It feels like a fighting game IMO and not a UFC game. THQ paid the price for that, instead of trying to appeal to UFC/MMA fans they try to make the game more easy and accessible to the casual gamer.

# 132 roadman @ 08/21/10 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TDKing


	You can reduce resources and still make a good game IF your resources are focused on the things that really matter.

Agreed.

Just depends how the suits want to focus on things that really matter.

# 133 erickonasis @ 08/21/10 11:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fiasco West


	That's what NBA 2k does. It cater's to NBA fans. Whether they are the casual fans who enjoy Oops/Dunks and random 3-point shooting, or the hardcore fans that want defense and strategy. It caters to the NBA fan and the game will only do as well as the NBA does.

Couldnt sum it up better...they have the best franchise mode of any sport game period IMO

# 134 BSB215 @ 08/21/10 12:00 PM

Looks like alot of people on here completely missed the point of the article. Not about gameplay issues or catering to this type of fan or that type of fan. It's about price. $60 a game is just too da** much especially in this economy and for a game that comes out year after year. There's no point to buying these games every year at that price anymore. And with all the license garbage they cut down on competition. All of that is a death blow to sports gaming. Slowly but surely this industry is dying.

# 135 MATRIXakaCHAMP @ 08/21/10 12:03 PM

yeah i kinda hate to admit it but ncaa killed madden this year madden just outright sucks and i for got who posted it but you are right they do need to stop catering to the new players how about catering to the defensive side of the ball or something the game has been out a lil over a week and i have only played the game likr 12 times and right now even though its a long way off but i just might pass on it next year until i see what EA is putting out and right now they have a long way to go to win me back

# 136 MATRIXakaCHAMP @ 08/21/10 12:06 PM

i say we just boycot madden until they get their ish together(EA that is) its not a number 1 seller without our money

# 137 WorldIsYours @ 08/21/10 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gilgamesh348


	maybe ea will realize that we don't want a quicker simpler game, what we want is better line interaction and multi hit tackles

Exactly!!! I could careless about a "Deepers, Simpler and Quicker game". 99% of the users on this forum want a realistic football simulation.

# 138 PGaither84 @ 08/21/10 12:16 PM

I love how the article, just like the OP and the title of this threads wants to suggest SO BADLY... yet buried towards the end [as a lot of reads TL: DR articles] it finally admits:

Quote:


	Admittedly, the game has only been out for slightly over a week—and it’s a title that typically has a long tail at retail. It will be November (when EA is next scheduled to report earnings) before we get a solid sales comparison of this year and last year’s “Madden.” It’s also possible these price cuts have little to do with the game’s initial sales and could be the first round in this year’s price wars between the retail giants. During holiday 2009, Amazon and Wal-Mart slugged it out for consumer loyalty, with book and video game prices often at the center of the battle. GameStop, which is typically slower to react to price wars, was ultimately forced to join in the fray.

Also, as both the OP and the article copletely FAILS to note, there were a TON of deals listed before Aug 10th. From Sports Illustrated, to Wal*Mart and others advertising first days sales and deals. Were those deals, before the game even released an "indication of slow sales?!?" Give me a break.

Haters gonna hate.

Quote:


	MMChrisS Steve says I'm Pitiful

Now I can see why. His last few articles and links are all completly biased it's not even funny. At this point I know I don't have to waste my time reading anytihng else of his.

# 139 roadman @ 08/21/10 12:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PGaither84


	I love how the article, just liek the OP and the title of this threads wants to suggest SO BADLY... yet buried towards the end [as a lot of reads TL: DR articles] it finally admits: Also, as both the OP and the article copletely FAILS to note, there were a TON of deals listed before Aug 10th. From Sports Illustrated, to Wal*Mart and others advertising first days sales and deals. Were those deals, before the game even released an "indication of slow sales?!?" Give me a break. Haters gonna hate. Now I can see why. His last few articles and links are all completly biased it's not even funny. At this point I know I don't have to waste my time reading anytihng else of his.

You summed it all up on the same way I was feeling.

I don't know about anywhere else, but there was at least 75 people lined up outside of GS at midnight release. I don't live in a large metropolitan area, either.

# 140 CS10029 @ 08/21/10 01:44 PM

This is why I didn't get the game this year. Hopefully it forces EA's hand to really make a great game.

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