EA Acquires NFL License

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

I know a lot of you aren't big games, but I know of a few of us. For any that haven't already heard - Electronic Arts (makers of the Madden series) have signed a exclusive five-year agreement with the NFL for licensing of stadiums, players, etc.

Sad day for gamers and competition.

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=7079814

[maxpower]

I found it strange that the two football powerhouses were part of the same media empire that is is ABC or whoever owns ABC. Madden is on MNF...although it can be said his name is an enterprise with no ties to his employer. But with Sega's game having the ESPN License...I can't see why the NFL would give exclusivity to the one game. Maybe due to it being licensed by espn...sega may have some loophole..but that may be wishful thinking. I also don't know why ESPN did not push sega's game more, after all it is it's namesake. Bad day for gamers...Sega forced ea to drop the price on it's game...so now ea goes for exclusivity and can once again raise the price of it's early roster update.

[jcrod]

This bites. It makes you have to buy Madden now. I've tend to like 2k5 gameplay better. But now without real names, nobody will buy it. This sucks, shouldn't be allowed to do it.

Now I hope they don't try to do it with the NBA, because 2k's have always been better than Live's.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

Thank God for the modding community.

Now, if ESPN decides to release one, we can still have roster updates. Or at the worst, roster updates using the 2K5 engine/platform.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Simple solution, tell EA to fuck off and don't buy it for five years.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

See my last post.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

Also not part of the deal are, obviously, non-licensed football games. The first company to come forward to IGN with such a game is Midway, makers of classic sports titles like NFL Blitz and NBA Jam.

Midway has hired the writer of the show "Playmakers" to develop a new title, Blitz: Playmakers. The game will feature everything the NFL hated about the TV show, including drug use, and off-the-field habits the NFL likes to pretend never happens.

According to an interview earlier this year with Street & Smith's Sports Business Journal, an NFL spokesperson confirmed that they were through working with Midway: "Midway has been quietly dropped in a 'mutual decision' as an NFL video game licensee after years of controversy over the level of violence in its NFL Blitz game."

When IGN contacted Midway about the rumored Blitz: Playmakers, a spokesperson confirmed the game's existence and told us: "Enough of the 'No Fun League'…it's now time to talk about and prepare for the game the NFL wouldn't let anyone make…Blitz the way it should be played."

http://sportsmedia.ign.com/sports/image/article/572/572886/game-over-20041213042423004-000.jpg

Hell. Yeah.

I loved the TV show.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

On second thought I don't know how this would hold up in a lawsuit, I don't think you can license the players. They are people, after all.

Hell, Sega and ESPN can slap an "unofficial" label on the game and get away with it, the way I figure it.

They'd be acknowledging it's not the sanctioned version, but so what?

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

Actually, the agreement is also with the NFLPA.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Ah, damn.

[GINNNNNNNNNNNNOBILI]

what if they used last names only, w/different first names? like Ron Williams

[timvp]

Oh hell no.

:pctoss

[T Park]

doesnt bother me a bit, I bought the Madden franchise anyways.

Good for EA.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

doesnt bother me a bit, I bought the Madden franchise anyways.

Good for EA.

While I agree it's a good business move on the part of Electronic Arts, where's the incentive for innovation for EA now?

They've already secured licenses with the PGA Tour, FIFA and NASCAR prior to yesterday and reports have it that EA is in talks to secure the MLB and NBA licenses as well.

The competition between game developers such as Microsoft Studios, Papyrus, Visual Concepts and EA, EA Tiburon and EA Canada brought nothing but good for gamers across the board.

EA was forced to make more than a "season update" for the Madden series while devs such as VC wedre forced to introduce new and more in-depth features such as the franchise/legacy modes, first-person modes and eventually - lower prices.

I stick with my "sad day for sports gamers" quote above.

[2pac]

EA's incentive for innovation is that no one will buy 2006 or 2007 if they don't make enough changes. Names and trades may not be enough.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

I beg to differ. People STILL bought Madden 2003 and 2004 with minimal changes in the gameplay and graphics. That's why EA still continues to blow what many feel is a superior game in the ESPN NFL series out of the water in terms of volume sales.

Sega/VC went so far as to build their latest game for the most powerful system and work down so they could use the benefits of each gaming system the right way. EA did it backwards - building for the more popular system and porting their games to a higher end system.

EA is notorious for building games based on the specs of the PS2 and simply porting them over to the the Xbox console. While you can argue that they're simply saving money, they certainly have enough money to price their competitors out of the market.

What gamer wouldn't appreciate the hard work of those at EA and ultimately appreciate them with their dollar if EA had truly been making more of an effort in the past few years with their game production?

Is that the same thing we can expect from the next generation of gaming systems (Xbox 2, PS3)?

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

http://students.uat.edu/ryamccab/images/madden2006.jpg

[IcemanCometh]

as usual , tpark is a moron

[maxpower]

EA's incentive for innovation is that no one will buy 2006 or 2007 if they don't make enough changes. Names and trades may not be enough.

Disagree 100%. With competition, Madden has been notorious for lack of innovation.

It has been VC(Visual Concepts) with Sega backing them up who have pioneered many of the gameplay specifics. Console online play has been a standard for espn since the dreamcast days...back in 2000. Ea is in what, it's second year? Ea has from the first madden online in 2003 made it a point to add fine print to their game that it is subject to fees and subject to control of online play(that is when the new iteration comes out, they have the right to cease offering servers for the older version).

Now I imagine ea will have to recoup whatever it is they paid the nfl. With no competition I can see game prices rising $5 and online play have fees instituted. Sports gamers lose.

[SpursWoman]

This is exactly the reason why I stick with the Nameco Classics! ;) :oops :lol

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

This is exactly the reason why I stick with the Nameco Classics! ;) :oops :lol

Have you played the Midway Classics series of games, S-Dub?

Much fun.

[SpursWoman]

Have you played the Midway Classics series of games, S-Dub?

Much fun.


Of course. :)


I was around when they weren't classics. :( :lol

[2pac]

Disagree 100%. With competition, Madden has been notorious for lack of innovation.

It has been VC(Visual Concepts) with Sega backing them up who have pioneered many of the gameplay specifics. Console online play has been a standard for espn since the dreamcast days...back in 2000. Ea is in what, it's second year? Ea has from the first madden online in 2003 made it a point to add fine print to their game that it is subject to fees and subject to control of online play(that is when the new iteration comes out, they have the right to cease offering servers for the older version).

Now I imagine ea will have to recoup whatever it is they paid the nfl. With no competition I can see game prices rising $5 and online play have fees instituted. Sports gamers lose.


I guess you could point out the fact that EA was constricted by the fact that PS2 didn't have online gaming ready. Not sure xbox's was ready either.

2003 and 2004 had great improvements in the Franchise mode. Also smaller things like Playmaker. Franchise is what I love. I am all about being the GM, and EA's franchise is head and shoulders above ESPN's.

[Smackie Chan]

Hey Johnny 2005 has sold over 37 Million copies, I think maybe we are in the wrong Business :lmao


http://www.dreamstation.cc/news/video_games/id4548

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

Hey Johnny 2005 has sold over 37 Million copies, I think maybe we are in the wrong Business :lmao


http://www.dreamstation.cc/news/video_games/id4548

You do realize that 37M number is for the entire series dating back to http://www.gamestop.com/common/images/lbox/920271b.jpg.

[Smackie Chan]

man that is almost like 3 million copies a year. Harry Potter can do better than that :lmao

[Uncle Donnie]

Man this fucking blows. I don't get why the NFL agreed to this, but then again EA must have paid an insane amount of money. If you don't think the price of Madden is going to go up you're crazy.

[Drachen]

I found it strange that the two football powerhouses were part of the same media empire that is is ABC or whoever owns ABC. Madden is on MNF...although it can be said his name is an enterprise with no ties to his employer. But with Sega's game having the ESPN License...I can't see why the NFL would give exclusivity to the one game. Maybe due to it being licensed by espn...sega may have some loophole..but that may be wishful thinking. I also don't know why ESPN did not push sega's game more, after all it is it's namesake. Bad day for gamers...Sega forced ea to drop the price on it's game...so now ea goes for exclusivity and can once again raise the price of it's early roster update.

Disney owns ABC

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

doesnt bother me a bit, I bought the Madden franchise anyways.

Good for EA.

Come on Tpark, think. Doesn't bother you a bit? It will when EA doesn't do anything other than update the rosters for the next five years. They'll probably also INCREASE the price.

This isn't good for competition, and I'd have to think there would be some kind of way to file an anti-trust type lawsuit to block them from doing something like this.

Less competition in game development can't be termed anything but a bad day for gamers.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

I contacted EA hoping to ask them some questions regarding their recent NFL deal. I was however only able to ask one question.

Q. "How do you respond to rumors that your company is actually the fucking devil?"

A. "EA does not comment on rumors."

http://www.penny-arcade.com

[T Park]

An anti trust aint gonna bother with video game makers, come on.

Its a freakin video game.

Big, DEAL!

Oy, youd think it was a thing that mattered in real life or something the way you guys act.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

An anti trust aint gonna bother with video game makers, come on.

Its a freakin video game.

Big, DEAL!

Oy, youd think it was a thing that mattered in real life or something the way you guys act.

Yeah! Like wondering whehter Snoop is a good influence or not.

Or why Brent Barry isn't playing to Pop's standards.

Park, this is obviously something that we do have an interest in - so keep the slams to yourself.

People should realize that the average age of gamers in mid-20s and the industry has a big economic impact.