Madden Sales Down 18% Y-o-Y in October

[greenieblue]

This was the first year that I owned a system and did not buy Madden. The reasons? NCAA was a very good game and NBA 2K11's release was on the horizon.

Personally, I think this story is unfortunate. EA has pushed (mostly in the 90's and early 2000's) sports games development and innovation and I don't think we would see games like The Show or NBA 2K without their dedication to trying to walk that fine line between sports gamers and sports fans. There have been a lot of ideas borrowed from EA over the years and they have (at the very least) pressured competitors to strive for solid, balanced and innovative games.

That said, I think (having never played Madden 11) NCAA 11 is the best football game ever made.

[dcsoldier]

Quote: Originally Posted by Dayman

There's a lot more casual gamers than hardcore gamers. Hence the Wii selling like hot cakes.

well if so they are not buying madden thats for sure.........a casual gamer will not comeback every year to buy the same old football game......hardcore gamers is where the money is.

[edaddy]

Quote: Originally Posted by MMChrisS

In today's market, you have to have a realistic and smooth presentation as well as good and well balanced gameplay. If you have both, a game doesn't have to play realistic in the sense of true to life stats in order to be considered realistic. From a psychological point of view, a lot of the gaming experience is believing what you are seeing and a good chunk of us experience a majority of our sports via the TV. The key to a good game is mimicking that delivery with gameplay that's well-balanced (ie neither the defense or offense has a built in advantage due to how the game is played). Of course, that discussion is something I'm saving up for a future Op-Ed for the frontpage at some point

Man these are sentiments to a tee...I have been preaching for years that sports gamers want immersion more than anything..we want to feel like we are at the game ,playing the game, or watching it on tv..all those elements can be improved presentation wise including multiple camera angles, ridiculous crowd noise and to include all the little nuances that go on in a nfl telecast and nfl stadium..from pregame warmups to real commentary ...etc..Ea is also lacking in the basic nuances of the game of football that hold it back..including things like real penalties that are more than clipping or holding, signature running styles..signature and varied catching styles and animations.. player personalities..pre snap movement..individual team tendencies and realistic play...and creatioing a sim that truly is a chessmatch on the field not who has the fastest players...Ea created this by resting on its laurels and like i have sted before if someone can point out the major differences or improvements between madden 10 and 11 I would love to listen...Sim is the way to go and leave the arcade version to blitz or whatever..etc..follow NBA2K11's lead include everything thing that goes on in a game and madden will be a succcess...remeber 2k11 isnt perfect gameplay wise by any means but the immersion factor, attentio to detail, and presentation makes everyone overlook that fact!!!

[rooney8]

They have already restructured putting someone overlooking each game franchise rather than studio who has to report to the top so they don't have anymore Elite surprises. Bad sales are good news for sim gamers as it doesn't support their targeting the casuals approach.
However, I think some people are a little confused. That article says Madden sales are down 18% for October compared to last year. It did quite well in August and September so is probably up overall. Hopefully this slump will continue through the Christmas months and change the direction of the game.

Quote:

Publisher Take-Two's titles are seeing strong performance, however: NBA 2K11 sold 1.15 million units in October, twice what the previous installment did last year. Creutz indicates this is, "most impressively, 60 percent more than last October's combined sales for NBA 2K10 and NBA Live 10."

I hope EA realises Nba2k11 success was purely down to it being a great game and a good representation of basketball and that drew in a whole range of fans. More likely they will still go with thinking football fans are more casual about their sport so Nba2k being a successful sim game is just down to basketball having a more hardcore fanbase than football. If anything, I think the opposite is true.

One day the penny will drop with the suits at EA but not on this news.

[RaychelSnr]

Quote: Originally Posted by edaddy

Man these are sentiments to a tee...I have been preaching for years that sports gamers want immersion more than anything..we want to feel like we are at the game ,playing the game, or watching it on tv..all those elements can be improved presentation wise including multiple camera angles, ridiculous crowd noise and to include all the little nuances that go on in a nfl telecast and nfl stadium..from pregame warmups to real commentary ...etc..Ea is also lacking in the basic nuances of the game of football that hold it back..including things like real penalties that are more than clipping or holding, signature running styles..signature and varied catching styles and animations.. player personalities..pre snap movement..individual team tendencies and realistic play...and creatioing a sim that truly is a chessmatch on the field not who has the fastest players...Ea created this by resting on its laurels and like i have sted before if someone can point out the major differences or improvements between madden 10 and 11 I would love to listen...Sim is the way to go and leave the arcade version to blitz or whatever..etc..follow NBA2K11's lead include everything thing that goes on in a game and madden will be a succcess...remeber 2k11 isnt perfect gameplay wise by any means but the immersion factor, attentio to detail, and presentation makes everyone overlook that fact!!!

You nailed it. Just make sure your game plays well and balanced and you've got yourself an all time classic if you nail the immersion factor.

[adfletch71]

I dont feel sorry for EA, the way they came and brought the NFL, NCAA and Arena football titles in 2005, serve them right. I wouldnt be so mad if the quality of the games was good compared too the old consoles days. They havent justified themselves with the license they acquired and the consumers are letting them know it over these 5 years. U would think they would have a understanding of what the 2k & madden gamers would like by now, but all they care about is the casual crowd. All i have to say too them is look at MLB the show and NBA 2k11 and EA will have a idea what the majority of gamers want.

[dougdeuce]

I'm part of the 18%... This is the first time in years I didn't purchase Madden, and it's because they didn't change anything franchise from last years. I want a deep franchise mode that actually works. Unless this is overhauled, I'm done with Madden.

Even I don't believe I'm saying this. I don't even come to this forum anymore because I'm too disappointed to participate anymore.

Practice squad
45 man active rosters
80 man rosters in pre-season
cut down days
injured reserve
HC style practice (more in depth though)

the list goes on.

[rooney8]

Chris you have Madden sales down 18% this year on the front page but they are not. It's just for October. Year over year means compared to the same period last year and this article is just about sales for October.