NCAA Football 12 News Post

OS Roundtable: Could Another Company Succeed with Another NCAA Football Game?

12:33 PM - January 27, 2011 by RaychelSnr

OS roundtable question: Given the current hostile environment, lower video game sales and the question of licensing in NCAA video games, could another company succeed where no one else has for a decade (other than EA Sports) in making a commercially successful NCAA Football game?

Dustin Toms: If this question was asked a year ago, my answer would have been an overwhelming yes. But after seeing the improvements in NCAA Football 11, any team that could put out a game this year would be foolish to do so. EA has finally made a football game with replay value, and it should get better from here on out. Sure, the series may not improve much when '12 comes out, but the mere fact that '11 was well received should scare off other companies. And for all you 2K fans, even if the studio jumped on board to make a college football game, EA would still outsell the 2K title by a mile in year one.

So to put in bluntly, no.

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# 1 jbrew2411 @ 01/27/11 01:57 PM

I don't know who this Toms fella is but I say yes if done in a different way. You will always have those people that want another game company to make a game. I don't see NCAA 11 with the playability as Toms sees it. The gameplay changes about 6 years in when the lower rated recruits take over. A game is more then just graphics. While NCAA 11 is much improved in that area it still has major gameplay flaws. If you are playing human vs human games then this game is as good as it gets. I only play offline, human vs cpu, dynasty mode and the game is hard to enjoy.

Back to the question of could another game maker have success with a college football game. I think if they took the time to get things wright before they release it then yes. If a game maker took time to prefect a true simulation of the college game. Allowed for 100% customization for the user inside and outside each mode. Had some form of weekly wrap up show. A deep dynasty mode that pulls you in and want let you go. Allows both offline and online users to enjoy the game and not building the game around one or the other. That would be hard to top.

Sometime new ideas is a good thing. While I feel EA has finally got it and has started doing what the consumer wants. They are not 100% there yet and I don't think NCAA 12 will be the benchmark game. There is no way any game maker could put out a game to rival NCAA 13 but maybe NCAA 14. I have said this before, if you want to sale more product then make a better product. Word of month is the most positive or negative thing that can happen to you. When a game is release games flood this site and others to post about how much they love the game or all the bad things. As long as another game maker gives the game 3 things, gameplay, depth, and graphics, I think they will have success.

# 2 Cryolemon @ 01/27/11 02:24 PM

I think another company could do it pretty well. The obvious choice would be 2k, but I can't see them doing it.

# 3 fistofrage @ 01/27/11 02:27 PM

Unfortunately, it would take another company a few years to get a game as solid as this one.

Our best hope is that EA fixes the issues with this game before they add more gimmicks.

All we need is for EA to step up and fix what is broken and not break what currently works and we'll be all set.

# 4 Cryolemon @ 01/27/11 02:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fistofrage


	Unfortunately, it would take another company a few years to get a game as solid as this one.

True, but the question you have to ask is whether another company could do a better long term job (so, would a new company's NCAA 2k15 be better than NCAA 15 if EA carry on at the current rate?). Obviously there's no real way to know.

# 5 fistofrage @ 01/27/11 03:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cryolemon


	True, but the question you have to ask is whether another company could do a better long term job (so, would a new company's NCAA 2k15 be better than NCAA 15 if EA carry on at the current rate?). Obviously there's no real way to know.

Problem is, if the sales aren't there, the other company won't be around in the long term. See the other 2k sports.

# 6 kjcheezhead @ 01/27/11 03:13 PM

I really don't understand all the love for NCAA 11. The ball carrier looks and feels like the ball carrier is on skates, the animations suffer from just as much morping and choppiness as its professional counterpart.

Saying no game can compete with it is like only driving a Ford Taurus and claiming no car company could possibly beat that car. Any inteeligent man should have the obvious response, "How can you possibly know?"

Financially I don't think NCAA sells enough for any new company to get in the game for a small piece of that small pie, but if there were more sales to be made, I think a few developers could...and top NCAA 11 sales eventually.

# 7 fistofrage @ 01/27/11 03:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kjcheezhead


	I really don't understand all the love for NCAA 11. The ball carrier looks and feels like the ball carrier is on skates, the animations suffer from just as much morping and choppiness as its professional counterpart. Saying no game can compete with it is like only driving a Ford Taurus and claiming no car company could possibly beat that car. Any inteeligent man should have the obvious response, "How can you possibly know?" Financially I don't think NCAA sells enough for any new company to get in the game for a small piece of that small pie, but if there were more sales to be made, I think a few developers could...and top NCAA 11 sales eventually.

Noone is saying NCAA is perfect. It has alot of flaws. Yes, someone could make a better NCAA game, there is no doubt, but it would take alot of resources. And then you would have to get people to buy the game instead of EA's game. Chances are, enough resources wouldn't be dedicated to it and it would take a few cycles to equal or surpass EA.

NFL 2K even tried to price their games at 19.99 and they still couldn't outpace Madden despite many gamers liking the game better.

In the end, its all branding and no matter what anyone says, EA sports has the football market cornered. It wouldn't be hard to flip the hardcore players, but flipping the mainstream would not be easy. In the end, the other franchise would most likely shrivel up and die.

I'm all for competition and getting more choices in the market, I just personally think it would fail.

# 8 sinc79 @ 01/27/11 03:53 PM

I don't even need to read the article and my answer to the headline is YES.

# 9 videlsports @ 01/27/11 04:08 PM

Yes.. Given 2-3 years or 1 2year development cycle for 2k, and I think it would be better than the solid EA Title. I have been clamoring for this for awhile, and hope 2k will step up and take the time to invest. I think that brought out in a different time 2kNcaa would do great in sales, Just release a little earlier than ea on year 1, then next year go head to head.. 2k will win because as much as everyone says no one can beat ncaa from ea, i know otherwise.

# 10 1WEiRDguy @ 01/27/11 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sinc79


	I don't even need to read the article and my answer to the headline is YES.

this...my thoughts exactly

# 11 Cusefan @ 01/27/11 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sinc79


	I don't even need to read the article and my answer to the headline is YES.

Could another company do it: Of Course. A better question would be:

"Would Another Company Succeed with Another NCAA Football Game?

That answer is no. There is one company that has the resources to take down EA and that Is Activision. If Activision decided they wanted to get into the sports world and take a bite out of EA's profits then they might consider making a NCAA football game. Here is the problem: The Economy sucks. With people getting laid off and companies having to downsize, this is not the time for expansion.

Basically I think we are going to be playing EA's NCAA football for quite a long time to come.

# 12 BearClaw @ 01/27/11 04:20 PM

I'm sure a 2K game would be a huge success with the hardcore simheads but the general sports fan would buy EA because it's the name they know.

# 13 jyoung @ 01/27/11 04:21 PM

I don't think anyone would argue that 2K doesn't have the ability to make a better college football game than EA.

The question is how is 2K going to make that game sell?

The NCAA sports games market is significantly smaller than the market for professional sports games.

College Hoops 2K8, which I would argue is still the best NCAA sports game of all time, sold so poorly that the series was shut down for being non-profitable.

Why would a football game be any different?

# 14 jeremym480 @ 01/27/11 06:05 PM

For me it's a no, simply because two of my favorite features of NCAA are Online Dynasty Wire and Importing Draft Classes to Madden. A new company may eventually be able to get an Online Dynasty Wire type deal similar to NCAA 11's but, I bet it would take them a few years to get anything near as good as NCAA 11. Also, since Madden is the only Pro game on the market then (at least for the next for years) NCAA is the only game were you can Export you Draft Classes. With those two crucial features missing and gameplay getting better by the year then, I don't see where there's room for another game in the market. Just my .02

# 15 Gotmadskillzson @ 01/27/11 07:17 PM

I think it another company could if they had deep pockets to heavily market it. EA is a household name, along the lines of Call of Duty. People will always flock to it.

But it can be done.......I would really like to see Sony studios get back to making football games. Back in the day 989 Sports, which is now Sony studios, was the only company that gave EA any real competition in college football.

# 16 fcboiler87 @ 01/27/11 07:23 PM

I think the answer is yes. However, I think the answer is that no, it will not happen.

Oh and to comment on the sales of the college basketball game... the sales weren't good because those games sucked. Horrible. Terrible. CH2k8 was the best game ever but because it was on the 2k platform didn't get much advertising love and so they shut it down. EA's college basketball has never even been a shell of a basketball game.

# 17 rudyjuly2 @ 01/27/11 07:48 PM

NCAA football sales are much higher than college bball. And NCAA football sales are typically better tham NBA, MLB and NHL games so a 2nd game could happen but it depends on licensing and even more important the dynasty mode. Dynasty is huge and EA would be very hard to beat. I doubt anyone takes on EA here.

# 18 jyoung @ 01/27/11 08:25 PM

NCAA Football 11 sales, according to VGChartz:

Quote:


	http://gamrreview.vgchartz.com/browse.php?name=ncaa+11 360 - 0.81 million PS3 - 0.61 million PS2 - 0.17 million total sales = 1.59 million copies

Compare this to where they were at the close of last-gen with NCAA Football 06:

Quote:


	http://gamrreview.vgchartz.com/brows...der=Popularity PS2 - 1.39 million Xbox - 0.69 million total sales = 2.08 million

NCAA Football 11 sales have dropped 25% from where they were five years ago on last gen.

Now College Hoops 2K8 sales:

Quote:


	http://gamrreview.vgchartz.com/brows...der=Popularity 360 - 0.18 million PS3 - 0.11 million PS2 - 0.18 million total sales = 0.47 million

And NCAA Basketball 10's sales:

Quote:


	http://gamrreview.vgchartz.com/brows...der=Popularity 360 - 0.29 million PS3 - 0.26 million total sales = 0.55 million

Not much difference between EA's and 2K's NCAA Basketball games. They just don't sell very well, it seems like.

Finally, here is Madden 11's sales, just to show how much more it sells currently than the NCAA Football franchise:

Quote:


	http://gamrreview.vgchartz.com/brows...der=Popularity 360 - 2.30 million PS3 - 1.86 million total sales = 4.16 million

That is not including the Wii and PSP versions, which have sold 0.49 million and 0.32 million, respectively.

So if there is room for another football game in the marketplace, it seems like it would be in the NFL, not in the NCAA.

It would have to sell a lot more than All Pro Football 2K8, though:

Quote:


	http://gamrreview.vgchartz.com/brows...der=Popularity 360 - 0.27 million PS3 - 0.14 million total sales = 0.41 million

As we see with the NCAA basketball games, selling half a million games just isn't enough these days for a licensed sports game to remain profitable.

# 19 jbrew2411 @ 01/27/11 08:46 PM

wEEman, good stuff. One thing I see from those numbers is the difference between NCAA 11 sales vs NCAA 06. NCAA 06 was the pinnacle for the series. I think that was the last great NCAA game. While there are only X number of sales per year there would be no room for 2 games. The only way it might work, and it is a small chance, is the cost to produce the game was cut way down. If only they could find a way for the Chinese to make the game for them. That seems to be the only way to produce thing cheaply any more.

So from those number the answer would be they could but they would lose money. Chalk one up for EA.

# 20 jyoung @ 01/27/11 08:53 PM

For cross-genre comparisons, here is NHL 11:

Quote:


	http://gamrreview.vgchartz.com/brows...der=Popularity 360 - 0.54 million PS3 - 0.34 million Wii (NHL Slapshot) - 0.19 million total sales = 1.07 million

Not that far behind NCAA Football. You can see why 2K sports still wants to get in the NHL market.

Now for baseball, MLB 10: The Show

Quote:


	http://gamrreview.vgchartz.com/brows...der=Popularity PS3 - 0.61 million PSP - 0.19 million PS2 - 0.16 million total sales = 0.96 million

Just a bit less sales than NHL, but it is also at the disadvantage of not releasing on the 360, which probably would put it over.

Now, MLB 2K10:

Quote:


	http://gamrreview.vgchartz.com/brows...der=Popularity 360 - 0.47 million PS3 - 0.14 million PS2 - 0.11 million Wii - 0.20 million PSP - 0.05 million DS - 0.11 million total sales = 1.08 million

Again, right on par with the NHL, despite the fact that MLB 2K releases on a large number of platforms.

For basketball, NBA 2K11:

Quote:


	http://gamrreview.vgchartz.com/brows...der=Popularity 360 - 1.03 million PS3 - 0.78 million PSP - 0.23 million PS2 - 0.17 million Wii - 0.20 million PC - 0.09 million total sales = 2.50 million

More than double the sales numbers of the NHL and MLB games, though again, it benefits from releasing on a large number of platforms.

Only FIFA and Madden sell more copies than NBA 2K, and they, too, release on a bunch of different systems.

Speaking of FIFA 11:

Quote:


	http://gamrreview.vgchartz.com/brows...der=Popularity 360 - 2.84 million PS3 - 3.86 million PSP - 0.51 million Wii - 0.70 million PS2 - 0.54 million PC - 0.06 million DS - 0.38 million total sales = 8.89 million

FIFA is the number one selling sports franchise by far. Only Madden comes close at 5.34 million total sales.

So in conclusion, the order for sales by major sports franchises would be:

Quote:


	1. FIFA - 8.89 million 2. Madden - 5.34 million 3. NBA 2K - 2.50 million 4. NCAA Football - 1.59 million 5. MLB 2K - 1.08 million 6. NHL - 1.07 million 7. MLB The Show - 0.96 million

These are worldwide sales, not just North American.

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