Phil Frazier is Leaving EA Sports Tiburon

[ryan36]

Quote: Originally Posted by adembroski

I haven't met Roy Harvey yet, but I hear he's a big Head Coach fan, fwiw

Get back in your dungeon, and make a GOTY!!! Be off with you, dev!

[GiantBlue76]

Quote: Originally Posted by adembroski

I haven't met Roy Harvey yet, but I hear he's a big Head Coach fan, fwiw

that's good news.

[Sanchez_Mareno]

Quote: Originally Posted by adembroski

I haven't met Roy Harvey yet, but I hear he's a big Head Coach fan, fwiw

Is there anyone who isn't?

[burnwood]

Quote: Originally Posted by Cre8

The only way this cycle stops is if the consumer stops buying the game. And that will never happen with Madden.

Well, consumers don't have to stop buying Madden for a cycle to stop. All you need is market disruption by a competitor to slow sales. If you are thinking along the lines that Madden will "never" have competition, then you might be right. However, as we've seen in the case of EA's NBA title, the competition disrupted that franchise for a good period of time.

Just imagine that happening to Madden.

[CRMosier_LM]

Quote: Originally Posted by burnwood

Well, consumers don't have to stop buying Madden for a cycle to stop. All you need is market disruption by a competitor to slow sales. If you are thinking along the lines that Madden will "never" have competition, then you might be right. However, as we've seen in the case of EA's NBA title, the competition disrupted that franchise for a good period of time. Just imagine that happening to Madden.

There isn't going to be any competition so the point is moot. BTW nobody saw their sales dip when that other company was selling their game for $20. Why you say...? Because 90% of the 2k buyers also bought Madden and the $20 price point was put in effect because they knew something drastic would have to be done to get sales compared to EA's product... But at the end of they day all it really did was allow games to purchase both.

[Only1LT]

Quote: Originally Posted by CRMosier_LM

There isn't going to be any competition so the point is moot. BTW nobody saw their sales dip when that other company was selling their game for $20. Why you say...? Because 90% of the 2k buyers also bought Madden and the $20 price point was put in effect because they knew something drastic would have to be done to get sales compared to EA's product... But at the end of they day all it really did was allow games to purchase both.

Forever is a very long time. To think that Madden will ALWAYS be the only NFL Football game, for the rest of eternity is a bit of a stretch. There is no way that you can make a statement like that. You don't even know if EA will be around forever, let alone Madden. Bigger companies have gone out of business than EA. The immediate future doesn't look bright in terms of another NFL licensed game, I would concede, but again, forever is a very long time.

As far as $20 price point of 2K5. I would agree that many Madden heads who never gave 2K a chance, said "what the hell" and bought both. I was one of them, but the 90% number isn't based on anything factual. Regardless, even though the direct result of the price drop for that one year, didn't do much to Madden's sales, that doesn't mean that it would always be that way.

The price drop didn't only allow people to buy both, it allowed people who never gave 2K a chance to experience the game. We have no way of knowing how many of those people that experienced it for the first time wouldn't prefer Pepsi to Coke, so to speak.

I know I became a Pepsi drinker.

[johnprestonevans]

Good Luck Phil. I like some of the stuff he accomplished with Madden over the past 3 seasons. Eventhough the game still seems to fall a bit short of the goal line, there is no doubt that it's moving in the right direction thanks in large part to Phil. Better tackling. Gameflow. Presentation.

This is pure speculation, but I feel like the big moves at Tiburon reflect a re-focus on Madden for the next-generation of consoles. My bet is that development (though in it's early stages) is underway. I feel like this current generation of Madden (06 - Present) never really fully acheived it's true potential. It was damned from the get-go following the abysmal 06 Xbox360 version. Considering how far it's come, how can we not thank Phil for his recent work.

I wish him the best. I only hope that whoever succeeds him at Tiburon will propel Madden to reclaim the throne as the console defining sports game experience it once was.

[GiantBlue76]

Quote: Originally Posted by CRMosier_LM

There isn't going to be any competition so the point is moot. BTW nobody saw their sales dip when that other company was selling their game for $20. Why you say...? Because 90% of the 2k buyers also bought Madden and the $20 price point was put in effect because they knew something drastic would have to be done to get sales compared to EA's product... But at the end of they day all it really did was allow games to purchase both.

With all due respect, I think you are being a bit short sighted here. It didn't just allow gamers to buy both. Also, you are not realizing that the "other" company was not making a 20.00 price point so that folks would buy their game and NOT buy Madden. They didn't care if you bought Madden as long as you bought THEIR game. 2k sold a butt load of games because it was a great game. Madden sold butt loads of games because it was a great game. It's that simple. The competition really pushes the games to innovate. A perfect example was in 2004, 2k announced online leagues. Madden then scrambled and pushed out their own version to keep pace. This is just an example. The lack of competition has single handedly ruined football gaming this generation and has resulted in the fodder we've been playing the last 7 years.