The State of NBA Live Franchise Mode

[oldman]

Re: The State of NBA Live Franchise Mode

Days are beginning to look dark for those of us that were hoping this would be a really special game...

[TannerYoho]

Re: The State of NBA Live Franchise Mode

I was so very excited to buy Live this year. Everyone jumping on the hype train. Been thinking about it since i played live 18 and thought “well 18 gets a pass. Franchise should be solid in 19”. Here we are on July 29 with no news and not one reply from NBA Live Twitter or a dev about franchise. It seems like devs are going out of the way to not reply to anyone asking about it. I’ve asked Cornell a few times, tweeted the live account a few times. I see people asking emsola. Total radio silence. But they respond to stuff saying the game will be "[emoji91][emoji91]"

Just wish they'd come out and say "yo we tried and weren't able to improve much." That would be better than continuing to ask for pre-orders and leaving franchise gamers wondering.

Have to pass this year with if there's no Franchise improvements.


Sent from my iPhone using Operation Sports

[ProStylez]

Re: The State of NBA Live Franchise Mode

The sad thing is Live is getting a lot of attention and building a strong buzz only around the ONE mode alone, EA is not stupid and they see what whats hot right now and in order to build their fan base back they are honestly doing exactly what they should be. Unfortunately just like us "old heads" frown upon hip hop music these days because it's not "what we grew up on" times have changed for video games also, kids don't want to pay the CPU anymore, our style of video gaming is changing! All kids have attention deficit disorder these days and want everything immediate without waiting, playing a street ball game with your friends to quickly level up and get "loot boxes" etc is what they want. Maybe we can blame this on 2K and the popularity of their online mode....hell there is a 2k league now even! The league is not a bunch of 40 year olds who are playing franchise against the CPU, it's dominated by a younger crowd who are turning into "pros" by building squads and maxing out their characters. Welcome to 2018!

Originally I felt sports games were being ruined by me deciding which slider set out of 100 I wanted to use. I spent more time trying to find "the perfect set" than actually even playing the game! I started to feel like an unpaid game tester for the companies and the games did not seem fun to me anymore. These days I see the trend going more towards squads and online play and for someone who does not even want to play online or put a headset on to hear people in my ear it's a disturbing trend but something else we all are going to have to adapt to. As much as I loved collecting cards growing up for some reason I don't enjoy opening packs in my games and building my team to play others. It's just not me. I'm outnumbered tho and every sports game is flooded with it unfortunately those are the popular modes and what most want so for EA to go from a joke to this new generation saying hey this is fire then I say kudos to them because they are trending in the right direction for this new generation of gamers.

[WTF]

Re: The State of NBA Live Franchise Mode

I'll give it this year. I want to see how successful it is, after the resources allocated to this mode the past 2 years, it should sell if that market cares. I feel like it's the cool thing to retweet on twitter (where the most devs are looking), and give them props. But your crowd had better follow through with a purchase. I'm just not sure that they will.

So again, if that is the crowd that they cater to, the results this year SHOULD be MUCH better than they were last year, especially with all of the videos coming out yesterday, really hyping the mode up.

If it sells well, then kudos to EA. I commend them. I just won't be playing the game. I will be happy they found their lane and doing well in it.

If it doesnt' sell well, I'd ask that they reevaluate their target audience, as something isn't working.

[JayhawkerStL]

Re: The State of NBA Live Franchise Mode

What is your definition of "MUCH better?" Is a 20% increase enough? Did you want a 50% increase? What numbers are you looking for to let EA make the game they want for the customers they want to sell it to?

[WTF]

Re: The State of NBA Live Franchise Mode

I'd say a successful sports title will sell 1m copies combined. On pat with PES or similar 2nd tier sports games.

To be successful and have the type of longevity that you are looking for, imo they need to regain a little bit of market share. You can't have another albatross of a year where you are giving away the title.

Meta critic wise I'd hope they'd look to garner an 8 or better.

[oldman]

Re: The State of NBA Live Franchise Mode

I won't give it a year again. The only way I would buy it again without any changes to franchise mode would be in December when it is on sale for $6! I quit playing Madden because I got tired of the stale franchise mode. I did not enjoy it and I felt like every year the devs said, "Next year we will focus more on franchise" and I never felt that it got anywhere close to how good it used to be. This is what I have always been cautious with about Live. That it would become one of those things that they would act like it was coming, but never would fully materialize.

I was a day one purchaser last year, bottom line this year though, if the franchise is the same or anywhere close to what it was last year, I will not be buying.

[JayhawkerStL]

Re: The State of NBA Live Franchise Mode

I'd say a successful sports title will sell 1m copies combined. On pat with PES or similar 2nd tier sports games.

To be successful and have the type of longevity that you are looking for, imo they need to regain a little bit of market share. You can't have another albatross of a year where you are giving away the title.

Right.

So the talk was about Live 16 selling something like in there tens of thousands of copies. Live 17 was cancelled. Live 18 jumped that to 300K.

Yes, EA needs Live to be selling at least a million. Are you suggesting that if they don't see better than 300% growth, then it's a failure?

[Smallville102001]

Re: The State of NBA Live Franchise Mode

I dont buy that a lot of people dont want a franchise mode I would think it would be the complete opposite of that. When playing a nba game or nhl,nfl,mlb the point is that you get to play has your favorite team why would you want to just play has a single player? This is not a sport like golf where its just 1 person.

[MDSavageBeast]

Re: The State of NBA Live Franchise Mode

I dont buy that a lot of people dont want a franchise mode I would think it would be the complete opposite of that. When playing a nba game or nhl,nfl,mlb the point is that you get to play has your favorite team why would you want to just play has a single player? This is not a sport like golf where its just 1 person.

I don't think comparing a career mode in an basketball game to a golf game is the right comparison.

[WTF]

Re: The State of NBA Live Franchise Mode

Right.

So the talk was about Live 16 selling something like in there tens of thousands of copies. Live 17 was cancelled. Live 18 jumped that to 300K.

Yes, EA needs Live to be selling at least a million. Are you suggesting that if they don't see better than 300% growth, then it's a failure?

I'd see it that way. I'm sure the shareholders would see it that way.

i don't know if you think I'm being unnecessarily harsh or what. I've been a big voice and advocate for Live over the past 4-5 years, as I saw what they were doing and saw the positives in their game.

But at some point, you have to be realistic and say when something is or isn't working. I think if you're on the outside looking in, this is one of those years.

2k sales 10M copies. Now, if they're modeling their game after 2k's successful MyPark & MyCareer, etc because their target demographic is those 2k players who are into that mode, you need to gain market share if you want to stay viable. Even at 10% of 2k's sales, that is 1M copies sold. So if you're able to get 10% of people to buy Live, you're at 1M copies sold. 10% of a target demographic isn't a lot. If you're putting all the emphasis on this street mode, my player career type mode, and not appeasing anyone else, then I'd expect a 10% gain in that type of demographic should be realistic.

Add onto that the WNBA, which you've put some resources into.

If this game doesn't sell 1M copies between 2 systems, I'll consider it a failure. And I'm not saying they need to listen to me. Their a billion dollar company. They don't need to listen to me. I'm saying in my eyes, that would be the worst case scenario when you've put all of your resources into this mode.

If the franchise isn't there, then I personally won't support the title. I've preordered, but will likely cancel, as the title won't have the appeal to me. I've done screenshots, I've done videos, I've done countless feedback sessions all to try to help show this game in a positive manner, even without being able to fully enjoy the title because it isn't catering to "me".

I'm just saying, I won't be there any longer. Agree, disagree, whatever.

Go back and read my 3 Year Process thread back in here, that I wrote in 2014, about us never really getting that 3rd year final product. They'd always say, it's a process, we're on year 2 of 3... wait til next year, then we'll have fully fleshed out modes, etc. The title never came. That's where I'm at once again. I feel like the title that I'm personally looking for, is always the 3rd year of a 3 year process, that gets rebooted after year 2.

I'm done supporting an NBA game, that doesn't feature the NBA. If the title doesn't sell well and gain market share among the target demographic, they should go back to the drawing board and rethink their decisions. That's all I'm saying.

[Dostoe]

Re: The State of NBA Live Franchise Mode

Interesting article, and I generally agree. However, while I recognize that offline franchise has a certain level of convenience not afforded by online franchise leagues, AI will never match the unpredictability of playing and managing a roster with other human beings.


So, as one early poster mentioned, I think NBA Live is dropping the ball with their failure of transporting the CFM from Madden over to Live. They have to look at their competition and see where they're lacking, and one clear area is online leagues.



The interesting part is that CFM as well as EASHL already provides the infrastructure to have both online leagues as well as online my player leagues. The latter would be a pro-am with structure, or, it allows people to have the freedom to have an online myplayer league with just a few friends. I always thought it would be a ton of fun to setup a myplayer league with 4-5 other friends. Just imagine controlling your player and meeting your friend in the conference championship, each controlling his own player. I think NBA Live is making a mistake focusing so much on the street ball at the expense of these modes as these are clear weaknesses in their competitors.



I also feel like mentioning that I'm a fan of MyPlayer modes more in theory than in practice. I can't stand the scripted story lines and the horrible AI that forces you to be a badass because your teammates cannot do anything to save their lives. I want a challenging myplayer mode (which I think should be separate from pro-am anyhow).

[Gosens6]

Re: The State of NBA Live Franchise Mode

I'd see it that way. I'm sure the shareholders would see it that way.

i don't know if you think I'm being unnecessarily harsh or what. I've been a big voice and advocate for Live over the past 4-5 years, as I saw what they were doing and saw the positives in their game.

But at some point, you have to be realistic and say when something is or isn't working. I think if you're on the outside looking in, this is one of those years.

2k sales 10M copies. Now, if they're modeling their game after 2k's successful MyPark & MyCareer, etc because their target demographic is those 2k players who are into that mode, you need to gain market share if you want to stay viable. Even at 10% of 2k's sales, that is 1M copies sold. So if you're able to get 10% of people to buy Live, you're at 1M copies sold. 10% of a target demographic isn't a lot. If you're putting all the emphasis on this street mode, my player career type mode, and not appeasing anyone else, then I'd expect a 10% gain in that type of demographic should be realistic.

Add onto that the WNBA, which you've put some resources into.

If this game doesn't sell 1M copies between 2 systems, I'll consider it a failure. And I'm not saying they need to listen to me. Their a billion dollar company. They don't need to listen to me. I'm saying in my eyes, that would be the worst case scenario when you've put all of your resources into this mode.

If the franchise isn't there, then I personally won't support the title. I've preordered, but will likely cancel, as the title won't have the appeal to me. I've done screenshots, I've done videos, I've done countless feedback sessions all to try to help show this game in a positive manner, even without being able to fully enjoy the title because it isn't catering to "me".

I'm just saying, I won't be there any longer. Agree, disagree, whatever.

Go back and read my 3 Year Process thread back in here, that I wrote in 2014, about us never really getting that 3rd year final product. They'd always say, it's a process, we're on year 2 of 3... wait til next year, then we'll have fully fleshed out modes, etc. The title never came. That's where I'm at once again. I feel like the title that I'm personally looking for, is always the 3rd year of a 3 year process, that gets rebooted after year 2.

I'm done supporting an NBA game, that doesn't feature the NBA. If the title doesn't sell well and gain market share among the target demographic, they should go back to the drawing board and rethink their decisions. That's all I'm saying.

No point in going back and forth with him, WTF. He's anti "Old guys on OS" . We don't have a voice, blah blah blah.

Anyway, GREAT article. I saw this coming from the beginning of their marketing campaign this year. They have no desire to market or showcase the NBA portion of this game.

Even in the videos Iv'e seen, the on the court action on the NBA side of things features all this ridiculous dribble moves that should stay on the playground side of things.

It's possible folks are sick of 2K's MyPlayer aspect and will switch over to Live, but the people at EA are taking a big risk trying to corner this particular market. Only time will tell how this turns out.

[JayhawkerStL]

Re: The State of NBA Live Franchise Mode

FYI: I'm 50

I'm not anti-old guys. I do tire of old guys that continually privilege their view over everyone else.

EA is not doing anything willy nilly. They run focus groups, track telemetry data, and are always looking for ways to maximize sales and revenue. So when they do something, my first instinct isn't to react about how it affects me, but look at why they made the choices they did.

At some point, once you realize you are no longer the target demographic, it's okay to just walk away, or try to enjoy something differently. You might be surprised how much more fun life is if you try to enjoy things the younger generation are doing rather than fighting it so hard all the time. Because the younger generation wins every time.

Companies have to change and adapt. Look at TV right now. My daughter just turned 21, lives with two roommates, and while they have a TV, they don't have an antenna or cable. they don't watch it. They use it for console gaming. Everything else is Netflix, Hulu and so on, and they use their laptops and phones. You think TV execs want to hear what I think about how to distribute TV and what kinds of shows to watch? Those days are over. It's nothing to be mad or bummed about. It's the way life works.

Further, you know where most of my posts are here? Madden and Live, right now. Both games are preordered, and I am anxious to play them. I don't post about TGC, which I don't like. Before 2014, I never really posted about Madden at all. Hated the series, so I didn't play it. So what did I have to offer?

When I started to bounce off The Show again this year, I didn't start posting about what I didn't like about it, I started playing and thinking about other stuff. I'm not anti-old guys. I'm anti-grumps that can't figure out how to stop obsessing over a game they don't like anymore.

[DJ]

Re: The State of NBA Live Franchise Mode

FYI: I'm 50

I'm not anti-old guys. I do tire of old guys that continually privilege their view over everyone else.

EA is not doing anything willy nilly. They run focus groups, track telemetry data, and are always looking for ways to maximize sales and revenue. So when they do something, my first instinct isn't to react about how it affects me, but look at why they made the choices they did.

At some point, once you realize you are no longer the target demographic, it's okay to just walk away, or try to enjoy something differently. You might be surprised how much more fun life is if you try to enjoy things the younger generation are doing rather than fighting it so hard all the time. Because the younger generation wins every time.

Companies have to change and adapt. Look at TV right now. My daughter just turned 21, lives with two roommates, and while they have a TV, they don't have an antenna or cable. they don't watch it. They use it for console gaming. Everything else is Netflix, Hulu and so on, and they use their laptops and phones. You think TV execs want to hear what I think about how to distribute TV and what kinds of shows to watch? Those days are over. It's nothing to be mad or bummed about. It's the way life works.

Further, you know where most of my posts are here? Madden and Live, right now. Both games are preordered, and I am anxious to play them. I don't post about TGC, which I don't like. Before 2014, I never really posted about Madden at all. Hated the series, so I didn't play it. So what did I have to offer?

When I started to bounce off The Show again this year, I didn't start posting about what I didn't like about it, I started playing and thinking about other stuff. I'm not anti-old guys. I'm anti-grumps that can't figure out how to stop obsessing over a game they don't like anymore.

You're definitely right about the target demographic. I've come to that realization with WWE, something I'd been watching since I was 5-years-old. I'll be 40 next year and it's clear that WWE's programming isn't being built around guys my age, and that's OK. It may not appeal to me, but it obviously appeals to enough fans for WWE to continue with its current approach.

The offline gamer has been marginalized and features downgraded and/or removed this generation. I don't know if they'll ever come back or if offline will ever be a developer's focus again. My gut says no. Would I like to see more resources devoted to the modes I play? Absolutely. I just don't see it happening.

That said, it would be nice to at least have a playable franchise mode. Madden's CFM is far from great, but you can at least get through multiple seasons without too much hassle. I believe that a workable mode is what most of us in this thread are looking for.