(PC) Madden 11 Epiphany

[tlc12576]

I know Im probably late to the table on wanting Madden available on PC and Mac but the best reason for it just came to me, COMPATIBILITY!

The big divider among next-gen gamers is mostly 360 vs PS3 and we dont know when they will allow online system crossover play. Having Madden and other sports titles on PC and Mac goes along way to solve this issue.

Since these next-gen consoles have USB port controllers, the transition would be seemless for 360 and PS3 users. Just take the controller from whichever system you are accustomed to and plug it in your computers USB port.

There are endless benefits for customization and communtity interaction upgrades for sports games but this simple epiphany of console user crossover just dawned on me.

Maybe somene with programming insight could help me understand why this isnt happening with more sport titles and specifically Madden.

[Broncos86]

The reason Madden was pulled from PC was because of pirating, and EA had made this clear. The PC market for Madden was small to begin with, and most were simply pirating the game.

[tlc12576]

Quote: Originally Posted by Broncos86

The reason Madden was pulled from PC was because of pirating, and EA had made this clear. The PC market for Madden was small to begin with, and most were simply pirating the game.

That makes sense but there has to be a better way to combat pirating than just not making it. All pc games are subjective to pirating but companies still make them. I understand the market was small for PC Madden but I think that could be different now if marketed correctly.
If gamers better understood the pros of having Madden on pc and considering just about everyone owns or has access to a computer today.

[Nza]

There are better ways to combat piracy, yes. Time and time again it has been proven quality games sell on the PC, if they're readily available. Steam can make this happen. Recently a survey showed around 50% of all Steam users have a Bittorrent client installed, and yet Steam can't be the major success it is without these people buying games.

Piracy is a poor excuse because you never really know what truely was a lost sale or not. Maybe it was a try-before-buy? maybe the downloader had no intention to buy it? How is it a lost sale if they would never buy it if they couldn't download it? These aren't excuses for piracy, they are real world factors overlooked by most.

The truth is EASports don't like PC because the demographic is more mature/savvy, and harder to impress than console gamers. Gamers who maintain PC systems for gaming are going to be less prone to impulse buys. You can rarely look at the PC market and see a top selling game with questionable quality, yet this seems to be the staple of console gaming. Also, PC gamers expect to be able to develop communities around games that offer more than just discussion - EASports' business model of yearly releases is threatened by this. Custom updates, patches etc - EA don't want that with their sports games.

What EA really need to do for success on the PC is three things. First, a PC only engine. Modify the 360 one - whatever - just do something to make it PC specific. Secondly, they need to stop with the yearly releases on PC. This goes back to my point above - yearly releases with minimal updates doesn't fly with PC gamers. What they could do is release one version per generation, and then just offer a combination of free and paid updates. Lastly, they need to focus on online, which is the PC's strongest feature.

Madden PC won't ever be a major release, but it could be successful. Alas, EASports decided it was easier to abandon the PC and focus on the safe, easy to control and easier to exploit console gamers.

[Exonerated]

when can i pirate it?

[PGaither84]

Quote: Originally Posted by Nza

Typical PC elitism post

If that wasn't your intention, then I'm sorry, but that's what it looked like.

Quote:

EASports decided it was easier to abandon the PC and focus on the safe, easy to control and easier to exploit console gamers.

That said it all for me. I really don't want to get into a PC vs console war here any more than Madden vs 2k or anything else. Suffice it to say, I think you are way off base. It has a lot more to do with piracy and a lack of PC sales in the past. Madden's primary demographic is not the PC gamer, and I doubt it ever will be.

[Nza]

My intention was to point out the real factors at play. Sorry, didn't mean to ruffle feathers, but the fact is EASports rely on console gamers who care more about what's on the cover of a game box than real features to make the bulk of their cash. Innovative titles sell on PC, marketing sells on console. The latter is easier and more plentiful to focus on.

Anyone with any brains can see piracy is an overplayed card. After the big cry by Activision on COD4 piracy, the series only got stronger on PC with no real changes to stop it. It's clear much of the industry still doesn't really understand its impact. Download figures may as well be numbers pulled out of hats, they don't mean anything.

And you're right, Madden's primary demographic isn't the PC gamer, and this comes down to fundamental incompatibilities between what PC gamers expect and what EASports are willing to deliver. Protip: a PS2 engine with a net *loss* of features over the years isn't it. Locked down customization to enhance the impact of minor updates in future releases isn't it. What PC gaming stands for just isn't what EASports want, piracy is just a convenient way to package the decision for the gullible.

[ryan36]

...and this is going downhill rather quickly...closed