Madden NFL 15 News Post

EA Still Owns the NFL License Exclusively

11:32 AM - June 13, 2014 by RaychelSnr

While there has some some question as to the status of the exclusivity of the Madden license, owing to the fact the last mention of the license by EA only said there were a number of years left on it with no mention of exclusivity. That was never a guarantee that the license wasn't exclusive, as EA hadn't mentioned in official documents that the license was either extended or exclusive since the initial deal -- the news of the prior extension was never fully confirmed by EA.

Expecting a different approach where EA held a pomp and circumstance parade has led to a rash of unfounded rumors that another competitor, namely 2K, was developing a football game. There was even an unfounded expectation that 2K might even debut a football title at E3.

However, the biggest news to come out of the 2K camp at E3 might have been Ronnie2K confirming that not only was 2K not working on a football game, but that the license was still exclusively owned by 'someone else.'

This isn't surprising, considering the NFL license being open for other partners would have almost certainly leaked by now by someone. The current deal's term length which has been widely speculated and rumored is that Madden still has two to three years in its current deal, pushing the game well into this new generation.

It still remains unlikely, even if the license was open, that a competitor could rise up to compete with Madden in any reasonable amount of time given the more advanced needs of today's sports gaming audience. Thus, given the license's current status, it is possible that any possible competitor wouldn't be ready for release for at least 18-24 months after the license was actually acquired by someone, which puts the most reasonable timeframe for a Madden competitor at least four to five years from now, if ever. The most likely scenario remains that EA and Madden will remain the only major NFL gaming option on big box consoles for the foreseeable future.

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Member Comments

# 261 dkp23 @ 06/17/14 07:33 PM

Look at 2k14, imo, 2k is catering and making a sim bball game. The stuff i use to do on the old lives running around like playing run n gun on the arcade i couldnt do. I dont see that bball game getting hated on, it gets praised for the innovation and the great graphics. The realism and how authentic the game plays with momentum and physics. You may see an odd play every so often, but you arent going to be running around with a player slicing through the defense and scoring 100 points, unless you are playing on low level.

I dont see why EA can't take that approach too, if they create a great simulator, people would love it and the notion that the ****** gamer wont, i dont think that is true. I think they would, people like realism and the ****** gamer loves graphics. I am not talking about stupid gameplay trailers with upclose shots, but great graphics on the screen when you actually play the game.

Really, either EA is catering to the ****** more or they just have a horrid development team that can't get it right, either way,it is bad. My guess is, they are probably still using the same code from madden 06. Time to scrap it up and build a brand new engine. Every year, it is "we built it from the ground up", im sure nothing was built from the ground up at this point as many aspects of the game remain the same and people continue to whine about the same issues every single year.

# 262 Jerros @ 06/17/14 08:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by strawberryshortcake


	As a gamer that played NES, SNES, and ultimately stopped until I stumbled onto MLB the Show 09 on my buddy's PS3, from what I have read, doesn't Madden on the PS2/xbox offer a more simulation experience compare to the 360/PS3 offerings? Didn't the PS2/xbox Madden "simulation" versions sell quite a boatload? Did they also sell more than the PS3/360 versions? Did pre Madden 05 sell more than post Madden 05? If and only if the PS2/XBOX was more simulation, why do people keep saying that EA Madden will forever cater to the **** arcaders? Doesn't the PS2/XBOX era say differently and that simulation can be marketed and sold to **** gamers? Unless of course I'm mistaken and Madden never truly offered a simulation experience ever. Just curious.

Well, think about what you just said, look at the time frames you're talking about when Madden was promoting a game closer in simulation. They had one keep element pushing them to make a credible game, COMPETITION. EA couldn't just cruise along with Madden back then because there were other companies that created football games before this exclusive monopoly destroyed the core of sports gaming. Madden has ZERO motivation to make a game that sim fans want. There's nothing out there to measure themselves by except old titles which sadly are still be compared to Madden. Kinda shows you how far they actually haven't come.

This is why Madden will never be a sim. They are catering to exactly what you said, the ****** gamer who knows nothing about football and could care less to know. Most people don't want to play a sim because that requires thinking and strategy. That is too time consuming and considered boring to the average Madden player. And those ore the people EA cares about the most because they are Madden's biggest supporters.

Also, lets not get confused about the numbers. Madden sells are misleading. True enough you have a loyal fan following of ****** players but the sim crowd also buys Madden because there's no other alternative. But again, they will never cater to the minority, only the majority, which is the ****** gamer.

# 263 strawberryshortcake @ 06/17/14 09:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jerros


	Well, think about what you just said, look at the time frames you're talking about when Madden was promoting a game closer in simulation. They had one keep element pushing them to make a credible game, COMPETITION. EA couldn't just cruise along with Madden back then because there were other companies that created football games before this exclusive monopoly destroyed the core of sports gaming. Madden has ZERO motivation to make a game that sim fans want. There's nothing out there to measure themselves by except old titles which sadly are still be compared to Madden. Kinda shows you how far they actually haven't come. This is why Madden will never be a sim. They are catering to exactly what you said, the **** gamer who knows nothing about football and could care less to know. Most people don't want to play a sim because that requires thinking and strategy. That is too time consuming and considered boring to the average Madden player. And those ore the people EA cares about the most because they are Madden's biggest supporters. Also, lets not get confused about the numbers. Madden sells are misleading. True enough you have a loyal fan following of ** players but the sim crowd also buys Madden because there's no other alternative. But again, they will never cater to the minority, only the majority, which is the **** gamer.

I did consider the competition influence, plus the new console launches. If there are any programmers in here, how difficult or what are the challenges of moving the created video game source code (or whatever it's called, player movement, artificial intelligence, etc) from one system to the next?

Asking because if the Madden brand was continually growing, if the simulation source code from the PS2/XBOX era were already established and functioning properly, wouldn't it take more resources to rebuild from the ground up, and spit out an arcade. Exclusivity locked up competition and threw away the key. Wouldn't it be easier to simply port over a functional product (PS2/XBOX simulation) and slap a new coat of paint (i.e. shiny graphics, better textures, more details) Isn't part of the reason for EA going exclusive to take things easy. A complete port would be the easy way, right?

# 264 cowboy_kmoney @ 06/18/14 07:57 AM

If EA wants 2k to compete then open the market up and let them in. They knw it would never b the same because 2k did things back then thsts in there games thsts still not in Madden so u tell me if they were still in the game who would b killing the game right now? EA is just feel themselves because there is no other game out there to Make them step up.

# 265 OhMrHanky @ 06/18/14 08:27 AM

I would say there are varying opinions on whether former maddens were meant to be arcade or sim based. For me, personally, strictly my opinion here, they may very well have been TRYING to make a sim game back then (maybe, always, who really knows?). However, their version of sim ALWAYS felt like arcade to me. So, when NFL gameday came out in 96 and improved upon itself in 97, I personally gravitated towards that game because it had a more sim feel to me. Then, gameday just started getting worse in 98, and I went back to madden. Then, 2k came out in 2000? 1999? Whenever, right around that time. Here, maybe madden was TRYING to make a sim game, but whatever they had going on in their code just always felt Arcady to me. 2k felt and looked much more realistic. I still remember the first time I played 2k and saw a safety jump in the air behind a WR going for an int, but the WR caught the ball in front of him and kept running as the safety was now out of position to make the tackle. This was one of the most realistic things I had ever seen in a football game before. The player movement felt more real, too. My thing with madden, particularly in that era, was that the players always felt like they were 'skating' around. There was absolutely no sense of player movement or momentum. So, to say that earlier maddens were geared towards sim more than recent history, I just don't know that holds true. Maybe, they were trying for sim, but for me, madden always felt Arcady. And, then u have the ALLPRO level where u blow out the CPU. Then, Allmadden, where your oline blocks nobody, their players do whatever they want, etc. that absolutely felt Arcady to me. That, to me, was something fundamental in their code base and was stuck there until 2010, I'd say, when they tried to imement a better engine. And, again, in madden 13, when they finally went to a real time physics engine. So, I don't know. I think they may have been trying for sim all along, but they sure didn't know how to implement it. Lol.

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# 266 Glenn33 @ 06/18/14 03:10 PM

Me personally ... I am tired of waxing poetic over a game that is 10 years old. I loved it truly and it was an all timer for me. But I have moved on. Madden is what it is and I have learned to enjoy what we have. So RIP 2k5. I am going to start ****** someone else now.

# 267 Demoncrom @ 06/18/14 11:53 PM

And the biggest loser/jerk award for e3 goes to (drumroll)

Rex Dickson from EA with his bs "bring it 2k" comment.
What does he win folks.

Another year of mediocore football for the masses. Yeah NFL!

# 268 K33057 @ 06/19/14 12:37 AM

Bottom line is===$$$$$
EA is in control and making Money like crazy as is the NFL..
So its either madden or enjoy any other game we have..
Truly time to get over it and move on...

# 269 OriolesFanRD @ 06/19/14 02:34 AM

Just stop buying the game. Do what some folks do for a day with gas. Don't buy Madden at launch. EA would flip tables and start to take the community seriously. But if you continue to buy this hot garbage, they'll continue to give you..... HOT GARBAGE.

lol @ EA for not having features from PS2 edition of Madden. Your fail is strong.

# 270 FBall Life @ 06/19/14 08:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OriolesFanRD


	Just stop buying the game. Do what some folks do for a day with gas. Don't buy Madden at launch. EA would flip tables and start to take the community seriously. But if you continue to buy this hot garbage, they'll continue to give you..... HOT GARBAGE. lol @ EA for not having features from PS2 edition of Madden. Your fail is strong.

I've been saying this for the longest time. If everyone in this community could band together and not buy Madden for a year, as well as get as many of our friends to not buy Madden for a year, we could make a pretty damn good dent. You don't HAVE to buy Madden. Go a year with last year's game. If you want change, then FINALLY do something about it.

# 271 apollon42 @ 06/19/14 09:37 AM

When 2k5 was out, most of my friends still played Madden. I feel like Madden is catering toward the ****** gamer crowd. People like my brother who will buy Madden but only play head to head with their buddies while drinking beers. Not hardcore gamers like us. Those ****** gamers think that Madden is awesome. They could care less about tattoos, presentation, running animations, ect. We are the minority. Most of my friends thought the running animations in 2k were terrible and they looked like they had a stick up their behind. They also hated All Pro 2k8 because they had "fake" teams. But my friends were ****** gamers. But that's why 2k isn't making another game ... because we are the minority.

# 272 iamgramps @ 06/19/14 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dkp23


	Look at 2k14, imo, 2k is catering and making a sim bball game. The stuff i use to do on the old lives running around like playing run n gun on the arcade i couldnt do. I dont see that bball game getting hated on, it gets praised for the innovation and the great graphics. The realism and how authentic the game plays with momentum and physics. You may see an odd play every so often, but you arent going to be running around with a player slicing through the defense and scoring 100 points, unless you are playing on low level. I dont see why EA can't take that approach too, if they create a great simulator, people would love it and the notion that the **** gamer wont, i dont think that is true. I think they would, people like realism and the ** gamer loves graphics. I am not talking about stupid gameplay trailers with upclose shots, but great graphics on the screen when you actually play the game. Really, either EA is catering to the **** more or they just have a horrid development team that can't get it right, either way,it is bad. My guess is, they are probably still using the same code from madden 06. Time to scrap it up and build a brand new engine. Every year, it is "we built it from the ground up", im sure nothing was built from the ground up at this point as many aspects of the game remain the same and people continue to whine about the same issues every single year.

Read the 2k forums and play online. My experience was not a sim experience at all. As far as 2k5 and Madden, 2k, IMO, was a different experience; not a better one. I enjoy the heck out of Madden, and I always will.

# 273 iamgramps @ 06/19/14 11:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FBall Life


	I've been saying this for the longest time. If everyone in this community could band together and not buy Madden for a year, as well as get as many of our friends to not buy Madden for a year, we could make a pretty damn good dent. You don't HAVE to buy Madden. Go a year with last year's game. If you want change, then FINALLY do something about it.

Lol...I hope you know as long as Madden exist, this will never EVER happen. Madden is to good of a product, especially to the "******" gamer like me. I don't have a lot of time to play video games these days, but when I do, my game of choice is Madden. So, why would people like me even consider your suggestion as an option.

# 274 hanzsomehanz @ 06/19/14 12:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iamgramps


	Read the 2k forums and play online. My experience was not a sim experience at all. As far as 2k5 and Madden, 2k, IMO, was a different experience; not a better one. I enjoy the heck out of Madden, and I always will.

Yep, the hardcore community will reveal how sim or not sim a product is.

I thoroughly enjoyed NBA 2K11 and rate it the best Basketball title in history. I hesitated to buy 2K12 and caved but have yet to buy again since and do not plan to.

Meanwhile, more ******s are picking up the game and touting it as so realistic (lol) - different eyes make different observations.

I am now all over NHL15 and start reading the forums and YouTube feedback only to hear how hesitant and underwhelmed some are regarding this title's potential lol.

This seasoned crowd identifies things I do not see in a negative light or see at all lol - it is coinciddntly the same with Madden titles lol.

I believe EA NHL is like Madden in that it has no NHL competition for market share. I frankly thought the game "looked" real lol only to hear of the same complaints we hear here: suctioning, lack of penalties accurately represented, and poor AI - I did not identify this in the trailers.

I am already being sucked in, like a Madden ****** who is drawn to a trailer and is amazed by how real the game "looks" lol .

In fairness, I am particularly drawn to the introduction of full 12 on 12 player physics including the puck having its own independent physics -- something I hope for Madden to introduce.

The point is: ******s are a dime a dozen and can be lured in by the simplist of bait tactics especially when the sports title has no direct competitor for market share.

We need the 20% of the Community that is Sim minded to speak on the Simulation or lack therof that is represented or missing in the game and hopefully our education will benefit the minds of the ******s in that they will make better consumer choices and moreover - adopt a Sim perspective they can relate and appreciate.

Sim Extremists are the hardest to please and realistically so albeit we should settle on a reasonable grounds for Simulation that still permits accessibilty to some tempered ****** features.

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# 275 South318 @ 06/19/14 01:53 PM

I really don't understand when people say they like the direction Madden is heading. People have been saying this for last five years or longer. I think the challenge was to make fun of 2k because they (EA) knows they hold all the cards.

# 276 mellamoaaron @ 06/19/14 03:01 PM

People really need to move on about this stuff. If you're not a fan of Madden don't play it anymore, vote with your wallet. Me, on the other hand? I'm going to continue to buy Madden because quite frankly in the past 3 years the games have improved a lot and quite frankly I like how it plays.

# 277 roadman @ 06/19/14 04:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dirk5049ers


	I don't know if you guys follow Pro Football Talk, but Mike Florio just gave his opinion on Madden. http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...hise-improved/

Yeah, good looking out, saw it posted in the other football forum, too.

# 278 ODogg @ 06/19/14 05:54 PM

People that think 2K is better than the current Madden prove just how truly powerful nostalgia really is...

# 279 hanzsomehanz @ 06/19/14 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dirk5049ers


	I don't know if you guys follow Pro Football Talk, but Mike Florio just gave his opinion on Madden. http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...hise-improved/

I am in a meeting - can you share some bullet points?

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# 280 StefJoeHalt @ 06/19/14 06:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hanzsomehanz


	I am in a meeting - can you share some bullet points? Sent from my SGH-I727R using Tapatalk

"Mike Florio takes a look at the lack of improvements from the Madden video game franchise. Florio rips the idea of promoting a tournament to determine a cover athlete, when the real attention needs to be paid to a mediocre product inside the box."

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