14-12-2004 03:43									#1
	EA Signs exclusive 5-year deal with NFL, NFLPA Support Apolyton, buy Civilization: The Boardgame

http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/041213/135991_1.html

EA Sports now has exclusive rights to create NFL-based games for consoles, PCs, and handhelds for the next five years.

Goddammit, this really, really sucks. Now that EA will have no competition, they'll have no incentive to improve Madden and they can release the same damn game every year for the next five years because they know that people are stupid and will buy the damn thing in droves no matter what.

Dammit, I really liked ESPN NFL 2k5 this year, too, and I was looking forward to next year.

EA

	14-12-2004 03:53									#2
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What kind of game are the NFL rules for? Is it an RPG?

-Jam

	14-12-2004 04:47									#3
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EA have been doing it with the FIFA series for years. Theyre spending lots of money on licenses, soundtracks and celebrity mo-cap, and the remaining budget on a shallow game. This is fine if you want to play a quick an easy arcade football game, but if thats what it is then it shouldnt have all the real-life licenses.

	14-12-2004 04:55									#4
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Jam

	14-12-2004 05:34									#5
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quote: Originally posted by Jamski What kind of game are the NFL rules for? Is it an RPG? -Jam

NFL = professional football

Sega's NFL games were finally starting to be seriously competitive, both in price and game quality. I can just see this conversation happening in EA HQ:

"What's this? Another company is making games as good as ours and they release them at half the price?! What can we do?"
"Well, we can release our games at half the price or make them better and worth the extra money."
"Nonsense. We'll make sure NO ONE else can make the same game."

	14-12-2004 06:41									#6
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NFL 2k5 has some serious player development issues in franchise mode.

	14-12-2004 07:41									#7
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Sports games suck anyway.

	14-12-2004 09:00									#8
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I don't play sports games, but I definitely agree that this is crap. No competition = teh suck!

	14-12-2004 11:18									#9
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Yeah, this royally sucks. NFL 2k5 was the better game.

	14-12-2004 11:44									#10
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Sega makes better sports games, period -- at least with World Series Baseball, NHL 2K5, and NFL 2K5.

The NFL is a pathetic organization, and you should be ashamed for being football fans.

I remembered the people they went after for showing the superbowl without a license.

Greedy pig****ers.

	14-12-2004 11:49									#11
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Trademarks Copyrights Patents

	14-12-2004 12:00									#12
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Lunatic future computer-industry employee who wants to work for free

	14-12-2004 15:29									#13
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Actually If patents and copyright were eliminated. There would be more jobs in software writing as every company would have to do practically everything in house. Of course tecnology would grind to a pace not seen since the dark ages.

This is crap. I was thinking that next year would be a golden year for football games. There was finally competition. Now it's gone, this is crap.

Last edited by Moral Hazard on 14-12-2004 at 16:23

	14-12-2004 15:53									#14
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You figure these big names would learn from past mistakes and not tie their boat to just one game company. I recall how Need for Speed sign an exclusive deal with Porche to be the only company to make video games featuring Porche cars. Yep, no sooner was the deal signed and Porche got their money the PS2 came out with Grand Tourismo and Need for Speed fell off of the sales charts. NfS2 didn't do much better but Porche couldn't get out of the deal.

	14-12-2004 15:57									#15
	Support Apolyton or Terrorists Win

It would be far smarter from big leagues to simply let anyone who wants to pay a royalty to make a football game. That way which ever game is popular with the kiddies always acts as free advertising for the big league.

	14-12-2004 18:50									#16
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I guess I'll be playing NFL2k5 for at least 5 years.

	15-12-2004 03:21									#17
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quote: Originally posted by Oerdin It would be far smarter from big leagues to simply let anyone who wants to pay a royalty to make a football game. That way which ever game is popular with the kiddies always acts as free advertising for the big league.

You seem to think the 'kiddies' were getting 2k5 instead of Madden. Even though SEGA was selling more than it had in the past, Madden was still far and away the highest seller.

	15-12-2004 04:05									#18
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Interesting... I just heard the numbers. $300 million for 5 years. I think the NFL may have made out like bandits. That's ridiculous. Oh well, SEGA was going to raise their sports games back up to $50 a game anyway next yer.

	15-12-2004 05:16									#19
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see, now you commies will realize why competition is good.

now if only we could get some competition for goverment programs

	15-12-2004 05:17									#20
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quote: Originally posted by Jamski What kind of game are the NFL rules for? Is it an RPG? -Jam

It's the unofficial sequal to Baldur's Gate.

	15-12-2004 07:21									#21
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OMFG, its an american gridiron simulator

That's so funny I can hardly breathe.

* Jamski can't believe it*

-Jam

	15-12-2004 07:41									#22
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Sales of Madden were only 1.5 times greater than ESPN 2K5 from what I read. EA still would have ~3 times revenue but it's a far cry from being 10 times sales which they were three years ago. The gap would have continued to close.

Analysts thought $200 million was the ceiling for a good deal for EA. What I don't understand was who was EA bidding against (themselves?). Take Two/Sega would be the logical competing bidder, I doubt they came close to $200 Million. Also you have to look beyond the 5 year window. EA will be able to negotiate a very favorable deal in 5 years with absolutely no competition.

	15-12-2004 08:55									#23
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quote: Sales of Madden were only 1.5 times greater than ESPN 2K5 from what I read. EA still would have ~3 times revenue but it's a far cry from being 10 times sales which they were three years ago. The gap would have continued to close.

A lot of sales where from those who bought both because $20 for a football game is peanuts. HOWEVER, SEGA already decided they were going to make 2k6 the regular $50. I'd imagine the sales would plummet again with the higher price point.

I doubt the gap would have closed if SEGA pushed the price back up. If they kept it at $20 a unit, then possibly. Otherwise, not a chance.

	15-12-2004 20:28									#24
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quote: I'd imagine the sales would plummet again with the higher price point.

Very doubtful, most people who bought Sega's game preferred Sega's game.

That was the point of the pricepoint.

It's switched a few of my friends away from EA's NHL 2005 towards Sega's.

	15-12-2004 21:36									#25
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This is bullshit. Sega's had the better football game for years now...

	15-12-2004 21:38									#26
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I think the revenue gap would have continued to close, but it's impossible to know for sure.

Two reasons to sugest it would have.
a) Sega raising the price on their next game, I would assume that they studied the effect of raising the price and believed that it would increase profits. Probably revenue as well given the low marginal costs on games.
b) More compelling is the fact that EA was willing to spend 300 Million to become the only game in the market. Obviously they viewed Sega as a big threat.

	16-12-2004 09:40									#27
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quote: Very doubtful, most people who bought Sega's game preferred Sega's game.

And many of them probably would not have another football game at $50, at least for a few years or so. The $20 allowed people to purchase the game who wouldn't usually buy a newer football game.

Madden folks, OTOH, I've noticed will buy EVERY VERSION of Madden that comes out or perhaps skip a year to buy a new one. They are dedicated to their name.

quote: More compelling is the fact that EA was willing to spend 300 Million to become the only game in the market. Obviously they viewed Sega as a big threat.

EA had been thinking of spending the cash to become exclusive distributor for a while now. They have had competitors for a while, but most have fallen by the wayside. The reduced price point of 2k5 spurred them into action.

	16-12-2004 10:13									#28
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Could Sega hypothetically create a football game as long as they don't reference the NFL or use any of the players names? It would probably fail, but I'd rather have a good football game with unofficial players than the other way around.

Not that the quality of Madden games can't be great, but I can't see the quality improving with no competition.

	16-12-2004 11:01									#29
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quote: Could Sega hypothetically create a football game as long as they don't reference the NFL or use any of the players names?

Of course. The problem is that most people don't buy games that don't have real names or players.

Here are some GREAT suggestions for how SEGA could continue with a football series:

http://sports.ign.com/articles/573/....html?fromint=1

	16-12-2004 13:49									#30
	Support Apolyton or Terrorists Win

quote: Here are some GREAT suggestions for how SEGA could continue with a football series:

I'd already been thinking of NCAA version; since Im a fan of college first and pro second. It's easily the best idea in the article (Cyber is more arcady, HOF's ok but it's never been tried) To make NCAA EA basically takes last years Madden and changes a few things and adds the college rosters etc. It's madden's ugly stepchild. But being able to import draft classes to Madden is a nice feature.

I think the main reason for Madden's loyalty is the multiplayer aspect, whenever I go over to a friends house and we play video games it's Madden (in the fall at least)
Of course Madden's have been pretty good throughout were as EA's Hockey suffered a string of bad games.