Kotaku has posted some interesting stats on EA Sports' Season Ticket, in regards to Madden NFL 12.
Quote:
The first day of EA Sports' "Season Ticket" premium subscription, offering a three-day (or more) full preview of Madden NFL 12, does not reflect wide acceptance among the hardcore community it was meant to appeal to.
As of 11 p.m. EDT, Madden NFL 12 showed 3,559 users connected to the game through Xbox Live. On PlayStation 3, 1,115 were said to be connected to the EA servers through the game.
Wow, this can't be the numbers EA hoped for, although honestly I'm not sure what the internal projections for this were. If Madden doesn't get people to buy the "season ticket", than FIFA, TIGER, etc aren't going to either most likely.
I ended up buying a subscription but not because I couldn't wait to get the game. I purchased the subscription because I would rather pay the $20-something subscription and figure out that the game is not ready or that nothing is improved instead of paying the $60 at release to find out that it is not ready and having it sit on my shelf for nearly 2 months. Madden has not dissapointed me thus far so I will probably buy it come Tuesday, but if it were as buggy as NCAA 12 then I would be waiting a couple of months for the patches and then buying it used so that EA would not get my money. On the flip side if EA produces a good game that is worth paying $60 to me then I will reward EA with my money. I figure that I will get my money worth between Madden, NHL, Tiger Woods, and next years NCAA, since buying each of those used would save me approximately $10 each potentially saving me $40, so I would net gain a savings of approximately $20 and have less frustrations. If all the games are worth 1st day purchases and not used purchases than I am fine paying EA the extra money.
Hmm...interesting, though I would think you'd want to wait until the weekend is out before pulling those stats as proof of anything. However, I do think there might be a couple of things to help explain.
1. While I did get it (and am enjoying the game, plus looking forward to enjoying full versions of games I don't usually get, NHL and FIFA especially), only having it for 3 days is kind of a bummer, and I think if EA is counting on anything in this idea, it's the impulsiveness of gamers. I'm not sure that 3 days is really enough time to grasp the "I've gotta have it" drive for some people. I've seen suggestions for a week, and I would think, to get the game a whole week early, might have resulted in more people getting it. I imagine that many well-adjusted adults can say "I can wait three days" and just save their $25.
2. How long ago was it that EA announced this? It hasn't really seemed to get much fanfare. I would imagine that if this had been a big E3 announcement or something, more people would have at least been tempted to sign up. If I heard back in May/June, three months before Madden would launch, that I could get the game early, I would probably be far more likely to sign up than hearing it only a couple of weeks before the game launches.
Never really understood the appeal of this. Pay money for three days time with an un-patched game? Why would I want to do that?
It's like a 4 day rental. I have played it all day. Last year I bought madden and hated it. This year I bought NCAA and there are so many things wrong with that game I will be trading it in for madden on Tuesday after deciding to buy it. If I could have tried this out for NCC it would have saved me $60.00 in the long run.
Great part about it for me is I get all the games early while everyone else waites and it can save me money in the long run. I will do the same for Tiger, NHL, Fifa, NCAA next year as well. It's a rental and better than a demo where you can't see the whole game and get a feel for what its really like. Everyone always says demos are early builds so its hard to judge off a demo so essintialy your taking a chance.
Plus its $25.00 a year. Not like its a $125 or something. To me Im so impatient so it's worth it to me. To each there own though...
EA Season Ticket been known for a while.......Just bad timing for Madden.
1. College kids went back to school last week and this week. Average college kid not looking to drop $25 when they got buy several hundred dollars worth of books. Probably cost them 1/4 of their potentials.
2. Hurricane Irene on the east coast probably cost them 1/4 of their potentials. People leaving the coast line and buying up supplies. Season Ticket don't come to mind when you got a hurricane coming towards your area.
3. Season Ticket just isn't that big of a lure either just to get a game 3 days early, then have to turn around and STILL go to the store and buy the retail version of it.
Now if they allowed you to buy the game early if you had season ticket, then yeah I think a lot more people would have jumped on.
I'd never dream of stuffing an additional $25 in EA's coffers for this money grab, but I'm happy a lot of people did because it means more impressions and videos four days before release.
So this is one instance where I applaud EA for its greed. And I hope it continues.
EA Season Ticket been known for a while.......Just bad timing for Madden.
1. College kids went back to school last week and this week. Average college kid not looking to drop $25 when they got buy several hundred dollars worth of books. Probably cost them 1/4 of their potentials.
2. Hurricane Irene on the east coast probably cost them 1/4 of their potentials. People leaving the coast line and buying up supplies. Season Ticket don't come to mind when you got a hurricane coming towards your area.
3. Season Ticket just isn't that big of a lure either just to get a game 3 days early, then have to turn around and STILL go to the store and buy the retail version of it.
Now if they allowed you to buy the game early if you had season ticket, then yeah I think a lot more people would have jumped on.
Kinda right on Irene - I think it was the threat of losing power in a lot of areas on the East coast that could have hindered impulse buys.
In general this is a greedy move by EA - they are continually looking for revenue streams on the backs of gamers - first the used game market with the online pass coupon for new copies only and now the street date chase gamers. Just be glad they don't own a sports franchise - or else fixed ticket pricing would go out the window and they would make every seat auction only. Surprised they didn't do a early release launch and just sell the game early for X number of people at a premium price - I wouldn't rule that out in the future.
3. Season Ticket just isn't that big of a lure either just to get a game 3 days early, then have to turn around and STILL go to the store and buy the retail version of it.
I think that would be the biggest downside for most. How many people are really that hyped to play FIFA, NHL, Tiger, etc. 3days early. So it ends up being a $25 premium for 1-2 games and as you said, you still have to go to the store to pick it up and pay full price. Guess if they're going to continue the program in the future they're going to have to offer bigger incentives, like maybe allowing people to get the full version at a discounted price. But then that gets into electronic distribution issues I guess. Still numbers are pretty surprising.
It's $25 to basically rent 5 games for 3 days each. I really don't see it as a bad deal. Anyone claiming that, I'll throw a prediction out there that most of you waste more than $25 in a month on stuff that has no "real" long term value. So $25 for a year? I don't see the big deal.
If anything it will probably end up saving me money in the long run as after playing Madden today, I cancelled my pre-order.
I think that would be the biggest downside for most. How many people are really that hyped to play FIFA, NHL, Tiger, etc. 3days early. So it ends up being a $25 premium for 1-2 games and as you said, you still have to go to the store to pick it up and pay full price. Guess if they're going to continue the program in the future they're going to have to offer bigger incentives, like maybe allowing people to get the full version at a discounted price. But then that gets into electronic distribution issues I guess. Still numbers are pretty surprising.
That's why I'm treating NHL, FIFA, etc. as rentals rather than early release access. Blockbuster Video is still my only real rental option (because I have no need for a Gamefly subscription I won't use 5+ months out of the year), and I do at least rent most EA Sports games that come out.
BB rentals are $8 for 5 days, I think (it's definitely not 7 days anymore). The four games on Season Ticket I'd rent other than Madden (not counting FIFA Street which I have less than zero interest in) combined would be $32 over the course of the year. Season ticket is $25 for a couple fewer days than those rentals, but I don't typically need 5 days of playing to make a purchase decision.
Here's the funny part: This whole Season Ticket scheme could end up costing EA money because many people who ordinarily would have bought it are reconsidering after trying it out and they're convincing others to do likewise.
I'm sure EA comes out ahead. It's all gravy because the game was already done and all they had to do was upload it to xbox live and psn. Almost 5,000 people on. That's at least an extra $125,000 in EA's pocket. Heck, they just paid one of their developer's salaries for the year with this promo. Also, I'm sure it will get busier tomorrow with the weekend starting and people not having class or work.
Once this game is downloaded to your hard disk via Season Ticket do you have to be connected to Xbox Live to play it? I ask because I'm moving my Xbox 360 to my other apartment on Sunday and I'd like to play Madden but I won't have any internet there.
Once this game is downloaded to your hard disk via Season Ticket do you have to be connected to Xbox Live to play it? I ask because I'm moving my Xbox 360 to my other apartment on Sunday and I'd like to play Madden but I won't have any internet there.
I do not believe you have to be connected once you have d/l everything. I think the only thing about not being connected is that none of your stuff will carry over once you purchase the retail version.
I do not believe you have to be connected once you have d/l everything. I think the only thing about not being connected is that none of your stuff will carry over once you purchase the retail version.
Ok, cool, i'm going to try it in the morning just to make sure.
Once this game is downloaded to your hard disk via Season Ticket do you have to be connected to Xbox Live to play it? I ask because I'm moving my Xbox 360 to my other apartment on Sunday and I'd like to play Madden but I won't have any internet there.
On the ps3I have to be connected to get past the loading screen. If not it tells me that in order to access the early release I must be signed in.I would imagine it is the same for XBOX.
As for the low numbers, I have not seen that much marketing for Season Ticket. I think that is the main reason for the low numbers so far.
And people are mistaken if they think Madden is EA's golden egg; that title if reserved for FIFA and I suspect that the numbers will be much larger for that game
On the ps3I have to be connected to get past the loading screen. If not it tells me that in order to access the early release I must be signed in.I would imagine it is the same for XBOX.
As for the low numbers, I have not seen that much marketing for Season Ticket. I think that is the main reason for the low numbers so far.
And people are mistaken if they think Madden is EA's golden egg; that title if reserved for FIFA and I suspect that the numbers will be much larger for that game
Seconded on the bold - I can't get in without the online connection either. It stops you at the title screen (also on PS3).