Do Franchise Modes Have a Future? (Chat)

[Mike Lowe]

Great discussion continues in the replies. Nice job, everyone! I'd love to hear from more folks who do NOT play franchise mode--how come? What would bring you into or back to that sort of game mode?

[R1zzo23]

Quote: Originally Posted by Mike Lowe

Great discussion continues in the replies. Nice job, everyone! I'd love to hear from more folks who do NOT play franchise mode--how come? What would bring you into or back to that sort of game mode?

I would like to know this as well. I bet some people would say that they don't enjoy playing against the CPU because it is too predictable and wouldn't want to abide by house rules to make it more difficult for them. Some people really enjoy playing against other users online.

Regardless, I would love to hear from someone who doesn't play CFM their reasoning.


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[CM Hooe]

I don't understand the basis for the question. Are we simply ignoring the investments Tiburon made to get more players into franchise mode in Madden 17? Did NBA 2K's growing MyGM and MyLeague modes disappear? Didn't EA Sports NHL just rebuild its Franchise mode on Gen-4 consoles?

Franchise modes aren't going anywhere, this panic is entirely misplaced and baseless. If anything, developers may move to enable more online competitive experiences, but single-player isn't doomed by any stretch of the imagination.

[Rocky]

I think it's an argument of "did franchise modes lose relevance because they lost the audience interest?" vs. "did the audience lose interest because the franchise modes lost it's relevance and/or entertainment value?".

For me at least, I strongly believe the latter.

There is just very little immersion in current franchise modes. Leagues don't feel alive. And the less you feel immersed or connected to something, the faster you lose interest.

The three best or at least most memorable franchise modes in sports video game history are:

1. College Hoops 2K8
2. NCAA 14
3. NFL2K5/Madden 2005

Probably in that order. Gamers still revere these franchise modes even though they were buggy as all hell (NFL2K5), the gameplay wasn't very good (Madden 2005), or the franchise mode were quickly outdated (NCAA 14 due to the CFB). Why? Because they were immersive, living franchises. The presentation in these games were top-notch. The games, even though the gameplay may have spotty in some of them, meant something and the mechanics of the game let you know it (and not by some menu).

You could tell real time and effort were put into these modes...these modes were the centerpiece of the game. Not some cheap, quick fixes and things used to placate the audience. The franchise modes in these game were art opposed to afterthoughts with trendy mechanics.

It's the "Call of Dutyization" of sports games really. Engaging and compelling single player and/or co-op experiences have taken a backseat to addictive microtransaction modes and various head to head experiences. And can you really blame them? In-depth experiences take tons of time, resources, and if you are using top on-air talent, money to pull off while at with the latter modes you get a staggering amount of revenue and now notoriety with E-Sports. If I was running these companies with shareholders, it would be extremely difficult to not do the same.

And then when you add the fact that these games do not have competition or alternatives, really what is the incentive? There is no NBA Live with a tremendous franchise mode that is the centerpiece to push NBA2K or MLB2K with an innovative and exhilarating experience to push The Show.

So it's really a number of factors. Madden tried to merge and push online franchise on gamers even though it took away or slowed other features (it took last year before we got something as basic as a ticker). I think NBA2K legitimately tries but it's getting clearer and clearer that the MyCareer which powers Pro-Am/MyPark is the breadwinner and is gonna take up the lion's share of things. The Show has made some improvements but not nearly enough. All three of these games want to make the experience more streamlined and not more immersive or expansive. Again, these modes are becoming more of an add-on designed to get the user to play and play over and over again by easy methods. Not saying that it's bad. Big moments and sim to quarter length should absolutely be options in these games (but that XP and VC crap needs to die in the worst way) but they shouldn't be main or big topic features.

I'm not optimistic. This clearly seems to be the trend of not just sports gaming but gaming in general. With sports games, there are no Ghost Recon's or GTA's to provide direct competition and alternatives. I'm still going to buy The Show because I love baseball and Madden because I need my NFL fix.

[The Senator]

2K's My League has most of what I would ever want in a franchise mode, and I enjoy it more than anything else in the game. The card collection/micro transaction modes are of no interest to me in the slightest.

[kennylc629]

I am going to add this as well: it is the lack of a franchise that doomed APF 2k8.

[kennylc629]

I am going to add this as well: it is the lack of a franchise that doomed APF 2k8.

[Reejer]

Rocky hit the nail on the head . The streamlining of the Superstar Mode and Franchise Modes have made them so boring. If they had innovation, depth, realism and immersion, they would easily be the most popular modes.

I kept my old NCAA 14 (PS3), and my old Madden 06 (PS2). So when I get the desire to play a fun football Franchise or be-a-player mode, I can go and dust off my old consoles, stick in my old disks and enjoy.

I have been playing hours and hours of NCAA 14 lately. I can't put a finger on exactly why it is so much better, but* immersion is one of the main factors. I like having to fight to get a starting spot on the roster. And how it's a bummer sitting on the sidelines when your team is getting spanked by Nebraska.

Yes it has some buggy bits, but it still outshines many of the contemporary titles.