What does the NBA Elite 11 postponement mean for Madden?

[bigsmallwood]

It means nothing for Madden as long as it continues to sell and have no competition.

If 2K or some other company were allowed to use the NFL license, we would see a HUGE difference in quality. W/O competition, Madden is unfortunately not affected and they 'see nothing' wrong with their game.

[RedZoneD25]

See, I don't get the "NFL makes more money by only letting EA make the games"

If there are 3 NFL games, all priced at 59.99....Odds are NFL would make MORE money, no?

[xx19kilosoldier]

I think their deal with the NFL is a huge double edged sword at this point. It has allowed them to "count their chickens before they hatch" for a while now when it comes to Madden sales. The "sameness" and lack of innovation since the deal will haunt them to the ruination of their company if the ever lose the exclusive license and another developer comes even close to hitting a homerun with a fresh title. Consumers have never liked being told they have one option regardless of quality, throw on top of that the lackluster effort some feel has been given regarding Madden and they have a corporation breaking problem if the lose exclusivity. If they lose the license, they very well could lose the company. I think at this point many gamers both casual and hardcore are tired of Madden in its current iteration and EA knows it. They will do whatever it takes to maintain their agreement with the NFL, they know whats at stake.

[LiquorLogic]

Quote: Originally Posted by youALREADYknow

Why? The NFL is starving for money. Hence the discussion of expanding the regular season to 18 games. I find it hard to believe that it isn't in the NFL's best interests to squeeze as much money as possible out of this license. If you can find some proof that the NFL stands to gain more money as a collective from NOT extending exclusivity then I'd change my mind immediately. It's all about money at the end of the day.

Quote: Originally Posted by Old Mr T

Sadly I have to agree with this. The NFL is an incredibly greedy organisation and all they care about is money. I'm sure they've received many letters of complaint regarding the EA exclusive license, but I imagine they simply don't care. Their product is football, not gaming, so as long as they're making shed loads of cash from license agreements they're happy. The only hope for a return to competition in football video games is for EA to suffer really bad sales with Madden 12/13/14 and decide against renewing their agreement. Problem is, I can't ever see that happening.

Again, the Supreme Court doesn't consider the NFL to be a single entity; an exclusive deal wouldn't be legal. The NFL, now, is considered 32 separate entities. They can't enter into partnerships with one company to sell their brand. For EA to retain exclusivity, they'll have to individually sign all 32 franchises to exclusive contracts which wouldn't look to good to the courts.

[roadman]

Quote: Originally Posted by LiquorLogic

Again, the Supreme Court doesn't consider the NFL to be a single entity; an exclusive deal wouldn't be legal. The NFL, now, is considered 32 separate entities. They can't enter into partnerships with one company to sell their brand. For EA to retain exclusivity, they'll have to individually sign all 32 franchises to exclusive contracts which wouldn't look to good to the courts.

I'm sure the lawyers for both companies(NFL and EA) will know loopholes around the law to get it done.

I don't see the NFL scrambling around and opening up offers to competitors of Nike and DirectTV.

We should all see what type of impact the law will have in the near and distant future.

[LiquorLogic]

Quote: Originally Posted by roadman

I'm sure the lawyers for both companies(NFL and EA) will know loopholes around the law to get it done. I don't see the NFL scrambling around and opening up offers to competitors of Nike and DirectTV. We should all see what type of impact the law will have in the near and distant future.

The case is still pending. I wouldn't expect anything like that to happen yet. The NFL being a single entity is a big blow to the NFL's case. Their classification as a "single entity" is what allowed to them to construct the deal in the first place. They don't have that exemption anymore; more than likely, it's just a matter of time.

[beastwork]

It means a lot.

It will make EA even more wary about implementing a new engine. It will make EA realize how instrumental the exclusivity deal is. Expect them to do everything they can to extend the deal. (competitors in the sports game genre are scary and dangerous, best to stomp them out before they can get started).

Words to live by - You don’t kill the golden goose

Madden is basically a money printing machine. Who would want to mess with a failsafe formula?

[roadman]

Quote: Originally Posted by LiquorLogic

The case is still pending. I wouldn't expect anything like that to happen yet. The NFL being a single entity is a big blow to the NFL's case. Their classification as a "single entity" is what allowed to them to construct the deal in the first place. They don't have that exemption anymore; more than likely, it's just a matter of time.

Ok, still pending. Understood.

Just want to point out it's not just this deal, but other deals, too. ie Nike, DirectTV, etc....