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ONE FOOTBALL FUTURE - BYE-BYE VISUAL CONCEPTS & ESPN FOOTBALL
- Thread starter sonycowboy
- Start date
UbiSoftologist
Member
Deepthroat said:
In 2004, the slogan is ''EA: Challenge Everything''.
In 2005, the slogan will be ''EA: Monopolize Everything''.
bob_arctor
Tough_Smooth
Wow. I really don't know what to say about this. I stayed away from responding yesterday since I was so pissed off about it and didn't want to risk getting banned by maybe being too harsh and vile. All I'll say is that this pretty much eliminates my football future across the board. I can't stand Madden gameplay, graphics, commentary--the whole package makes me want to vomit, to be honest. Noam Chomsky should write a book about EA. *Sigh*
http://www.poe-news.com/forums/sp.php?si=31&fi=000043047&ti=1000801463&pi=1000801548
This is supposedly from a VC employee. Looks like they may try to do a football game next year.
This is supposedly from a VC employee. Looks like they may try to do a football game next year.
PhatSaqs said:
Too bad he's wrong. EA got the exclusive NASCAR license and the result was that last year's NASCAR game is the highest rated NASCAR console game on gamerankigns ever. EA has a virtual monopoly on college football and NCAA is a very good game. They have a virtual monopoly on boxing and Fight Night was awesome and innovative.
Sure, more competition is always good for the consumer, but exclusive licenses doesn't always mean bad games for the consumer.
D'ultimate
Member
I guess it's time for me to move on to other forms of entertainment come Football season.
Only a gun to my head would make me buy an EA product!
As a side note, It's interesting the hypocrisy spewed forth by several members of this board. The amount of criticism dished out to MS regarding their monopolistic practices and the embraced that's given to EAs', calls outs several members bullshit.
DarienA, I'm looking at you!
Chi-Town said:
That's cool, but without the players license they better take the game in a whole different direction. The Mutant League series is the obvious choice for revival, but R* would have to be willing to sink as much money into advertising as they would development. I'm confident it can be a popular game with good advertising and word-of-mouth. Of course VC would also have to do an outstanding job developing the game.
Guns N' Poops
Banned
Time to change Football:
---> Football:
to threat EA in an other area
PES came from nowhere and is now a serious competitor.
PES came from nowhere and is now a serious competitor.
jedimike said:
I don't feel that they necessarily have to do that. Anyone who's ever played a franchise mode extensively in a football game eventually gets to a point, a couple seasons down the road, where your team no longer has any recognizeable real-life players and it's a bunch of fictional people. Does the game suddenly become un-fun? In many cases, it can be even more fun since you've molded a superstar that's all your own(football games have almost become pseudo-rpgs in that regard). I do think a $20 price tag would again be a must though.
D'ultimate said:
Earlier in the thread I believe I said:
"Smart move by EA, but fucked up move by EA"
Of course it was much easier to NOT read the early posts in the thread but instead just start mouthing off... right?
This is for you:
Anyway I was thinking about this last night, back in the day in terms of likeness and location slight differences were enough to be able to claim that you weren't using the players or locations likeness... and slight difference in the facial features, a slight change in the stadium from one or two views...
Do you think they can still get away with that in this day and age?
Because you know SOMEBODY out there would go through the time to rename all the players, stadiums, etc.... IIRC some folks still do that for the college games...
Screw this. What the hell ever happened to fair practice and the marketplace deciding what was best. Sega had forced EA to make some gameplay adjustments over the last few years, forced them to improve the graphics, force them to come down in price..
watch as we get the same game shovled at us year after year now (even moreso than normal).. whats the incentive for spending money to make the game better? You want fooball, you have no choice.
In other news, I bet Sega starts making an NCAA football game.
watch as we get the same game shovled at us year after year now (even moreso than normal).. whats the incentive for spending money to make the game better? You want fooball, you have no choice.
In other news, I bet Sega starts making an NCAA football game.
FitzOfRage
Member
jedimike said:
Don't know how obvious that choice would be, since Mutant League Football was an EA game
VariableTerry
Member
Too bad EA are the ones that made Mutant League Footbal, otherwise Sega could have done that
Guileless
Temp Banned for Remedial Purposes
Galaron said:
Correction: NCAA was a very good game. This year EA had an actual monopoly, as neither Sega or 989 released college football games. And NCAA Football 2005--not to put too fine a point on it--fucking sucks, especially on XBox.
If VC releases a good college football game next season, I will buy multiple copies and give them to friends. I will not buy Madden unless there is a next gen release on Xenon that blows everyone away, which is highly unlikely as most 1st gen football games are terrible. I'm just one man, but I will not condone this if at all possible.
Guileless
Temp Banned for Remedial Purposes
Dan Clarke, a member of the sports gaming intelligentsia, reports this tidbit on his blog:
http://sportsgamer.blogspot.com/
http://sportsgamer.blogspot.com/
JoshuaJSlone
Member
Galaron said:
A situation where other companies are choosing not to compete, is different from a situation where you have the legal right to prevent other companies from competing. It's the difference between Nintendo's situation with handhelds a few years back, or if they could prevent the PSP from being released.
Not when the NINTENDO ALL-STARS could be showing up in an EA game.Bacon said:
I think that would be backwards. That would be a switch from them selling the entire package (game + NFL stuff + people) to selling only an upgrade of the parts they don't have the rights to (NFL stuff + people).PhatSaqs said:
Those Wall Street rumors are pegging the retail price point about where I think that Madden will sell at. Considering the large amount of money that EA has (presumably) sunk into this deal, you'd think that they'd want to see more immediate returns on their investment by squeezing an extra $5-$10 per copy.
I don't think that it'll go as high as $65, though, unless EA puts together another Collector's Edition. Sone other money would likely come from online pay-to-play on PS2.
I don't think that it'll go as high as $65, though, unless EA puts together another Collector's Edition. Sone other money would likely come from online pay-to-play on PS2.
DJPS2 said:
The CE version sold pretty well IIRC... somehow I think it'll be back.
Correct me if I'm wrong... wasn't one of the complaints about the CE edition that while you got the Genesis emulated version you got it with today's players for the teams?
I wonder if this new agreement would mean they could do emulated versions with the existing players of that time?
I'm lovin it...
3/4's of the people in this thread have probably never played or watched football in their life,just gave them a chance to hate on EA.
Why do you people feel that ESPN was some kind of good competition?It was a 20 dollar PIECE OF SHIT.Worst football "sim" ever.I really doubt Tiburon just up and says "Fuck it,we don't have to try anymore!",please.
LONG LIVE EA :lol :lol :lol :lol
3/4's of the people in this thread have probably never played or watched football in their life,just gave them a chance to hate on EA.
Why do you people feel that ESPN was some kind of good competition?It was a 20 dollar PIECE OF SHIT.Worst football "sim" ever.I really doubt Tiburon just up and says "Fuck it,we don't have to try anymore!",please.
LONG LIVE EA :lol :lol :lol :lol
The games would have went back up to a higher price the next year,no way they were going to stay 20 bucks,so I don't know why they decided to just outright buy the liscense.These companies pretty much hate each other,its obvious with all the shit talking they do,so it could be just another form of shit talking or whatever,I dunno.
But no,I'm not own3d,I was however owned by buying that POS game
But no,I'm not own3d,I was however owned by buying that POS game
DarienA said:
I would also think that a Collector's Edition will likely make a comeback, as they're starting to become more frequent on retail shelves. I'm pretty sure that the NFLPA agreement would enable EA/Tiburon to include older players into emulated versions of older games, as long as those older players still have a connection to the NFLPA.
They have no reason to hate VC yet. Except for a minority, the magazines and players both agree that the two games were approximately neck and neck.
VC were/are the underdogs and have never failed to try and compete and push Madden to superiority. Whether you buy EA or not doesn't matter. Even taking your viewpoint, ESPN's mere existence makes EA have to work harder to get your gaming dollar.
There are many negatives that can happen here, and it might not stop at Football games with the money that EA has. Stop celebrating, you might be paying +$15 for Madden next year and monthly for Madden online :lol
PS: I WILL agree that many people have holes in their logic! ;-)
VC were/are the underdogs and have never failed to try and compete and push Madden to superiority. Whether you buy EA or not doesn't matter. Even taking your viewpoint, ESPN's mere existence makes EA have to work harder to get your gaming dollar.
There are many negatives that can happen here, and it might not stop at Football games with the money that EA has. Stop celebrating, you might be paying +$15 for Madden next year and monthly for Madden online :lol
PS: I WILL agree that many people have holes in their logic! ;-)
sonycowboy:
Drey1082:
kaching:
Norse:
SEGA alone has provided the NFL substantial royalties every year since 1999. NFL 2K sold close to a million units, 2K1 sold over a million, 2K2 sold over half a million, 2K3 cleared a million comfortably, 2K4 got close to a half million, and 2K5 is shooting passed two million easily.
Sega Sammy/Take-Two's streamlining of their business by opening up a larger volume in the market than there was before through tighter margins was perfectly fair and was simply good business, and this anti-competitive act now prevents that fair competition. Investing in a business by making a larger upfront expense was perfectly fair, and Take-Two and Sega Sammy are said to have actually been profitable from this by at least some margin. Competing in product value and not just quality and image was also fair.
Drey1082:
It didn't compromise the quality of the product. In fact, the increased competition only improved the quality by both sides admission and drove market penetration of the NFL brand to new highs.
kaching:
The issue is about putting the brand to best use (your words). There was not dispute over whether it was legal for the NFL to do what they did.
Lower exposure and market penetration without the 2K games is not speculative, it's fact based on the actual numbers and figures. The fact that EA's opportunity for making better use of the license is not a function of its exclusivity is also a given and not speculative.
Anywhere product is sold defines a market. By closing off the NFL videogame market to pre-existing competitors like this deal has done, those pre-existing competitors lose the investment they've already made: the modeling sessions for hundreds of player faces, player specific tendencies for gameplay and personalities for crib/off-court modes, stadium modeling, hundreds of lines of speech licensed from professional broadcasters, and tons more fixed assets undone in the game alone, not to even mention the stuff outside of content and development in publishing and player relations.
It's a statement of fact: there exists no major american football market outside of the NFL. It's not a judgement on what there could be.
Norse:
Rather than pull the plug on a market they deem necessary for the future, they'd probably initiate a hostile takeover bid of EA if it came down to it, and EA could only fight it for so long. Microsoft has no monopoly in the videogame industry, and the Justice Department would be hard pressed to prove anti-competitive business practices on just that one deal, especially if MS didn't plan to prevent EA from being multiplatform afterward.
strikeselect
You like me, you really really like me!
I don't care if you hate ESPN and love Madden. ANY gamer who supports this is a fool.
FUCK EA.
FUCK EA.
This exchange from the movie Tommy Boy seems appropriate:
"But why do they put a guarantee on the box then?"
"Because they know all they solda ya was a guaranteed piece of shit. That's all it is. Hey, if you want me to take a dump in a box and mark it guaranteed, I will. I got spare time. But for right now...ya might wanna think about buying a quality item from me."
All EA has to do is shit in a box and slap the NFL guarantee on it. Evil smart monopolistic bastards. So much for them being pushed to make a better game every year.
"But why do they put a guarantee on the box then?"
"Because they know all they solda ya was a guaranteed piece of shit. That's all it is. Hey, if you want me to take a dump in a box and mark it guaranteed, I will. I got spare time. But for right now...ya might wanna think about buying a quality item from me."
All EA has to do is shit in a box and slap the NFL guarantee on it. Evil smart monopolistic bastards. So much for them being pushed to make a better game every year.
Guileless said:
If true, EA can eat it. I'll stick with ESPN 2K5 and Madden 2004 until a great generic game comes out or the market revolts. Frankly, I'd planned on being all over Madden 2006 after opting against the upgrade this year, but price hike or no price hike, I'm not a big fan of this beating the market over the head.
Not having the license will push anyone who wants to make a football game to do something different. Hopefully one of those efforts turns out well, even if it's Mutant League-ish or something. I think it could lead to the development of a great, full-featured management element for competing games, but I really think it would be hard, given the mediocrity of those aspects right now. Maybe someone (i.e.: VC) should give Jim Gindin (the guy behind Front Office Football) a call. Not sure how well that sort of thing would integrate into a console game, though.
I'd also love to see some CFL and any other leagues (i.e.: XFL... yes, I would consider purchasing a game that had XFL features, despite its pure crappitude as a league) wrapped up into a football game package.
As for all the people saying "too bad Mutant League is an EA property," how hard is it to create a "monster football" game and slap on another title?
sonycowboy
Member
Cerrius said:
I don't give two shits about football (videogames), and I don't support or condemn this.
However, as I said before, Take-Two brought it down on themselves. They cost EA tens of millions of dollars of profits by refusing to compete on an even playing field and the exclusive deal will end up providing EA with greater profit than the alternative.
I guarantee that EA wouldn't have done this if both titles were $49.99 as they would have gotten their 90% market share yet again and been happy.
And to paraphrase the late Jim Croce:
Don't tug on Superman's cape
Don't spit into the wind
Don't pull the mask off the Lone Ranger
And you don't mess with EA Sports Madden.