Why a boycott wont work... REALITY CHECK.

[blackceasar]

In a perfect world, or in the movies...the boycott would work. EA would fall and we would all live happily every after. Okay people, now turn off the TV and come back to the real world.

Reality 1.
EA has more money than they know what to do with. Thanks to the "casual gamer" pumping money into EA's coffer's every year because casual gamers dont do resarch on games and read reviews. They see what they see on TV, hear people talk about it, and it gets pounded into thier brain. So they go buy Madden every year. I know this because I work for HUGE marketing firm that handles advertising and marketing campaigns for some pretty big names in Beer , Fast food, and Automobiles. I cant say which ones but if you watch football on TV, youve seen the beer commercials.. Also part of this is to blame for the other companys who have put out AWFUL football titles to challenge madden before the ESPN series came out. The casual gamer is thinking "man, im buying madden, this EPSN game is just another one of these 2nd rate crapy games that comes out to challenge madden every year."

Reality 2.
The only way to really hurt EA would be to have a real full blown boycott but thats not going to happen. Its going to be putting one sand bag up to stop a hurricane coming in. The reality is that no matter how pissed MOST people are at EA now, when July and August roll around in 2005, Most of these people are going to NOT be without an NFL football game. I like ESPN better than Madden as probably most people on this side of the board does but the reality is Madden (which is the number 2 game to many of us) will now be the number one game by DEFAULT. Most of us arent gonna go without an NFL football game. its like crack and EA knows it. If EA thought there was a chance of a REAL full blown boycott they would have probably reconsidered this deal but they know that people are gonna buy it. And the small percentage of people who really do boycott them will just be replaced by new casual gamers picking up Madden next year just because its plastered all over TV and magazine adds.

Reality 3.
Since most people who are still in touch with the real world know a boycott is a futile attempt, the arent gonna bother. You need HUGE numbers to affect anything. One person is going to boycott, the person next to him isnt cuz he knows it aint gonna work..and the person in the middle whos undecided isnt going to either because he figures "well it aint gonna work, so the alternative is to just buy madden..better to have Madden then be without and a part of something that aint gonna succeed."

I mean its honestly like each of us is Jean Luc Piccard and EA is the Borg... Resistance is futile.

[baa7]

Quote: Originally Posted by blackceasar

I mean its honestly like each of us is Jean Luc Piccard and EA is the Borg... Resistance is futile.

I haven't bought Madden in three years. Resistance is easy. But I agree: a boycott is futile, and misguided. Boycott the NFL if people are so huffy. (Hey, stop watching football games on TV! No? Resistance is futile for some I guess.) Anyway, the NFL is responsible for grabbing the loot. EA just outbid eveybody.

Plus it's a non-issue. Who would want to play EA Graphic Crapola 2006 when ESPN 2K5 will still look (and play) better three years from now?

[blackceasar]

Quote: Originally Posted by baa7

I haven't bought Madden in three years. Resistance is easy. But I agree: a boycott is futile, and misguided. Boycott the NFL if people are so huffy. (Hey, stop watching football games on TV! No? Resistance is futile for some I guess.) Anyway, the NFL is responsible for grabbing the loot. EA just outbid eveybody. Plus it's a non-issue. Who would want to play EA Graphic Crapola 2006 when ESPN 2K5 will still look (and play) better three years from now?

Yeah you know its sad when ESPN NFL 2k5 will still look and be a better game when Madden 2006, 2007, and 2008 roll out. LOL!

[NINJAK2]

Quote: Originally Posted by baa7

I haven't bought Madden in three years. Resistance is easy. But I agree: a boycott is futile, and misguided. Boycott the NFL if people are so huffy. (Hey, stop watching football games on TV! No? Resistance is futile for some I guess.) Anyway, the NFL is responsible for grabbing the loot. EA just outbid eveybody. Plus it's a non-issue. Who would want to play EA Graphic Crapola 2006 when ESPN 2K5 will still look (and play) better three years from now?

I'm curious if VC would be willing to issue a patch for some of 2k5's issues now since there may not be a 2k6? While I can currently play a lot of 2k5 in it's current state, it would be amazing if they could fix some things similar to what NBA 2k5 did with it's patch.

A patched nfl 2k5 could last me a long time man.

[grunt]

Quote: Originally Posted by NINJAK2

I'm curious if VC would be willing to issue a patch for some of 2k5's issues now since there may not be a 2k6? While I can currently play a lot of 2k5 in it's current state, it would be amazing if they could fix some things similar to what NBA 2k5 did with it's patch. A patched nfl 2k5 could last me a long time man.

Boycott has already started. Gamers didnt want the same old game and the 2k series captured market share. As consumers we "boycott" many things and for many reasons. If 10% of gamers that would usually buy Madden didnt buy it, this would effect their bottom line. EA is taking a big chance with spending over a quater of a billion dollars on the NFL rights.

Many gamers are looking for a alternative to Madden and dont be surprise if gamers continue to want an alternative. Remember how long QB Club and Gameday survive. I think the 2k series can still sell over a million copies even without NFL rights.

EA didnt improve their game with purchasing NFL rights. How much will EA spend to make their game better. EA is spending 60 mil a year on rights alone. What if EA spent half that money on the development and production of their game. They didnt and now they cant. I think EA swung for the fences and only time will tell if they connect.

My bet is the game with the best gameplay and online franchise will continue to gain market share.

Peace

[Herd90XB]

Quote: Originally Posted by baa7

I haven't bought Madden in three years. Resistance is easy. But I agree: a boycott is futile, and misguided. Boycott the NFL if people are so huffy. (Hey, stop watching football games on TV! No? Resistance is futile for some I guess.) Anyway, the NFL is responsible for grabbing the loot. EA just outbid eveybody. Plus it's a non-issue. Who would want to play EA Graphic Crapola 2006 when ESPN 2K5 will still look (and play) better three years from now?

I for one, have never suggested that a boycott would make EA or the NFL decide not to honor their business agreement. My reason for boycotting is purely personal, and I'm sure it's that way for a lot of people. PERSONALLY, I don't want to give the NFL or EA any of my money and others may feel the same. What is wrong with that?

[spankdatazz22]

Quote: Originally Posted by NINJAK2

I'm curious if VC would be willing to issue a patch for some of 2k5's issues now since there may not be a 2k6? While I can currently play a lot of 2k5 in it's current state, it would be amazing if they could fix some things similar to what NBA 2k5 did with it's patch. A patched nfl 2k5 could last me a long time man.

That's what I was hoping. The patch they released for NBA2k5 is awesome; the small tweaks to the collision detection and AI make the game almost play like a new experience.

I too agree that a boycott of EA is nearly futile. I think it could be effective, but there are just too many complacent people out there that will go whatever direction the wind blows. Still, EA won't be seeing any of my money. If Madden improved significantly it would be difficult, but I doubt that it will. It would have to improve a ton just to match NFL2K5 in my eyes. And EA seems far more focused on ruling the world than placing money into developing their games (they're attempting a hostile takeover of Ubisoft, reported this morning).

[Cardot]

I agree. A boycott really won't do much other than deprive one of an NFL gaming that they may need.

But with that being said, you can still take your shots. EA and I go way back to the Sega Genesis, but the company started to turn me off a few years ago. I still give their games a look, but if they don't blow the competition away (ie. NCAA Football), I'll go with the competition. In '07 or '08, I'll probably feel the need to upgrade, but I plan to ride out 2K5 for another year or two. And if I do eventually get the EA NFL game, I won't be upgrading every year, that is for sure.