Why Is Madden Still Not Available On PC At This Point?

[GiantBlue76]

Quote: Originally Posted by RACZILLA

I got all fired up just looking at this thread. If I could pick just one thing related to the Madden franchise that I'd most like to see, it would be a PC version of the game. I agree with the notion that PC players would be better served by something built specifically for them as opposed to a console port. It could be a different revenue model, price point, etc. and maybe even a different feature set. Ideally they'd do something that's more of a sustained project with regular updates as opposed to the annual boxed product like what we see for console. I know the PC community could do all sorts of stuff with the right set of tools and FWIW I think there's a lot of opportunity here. The PC landscape has changed drastically since the time we last saw a Madden title on PC.

I agree with this post entirely. The only madden I ever bought for the PC was Madden 99 and it was, HANDS DOWN, the best Madden I ever played. It was not the same as the console versions. Better graphics, better online, had online franchise, had all kinds of bells and whistles. I'd be willing to jump ship from the console if it meant getting a much better game than what we have now, but on the PC. Hell, I'd even buy a new PC if it meant I could have a really high quality football title again.

[RACZILLA]

Quote: Originally Posted by aholbert32

Thats a heck of an assumption. Again OSers always argue that EA is all about the money and that EA doesnt waste an opportunity to generate revenue. If thats the case and the market was really there, EA would release the game on PC. The market is there internationally and they release FIFA on PC every year. The safer assumption is that EA's looked in to this and doesnt think the market is there. That assumption is supported by the comments EA has stated over the past few years about Madden on PC.

Of course this is just my opinion, but I think part of the reason why the PC sports game market may be lagging in NA has to do more with these titles being very similar to what's released on consoles.

The value proposition for PC gamers is a bit different than it is for console players, though that's starting to shift some. On PC you are seeing more F2P games where the barrier to entry to play is lower, there are constantly great sales in places like Steam, and some great indie games that have typically been exclusive to PC but are now making their way to consoles also.

A sports game designed specifically for the PC audience with a lower barrier to entry might draw in a lot more people if it's in line with what they are paying to access other games. Then it's about scaling the experience based on what interests the players, which is tough to do with a fixed price point.

All that being said, it's not trivial to do something like this. So when I hear comments along the lines of not just wanting to port console titles, it's my hope that it's because companies are considering doing something like this.

[wordtobigbird]

The obvious answer is that they don't think it's worth it.

There is no other answer. Don't forget that this is all still a business and a business still has one goal. I'd like to rag on EA and say they are scared to let people mod their game but I think they'd let you mod the ish out of Madden if they thought they were going to make millions off of it.

[aholbert32]

Quote: Originally Posted by RACZILLA

Of course this is just my opinion, but I think part of the reason why the PC sports game market may be lagging in NA has to do more with these titles being very similar to what's released on consoles. The value proposition for PC gamers is a bit different than it is for console players, though that's starting to shift some. On PC you are seeing more F2P games where the barrier to entry to play is lower, there are constantly great sales in places like Steam, and some great indie games that have typically been exclusive to PC but are now making their way to consoles also. A sports game designed specifically for the PC audience with a lower barrier to entry might draw in a lot more people if it's in line with what they are paying to access other games. Then it's about scaling the experience based on what interests the players, which is tough to do with a fixed price point. All that being said, it's not trivial to do something like this. So when I hear comments along the lines of not just wanting to port console titles, it's my hope that it's because companies are considering doing something like this.

Great post. I just dont know if EA has the incentive to do it. Are there any F2P sports games? If so, how are they structured?

[Flamehead]

Quote: Originally Posted by aholbert32

Thats a heck of an assumption. Again OSers always argue that EA is all about the money and that EA doesnt waste an opportunity to generate revenue. If thats the case and the market was really there, EA would release the game on PC. The market is there internationally and they release FIFA on PC every year. The safer assumption is that EA's looked in to this and doesnt think the market is there. That assumption is supported by the comments EA has stated over the past few years about Madden on PC.

See, I don't think that's a heck of an assumption at all and in fact, is reasonable. After all, there was market enough back during the PS2/xbox days. Now, if one were to argue they believe the market isn't there anymore, they certainly cannot base that with any validity on comparing it's numbers during the years of the PS3/xbox360, as the PC version was a different animal and not on equal footing as it were.

And if EA WAS doing that, then a) that's really foolish, or b) they have other reasons for not wanting to bring it to PC and used the PC sales numbers as an excuse (particularly later), when (again) the titles weren't comparable to begin with.

At this point, both positions are going 'round in circles so I'll bow out. If I were a bettin' man though, I'd say EA figured that even though PC might have had a market (again, we'll never know because once last gen kicked in, the playing field was uneven), they figured they'd simply concentrate on the consoles as a) it's one less environment to worry about, and b) they save themselves the headache of being "shown up" by the modders, particularly when they say they don't have time, resources, etc.

I also wonder if somewhere there was some tacit agreement with the console manufactures that they'd only concentrate on those platforms in order move more of those units (what EA would get out of the deal other than what's mentioned above, I don't know).

And I'm sure the loathsome Peter Moore factors into the equation somewhere too.

[bucky60]

Quote: Originally Posted by aholbert32

Show me a PC sports game that is selling even a quarter of what its console brethren are in the US. The NBA 2k series (until next gen started in Nov.) is the same version on PC and on last gen consoles (except for custom soundtracks).

I'm one of those that bought NBA2K on PC and through steam, so I guess my sale just didn't show up in your numbers. I don't know what the ACTUAL sales numbers are for NBA2K on the PC, but I do know it's substantially less than on the consoles and you point is a good one. I guess we are discussing if PC sales would be enough for EA to make a profit, not compare how much profit with consoles.

They are a business, and for whatever there reasons are, a significant part of it must be financial.

[RACZILLA]

Quote: Originally Posted by aholbert32

Great post. I just dont know if EA has the incentive to do it. Are there any F2P sports games? If so, how are they structured?

There are definitely games out there, but maybe not a ton with major licenses. 2K for example has a basketball product in China.

I think I agree with the notion that sports games are not huge on PC in the U.S. But for me that leads to more questions. Why? There are definitely a ton of sports fans here, many of whom play games and also likely play games on PC.

I don't have the answer for that but my suspicion is it's more of a matter of the right product as opposed to a limited audience. You may even be able to capture some lapsed sports gamers if the barrier is low enough.

Whether it's football, basketball, etc. I'd just love to see someone start with a basic core game and develop through a strong partnership with their players, who could help determine which features are the most compelling and viable.

It's cool to dream big but start small. I think it's a matter of time before we see someone give it a go.

[aholbert32]

Quote: Originally Posted by RACZILLA

There are definitely games out there, but maybe not a ton with major licenses. 2K for example has a basketball product in China. I think I agree with the notion that sports games are not huge on PC in the U.S. But for me that leads to more questions. Why? There are definitely a ton of sports fans here, many of whom play games and also likely play games on PC. I don't have the answer for that but my suspicion is it's more of a matter of the right product as opposed to a limited audience. You may even be able to capture some lapsed sports gamers if the barrier is low enough. Whether it's football, basketball, etc. I'd just love to see someone start with a basic core game and develop through a strong partnership with their players, who could help determine which features are the most compelling and viable. It's cool to dream big but start small. I think it's a matter of time before we see someone give it a go.

I think cost plays a role too. Take me for an example. I love NBA basketball and the NBA 2k series. I'm also a guy that preferred playing Live on the PC because of the mods. Why dont I buy it on pc?

One, I dont have a CPU that can run the game at the optimum speed and I dont want to buy a new CPU just for that game. Two, I hated having to upgrade video cards everytime the games graphics improved. Three, 2k patches the PC version much slower than the console versions.