EA corners the NFL

[rskinsfan10]

I'm very disappointed in this personally. The NFL has essentially eliminated competition and the consumers right to choose, and that is not good.

Well, actually they haven't eliminated the right to choose. I choose to never buy Madden ever again.

ESPN (http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/sportsbusiness/news/story?id=1945691)

[suppitty]

This is one of the worst things that could happen to gamers. EA will now feel no need to improve their product. I was about to post this. It really disgusts me, but we can't do anything about it because it's not like we can make it through a year without a football video game.

[SkinsKY]

It's not good for football games at all. Like when WWE bought WCW. It might go downhill.

[whitskins]

This is a joke, EA must have really felt the heat from ESPN this year, I actually bought ESPN b/c it came out earlier and was $20 and I LOVED it. I'm really bummed that the NFL sold out like this.

[PyroGenic]

im not surprised... EA has a bunch of money to throw around. It seems like they own the rights to everything.

Im just mad because they're taking away a great franchise from a great company in SEGA

[Skinsfan1906]

Well, the BETTER game won out IMO. As for the competition thing....well, Madden didn't have much competition BEFORE the ESPN thing (maybe some fledging football upstarts, but nothing serious), and MADDEN was a great football game then. EA Sports has invested a ton of money in this, and I doubt that they will "fall off" due to the lack of competition. I would HATE to think that ESPN would have been the NFL's choice as the "exclusive" rights in this regard. I feel bad for the ESPN users out there (especially my little brother), but I look forward to many more years of Madden gaming. I just hope that EA Sports can take Madden to new heights, with the new XBOX 2 coming out late next year.


Football Game of Choice: MADDEN

Console: XBOX (and only XBOX)

Team: The Redskins

Best Madden Moment: Beating my good friend 88-14 (after he thrashed me 37-7 a few months earlier)

[CarMike]

Heres a post on another MB about Madden taking over the official rights to the NFL games.

I haven't been this mad in a long long time. By owning exclusive rights to the NFL, there will be no more ESPN NFL for the next five years. That game has owned me for the past three years, and now my only choice is Madden?

Don't get me wrong, I don't hate on Madden. I do, however, think that ESPN was a superior game and more fun to play. This is one of the most evil things I have ever seen.

I hereby vow to never buy an EA Sports game.

Dean

I'll be back in a minute with a link.

[CarMike]

http://money.cnn.com/2004/12/14/commentary/game_over/column_gaming/index.htm

[PGiddy18]

Isn't this the same thing as this thread? http://hailredskins.com/vbforum/showthread.php?t=19810

either way... its sucks. I like 2K5 (minus T.O. being on the cover) and its been VERY popular this year (there are about 100 in the store room left at TRU, after talking to a co-worker last night, i think we are down to 10...)

[CarMike]

damn it pgiddy! why didn't you tell me that before I posted this?!?

:D

[PGiddy18]

damn it pgiddy! why didn't you tell me that before I posted this?!?

:D

Don't say stuff like that to me.... bubble head... :D (lol Sorry I was on my lunch break of watching out for CarMike's mistakes... long days i work...)

[dj_stouty]

damn it pgiddy! why didn't you tell me that before I posted this?!?

:D

Sorry to have to do this to ya, Mike...but we have guidelines here at hailRedskins about double posting. I'm afraid I will have to put you on double secret probation for the rest of the day. ;)

[CarMike]

merged

[rskinsfan10]

I would HATE to think that ESPN would have been the NFL's choice as the "exclusive" rights in this regard.

I will say that I think that ESPN is the better game hands down. So much so that I didn't buy Madden this year for the first time.

Even still, neither one of them should have been given any exclusive rights. Regardless of how much money EA has invested in the Madden brand, it's not like they haven't recouped those investment costs and then some.

[Carmelo]

Even still, neither one of them should have been given any exclusive rights. Regardless of how much money EA has invested in the Madden brand, it's not like they haven't recouped those investment costs and then some.
That absolutely sucks. There goes competitive spirit. Might as well toss innovation out of the window as well. No competition?? At all?? It seems like ESPN's marketing scheme was aiming for a big boost next year. This must have killed them.

[hail2skins]

The price will probably go up as well. I won't buy Madden at all and if I find an email address for the NFL, I'll let them know I won't.

[Santheb]

I play on PC, and when I played Madden '05, it felt like I was playing a laggier '04. They didn't really do all that much to the game, at least for PC. Defensive audibles and playmaker, yeah, and the much hyped up but annoying after a while "storyline central" and "the Hitstick."

I was looking forward to seeing ESPN give EA a run for its money in the football game franchise, but thats all squashed now. If the price goes up, I'll still play it, I just won't buy it.

[tbfoster1]

i've owned every madden since the sega genisis days. I've never played espn football so i wouldn't know the difference. as far as the competition and innovation is concerned i don't know how that will go. i didn't think madden changed that much over the past couple of years anyway. they are due for a body style change and not just little components

[GeneralDisorder]

Over here in Europe, we've got an issue regarding the FIFA and Pro EVO soccer games. FIFA holds the Licensing rights, therefore you get the Arsenals and Real Madrids of this world plus correctly named players.

However on Pro EVO you don't. You get names like North London and simply Madrid with bastardised player names like Beckhom...

Any footy player worth his salt KNOWS the better gameplaying is on Pro EVO and that by a considerable margin. Hence, it out-sells the FIFA brand...

So, would this not happen with the American football games...? Or are team & player names part of the pulling power...?

[dj_stouty]

So, would this not happen with the American football games...? Or are team & player names part of the pulling power...?

Having 100% correct rosters are key to the big football fans. We want it as true to the real game as possible...and that includes correct names for your 6th string WR or your HOF-bound QBs.

[CarMike]

The price will probably go up as well. I won't buy Madden at all and if I find an email address for the NFL, I'll let them know I won't.

Thats what I'm afraid of as well. If they raise the price $1.00 dollar, I'll boycott as well.

Isn't this kinda like a Monopoly? :banghead:

Sorry to have to do this to ya, Mike...but we have guidelines here at hailRedskins about double posting. I'm afraid I will have to put you on double secret probation for the rest of the day.
:D

[RedskinRyan]

Having 100% correct rosters are key to the big football fans. We want it as true to the real game as possible...and that includes correct names for your 6th string WR or your HOF-bound QBs.

yeah im willing to sacrifice for realism, which is why i prefer madden to ESPN. i love the franchise mode in madden, and ESPN's blows. but i was looking forward to ESPN NFL 2k6, because im willing to bet they would have made their franchise mode much improved. madden needs a graphic overhaul.

[Cruising270]

I'd like to tea bag the NFL for this one, you can't blame EA all togeather because anyone would love the chance to corner the market. This is the NFL's fault for allowing it to happen. I personally loved ESPN but only this years edition. I bought it because of it being release first plus it was a steal at $20. I wasn't expecting much out of it and once I started playing I was really impressed!!! I had friends that bought madden and I played it on their systems but never thought it was great enough to buy, ESPN offered me all I needed. I do think it lacked the depth that Madden had in Franchise Mode but other than that 2K5 rocked Madden in the jaw, especially with the price tag. Game play, graphics, and presentation was top notch in ESPN! Who wants to go burn down EA with me?

[smoak]

Don't fret folks... You'll still be able to get Generic Football 2K6.

[RedskinRyan]

Don't fret folks... You'll still be able to get Generic Football 2K6.

lol. thats really how it is though. what is ESPN's game gonna be like?

arena football 2k6 anyone?

[Carmelo]

Don't fret folks... You'll still be able to get Generic Football 2K6.
espn on xbox this year had the best presentation of any football game ever. It may have still lacked in other areas but it pushed the envelope there and I would have liked to see it build on that next year.

[LATrueRedskin]

I don't think Madden will go over-priced because it's not the only video game out there, there are thousands. A standard is set on the price of video games, and if consumers notice a price that's over that standard, they're not going to buy it. I don't think the Madden people have the balls to mess with the price. That's why I was very impressed with ESPN 2k5, it went WAY under the standard.

[SkinsKY]

I wasn't a big fan of 2k5, but I'm all for competition and this doesn't help. I liked the gameplay of Madden more, but I feel the AI hasn't gotten much better. They just made ratings less important. It's fine if they want to have tough D, but tough D doesn't mean a 60 ovr DT out powering a 90+OL everyplay or tackling the QB before he can hand the ball off 10 times a game.

I don't know if I will buy the game next year. I almost bought no football game this year. I might just stick with NCAA.

[LATrueRedskin]

I wasn't a big fan of 2k5, but I'm all for competition and this doesn't help. I liked the gameplay of Madden more, but I feel the AI hasn't gotten much better. They just made ratings less important. It's fine if they want to have tough D, but tough D doesn't mean a 60 ovr DT out powering a 90+OL everyplay or tackling the QB before he can hand the ball off 10 times a game.

I don't know if I will buy the game next year. I almost bought no football game this year. I might just stick with NCAA.

Yeah I think Madden has hit its peak at least for the game systems that are out now. I don't know if I'll buy anymore until a new system comes out.

[Evilsockm]

Hmm. Since I usually switch off years buying NCAA Football and Madden, and next year is an NCAA year, hopefully this won't effect me too much.

I like Madden, I just hope they don't get lazy with it.

Here's hoping ESPN gets a Mutant League Football license, that could be fun.

On the other hand, I could really use a Reuben Sandwich.

[GeneralDisorder]

Having 100% correct rosters are key to the big football fans. We want it as true to the real game as possible...and that includes correct names for your 6th string WR or your HOF-bound QBs.

I understand that - but if you play Franchise mode like I do, there's going to come a time that your players won't be the same as the present roster we all love and hate. Surely, the gameplaying must come above the present day database...

[Carmelo]

Here's hoping ESPN gets a Mutant League Football license, that could be fun.


that's one of my favorite football games of all time. My friend and I still talk about how much we love that game and I've been contemplating buying the game and another sega genesis on ebay just to play it again. I'd definitely buy it if they made a new one.

[Emmanouel8]

I just got my Xbox x-mas, I have to say this news pi$$e$ me off. I could have cared less a week ago but in that time I purchased 2k5 over Madden b/c it was only $16 new at Target compared to $30. So what was $16?

I really didn't notice the difference until I played College football '05 and went to best buy and played Madden again. 2k5 game play is superior to Madden. This is coming from me a guy who had the '89-'95, '02-'04 editions and have been loyal to the Madden titles for years.

My whole point in coming in the gaming forum was to boast about 2k5 then I read this. I just don't get the logic in licensing only one company. This will 'hurt' everybody. I can't believe the NFL would do this to me. :banghead: