08:20 PM - February 19, 2011 by Steve_OS
Kotaku's Owen Good explains why the NFL’s labor strife might be the best thing that happened to Madden.
|
|||||||||
|
Madden 12 News Post
08:20 PM - February 19, 2011 by Steve_OSKotaku's Owen Good explains why the NFL’s labor strife might be the best thing that happened to Madden.
Madden NFL 12 Videos
Member Comments
|
|||||||||||||
|
EA paid around $400 million for the right for the license. At that time, that was more money than multiple companies vying for the same license. If you look through this thread, there might be a post from an ex-EA employee explaining the breakdown.
Not this thread, but this one.
Post #339.
http://www.operationsports.com/forum...post2042125500
# 62
kjcheezhead @ 03/01/11 10:16 PM
|
|||||||||||||
|
Number two priority is image. The NFL doesn't want the game to be too violent, players to have tattoos or celebrate too much when they return a pick for a td in the Super Bowl ala Nick Collins.
They know full well that there is a fair number of football fans wanting choices in video games. They just don't care. Sucks to love a league that treats their fans this way, but just like the rest of America I love football and the NFL has the best athletes in the game.
# 63
SpeedyMikeWallace @ 03/03/11 05:20 PM
The NFL doesn't have to give away an exclusive license.
It all started after 2K sold their game for $20, which forced EA to drop their price to $30. Games were $50 at the time. The NFL saw this as some sort of weakening of their brand image, or something like that, so they put up their license for bidding. EA obviously won, but what has ended up happening is (and I'm pretty sure almost everyone foresaw it) they've become lazy. Without competition, they know they can just roll out the game year after year with minor tweaks and new rosters and charge $60 for it. It's why I haven't bought a new one since Madden 09/ Head Coach 09.
The NFL, seeking to protect it's brand, went exclusive. Ironically, that move probably did MORE to harm their brand image, because, now, instead of a few cheap games, they have 1 game that is the butt of many poor quality video game jokes.
I think the NFL would be better off selling their license to 2K, EA, Microsoft Game Studio, and Sony to, once again, create a competitive market. They could put in a condition that the MSRP must remain $59.99 or the contract will be voided. There's no reason why they couldn't maintain $300million for their license, it just will not all come from the same source.
That is, of course, assuming the courts do not find EA and the NFL guilty of price fixing: Judge Allows Madden "Price Fixing" Lawsuit to Proceed
It all started after 2K sold their game for $20, which forced EA to drop their price to $30. Games were $50 at the time. The NFL saw this as some sort of weakening of their brand image, or something like that, so they put up their license for bidding. EA obviously won, but what has ended up happening is (and I'm pretty sure almost everyone foresaw it) they've become lazy. Without competition, they know they can just roll out the game year after year with minor tweaks and new rosters and charge $60 for it. It's why I haven't bought a new one since Madden 09/ Head Coach 09.
The NFL, seeking to protect it's brand, went exclusive. Ironically, that move probably did MORE to harm their brand image, because, now, instead of a few cheap games, they have 1 game that is the butt of many poor quality video game jokes.
I think the NFL would be better off selling their license to 2K, EA, Microsoft Game Studio, and Sony to, once again, create a competitive market. They could put in a condition that the MSRP must remain $59.99 or the contract will be voided. There's no reason why they couldn't maintain $300million for their license, it just will not all come from the same source.
That is, of course, assuming the courts do not find EA and the NFL guilty of price fixing: Judge Allows Madden "Price Fixing" Lawsuit to Proceed
|
|||||||||||||
|
As we have all seen, the NFL is greedy and their standard business agreements have been mostly exlcusive. Nike, Rebok, Directtv, etc......
It's better for consumers to have competition, but it's more revenue producing for the NFL to go exclusive.
# 65
SpeedyMikeWallace @ 03/03/11 08:24 PM
In 2005 that may have been the case. 6 years ago, the VG industry wasn't grossing as much as the film industry. In 2-3 years, it will definitely have surpassed it. I find it hard to believe they couldn't make equal to, or more than, $300million in licensing by selling to multiple companies.
If EA wants to spend half a billion on an exclusive license, more power to them. They may not have that option if they're found guilty in that lawsuit, however.
The NFL has "Official" apparel. Redbok, however, is not the only company allowed to make clothing with the teams' logos and players' names on them.
DirecTV isn't similar either. The only thing they're allowed that other carriers are not is bypassing regionalization. Every single cable company, and Dish, are capable of showing NFL games.
If EA wants to spend half a billion on an exclusive license, more power to them. They may not have that option if they're found guilty in that lawsuit, however.
The NFL has "Official" apparel. Redbok, however, is not the only company allowed to make clothing with the teams' logos and players' names on them.
DirecTV isn't similar either. The only thing they're allowed that other carriers are not is bypassing regionalization. Every single cable company, and Dish, are capable of showing NFL games.
# 66
carnalnirvana @ 03/04/11 05:53 AM
I really dont have a problem with the exclusive deal, it seems the nfl likes the promotion it gets from madden.
i dont believe they are aware of the outrage the community has with the product's percieved quality.
they care about the hits in madden and how it paints the league image. other than that madden could be released with Manning doing KR and they would not be bothered.
it may not be related but look at sony and the show, i dont see a riot to get 2k baseball on the ps3, i am sure 2k fans who have both consoles may miss the opportunity if they favor playing games on their ps3 but if you only have a ps3 you are covered.
i think its EA who has made a mess of this situation with its fanbase, also with a paid for exclusive license they have creative freedom to release whatever they want as long as they follow the fine print.
i dont believe they are aware of the outrage the community has with the product's percieved quality.
they care about the hits in madden and how it paints the league image. other than that madden could be released with Manning doing KR and they would not be bothered.
it may not be related but look at sony and the show, i dont see a riot to get 2k baseball on the ps3, i am sure 2k fans who have both consoles may miss the opportunity if they favor playing games on their ps3 but if you only have a ps3 you are covered.
i think its EA who has made a mess of this situation with its fanbase, also with a paid for exclusive license they have creative freedom to release whatever they want as long as they follow the fine print.
# 67
SpeedyMikeWallace @ 03/04/11 01:36 PM
|
|||||||||||||
|
The opportunity to possibly increase a market share that is currently 0 is worth something, especially in market as lucrative as NFL video games.
You also have to consider that individual licensing opens up opportunity where none now exists. Another company, like 2K, could come around and knock Madden off the top.
Madden wasn't always the top selling NFL game. That may be why EA would be willing to shell out big money as it's the only way they'll be able to guarantee that they'll remain on top. EA's complacency will have to end, or else they'll fall behind other companies willing to actually work hard to create a good game.
They would have to buy the license to use the NFL and it's members in the game.
|
|||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
|
2K is pursuing a lawsuit against EA and the NFL for using the exclusive license to price fix. Obviously, 2K is still peeved about not being able to make NFL games.
|
|||||||||||||
|
# 68
SpeedyMikeWallace @ 03/04/11 04:06 PM
|
|||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
|
Microsoft and Sony could start up their football studios again if they wanted. Sure, it would cost some money, but they'd make it back pretty quickly.
2K for sure would jump at it. They wouldn't be filing lawsuits 5-6 years after the fact if they didn't want their NFL game back.
|
|||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
|
Sorry, but I disagree.
I didn't see one SB hat made by any other company than Reebok. Sure, if you wanted a cheaper quality shirt you could purchase the cheaper shirt. If you wanted a SB hat with the Packers or Steelers on it, it had to manufactured by Reebok, period.
You do give the NFL too much credit for quality control. John Madden is a special advisor to Goodell. 5 million people that purchase the game might be happy with the game vs a few thousand on the net that didn't buy the game.
It's all about the NFL making money on their exclusive contracts.
I didn't see one SB hat made by any other company than Reebok. Sure, if you wanted a cheaper quality shirt you could purchase the cheaper shirt. If you wanted a SB hat with the Packers or Steelers on it, it had to manufactured by Reebok, period.
You do give the NFL too much credit for quality control. John Madden is a special advisor to Goodell. 5 million people that purchase the game might be happy with the game vs a few thousand on the net that didn't buy the game.
It's all about the NFL making money on their exclusive contracts.
# 70
SpeedyMikeWallace @ 03/05/11 03:09 AM
It doesn't matter about individual products, it's about the market for clothing with NFL team logos and player names on them. Reebok is not the only company that has access to those, so it's not the same as EA's exclusive contract. You could say Reebok has a semi-exclusive contract, if you want.
I think there's more than the few thousand people that think Madden has gotten stale. Most people just can't break the habit of paying for the next one, or don't want to because they won't be able to play their friends online. Unless it's some 13 year old who doesn't know any better, I rarely hear anyone say Madden is a great game. It just doesn't receive the praise that The Show or FIFA gets, and it's due to the fact that the game isn't on their level.
I think the NFL would make more money from video games if they licensed out to more than a single company.
I think there's more than the few thousand people that think Madden has gotten stale. Most people just can't break the habit of paying for the next one, or don't want to because they won't be able to play their friends online. Unless it's some 13 year old who doesn't know any better, I rarely hear anyone say Madden is a great game. It just doesn't receive the praise that The Show or FIFA gets, and it's due to the fact that the game isn't on their level.
I think the NFL would make more money from video games if they licensed out to more than a single company.
|
|||||||||||||
|
Also, you can't judge people who don't peruse the internet if they like Madden or not. I have a 25 yr old nephew that loves Madden and doesn't hop online to the various forums and claims I'm trying to make Madden more difficult. All he wants to do is have bragging rights with his buddies online. I would consider him and his buddies casual happy gamers.
If the NFL thought they could make more $ from individual liscenses, they would have done it 6 yrs ago. They definately couldn't make more $ at this stage with no one stepping up to the plate with enough start up capital than EA has. If that ever happened and the NFL received a % of sales off the start-up companies, the NFL's profit vs the exclusive liscense would greatly plummet. EA would still have at least 80% of the market.
We all have a tendency to look at this situation through gamer eyes, but it's a business and it needs to be looked at through business eyes and making $. And that is what the NFL is all about.
# 72
SpeedyMikeWallace @ 03/05/11 12:32 PM
|
|||||||||||||
|
I work retail in a store that sells video games. Needless to say, I hear hundreds of opinions daily. The only people who think Madden is a great game are teenagers and adults whose video game library consists of NCAA Football, Madden, Call of Duty, and Battlefield. Basically, it's the "Michael Bay" crowd of video gaming.
Part of business is never resting on your laurels and always maintaining the highest quality possible. EA has gotten lazy, and the NFL needs to pull a little "quality control" out on them.
|
|||||||||||||
|
Again, you are giving the NFL too much credit here.
John Madden is a special advisor to Goodell. Plus, we all know the NFL is greedy.
I'm sure the NFL feels most people be are getting a good game based on the sales of Madden alone.
They won't break the liscense because a few thousand people on the net want it that way.
Teenagers and adults are a large part of the consumers for Madden.
Does other clothing have the NFL trademark on the clothing?
# 74
DarkOmnios @ 03/12/11 10:08 AM
^^
Nothing at least on twitter Ian say that the game will come out with all the teams and players.
Too bad i wished that this could be the wake up call to EA Tiburon....
Nothing at least on twitter Ian say that the game will come out with all the teams and players.
Too bad i wished that this could be the wake up call to EA Tiburon....
Post A Comment
Working...