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RaychelSnr · 06-01-2011, 12:07 PM

We all remember where we were when Jesus appeared in a Lakers uniform at half court in the fateful NBA Elite demo. But do you also remember where you were when 2K Sports potentially ended its NHL 2K series last week?

There is no doubt the NHL is far less popular than the NBA in America today -- the sales of the video games should be enough evidence to prove that statement. However, while it looks like 2K might be giving up on hockey, EA is simply trying to give basketball a good ol' mulligan. Given what we know about the financial impact of each decision, which company is making the bigger mistake: 2K for dumping NHL games entirely (for now) or EA for taking at least one more year to develop a new basketball franchise in the face of a monster of a competitor?

Read More - OS Roundtable: Who Made the Bigger Mistake, EA or 2K?

khaliib · 06-01-2011, 01:27 PM

Interesting with the Hockey scenerio, 2k just getting a piece would be considered a good business move, but but creating some type of Generic College Football/Basketball with Full Customization, has been shot down as a bad business move.

With how the Gaming community received the Customization feature in NBA 2k11 (which is the single most innovative thing that changed the game and set a new standard) is what tipped many gamers to spend more time playing their basketball vs EA's version.

Were 2k is making the biggest mistake is not utilizing this moment and the current Gamer Customization high to produce Quality games in College Football/Basketball.

Baseball, Hockey, Soccer, Tennis and Golf are sports that have a small following, but not a big enough following were more than one developer can really make profit.

Football is the #1 money making Sports Video Game with basketball following right behind.
The replay of these two video game genre's probably occupies over 90% of gaming time of all Sports titles in a year (my guess).

With NBA Basketball being 2k's money maker, they need to find a way to incorporate the College aspect into their Pro series.
There is a major void in this area, and at some point, the NBA series will need something different added to it extend it's replay value.

I think the greatest error is 2k trying to compete against EA through Exclusive License's.
The biggest thing the NBA 2k 11 showed, was that the more you allow Gamers into the Customization of the game, the greater the ability you'll have to draw and retain those gamers.

The first thing Gamers do after purchase, is look to utilize the Customization features to edit Names, Ratings, Coaches, Uniforms and/or Courts or Fields.

Backbreaker proved that by providing a Non-limiting Editor, there is no need to shell out money for Exlcusive License's or to individuals to use their likeness.

Even worse, ist that 2k is watching their biggest cometitor utilize their Customization concept as EA decides to test it out on their Madden series for 2012.

If EA injects this concept into their next Elite/Live Series, 2k's money maker will be in trouble because I think the Customization was the feature that put the most distance between the two developers Pro Basketball versions.

In a nutshell, 2k better find a way to get back into the Football and/or College game as the other genre's are not strong enough to support when EA starts to slowly take away slices of the whole pie their currently in possesion of.

"Just my rambling thoughts as the wife bewails my ears to go to the grocery store..."

savoie2006 · 06-01-2011, 01:45 PM

2K is, but the NHL series has never been a money maker. Even during its prime years on Xbox and PS2, the game was still outsold by EA. As far as the NHL ever recovering, it won't at this point, not until the next systems drop. Yes NHL 2K10 showed potential, but it was too little too late and the time to take a year off should have been before 2K9. Besides, money spent trying to bring the NHL series back on the 360/PS3 at this point could be saved to help bring the NFL sereis back should EA finally give up the exclusive.

Basketball is a much more popular sport in the states than hockey so it will be easier for EA to recover from the last couple years off. As long as they come back with a deep game that plays anything like basketball it will sell. Maybe not as much as 2K at right away, but it will be more profitable than 2K would be trying to bring back the NHL series.

jlandryst · 06-01-2011, 02:29 PM

2K is in trouble. They have one year to get the basketball game where its suppose to be. Everyone knows that 2K cant compete with EA when it comes to the servers and the myplayer.Most of my friends that have NHL for EA play in the EASHL only. If EA can get NBA Elite to that level or close then 2K is going to be in real trouble.

Boogiemanjay · 06-01-2011, 02:33 PM

They both drop the ball when they couldn't keep a college hoop game

statum71 · 06-01-2011, 02:52 PM

2K....

EA has FIFA, their real cash cow.

mirrored32 · 06-01-2011, 03:07 PM

customization. yeah that is my key. I know for my money i would rather have a game that i can customize to my hearts content over a limited contracted game.

pabryant · 06-01-2011, 03:47 PM

Yeah, maybe 2k may be putting most of its eggs in one basket but if they use the hockey resources to pick college basketball back up, it will be worth it,.. in my opinion. If Take Two creates a college b-ball game that mimics the quality of NBA2k11,.. EA may have a serious problem on their hands.
I know the NCAA license is a bit of a sore spot right now, but we all know, their WILL be another college b-ball game in the future. EA better hope its not anytime soon and definitely not by 2k. 2k has pretty much branded itself as the "king" of basketball titles. NBA2k8 and College Hoops2k8, together, was the most complete basketball gaming experience ever created by man, and another such endeavor executed at the level we all experienced from NBA2K11 could produce a sports gaming series that rivals even EA's monster football titles.

06-01-2011, 02:52 PM	#6
statum71 MVP OVR: 61 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Arlington, Tx Blog Entries: 27	2K.... EA has FIFA, their real cash cow. IrishNDFan likes this.

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06-01-2011, 12:07 PM	#1
RaychelSnr Executive Editor OVR: 57 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Oklahoma City, OK Posts: 4,846 Blog Entries: 490	OS Roundtable: Who Made the Bigger Mistake, EA or 2K? We all remember where we were when Jesus appeared in a Lakers uniform at half court in the fateful NBA Elite demo. But do you also remember where you were when 2K Sports potentially ended its NHL 2K series last week? There is no doubt the NHL is far less popular than the NBA in America today -- the sales of the video games should be enough evidence to prove that statement. However, while it looks like 2K might be giving up on hockey, EA is simply trying to give basketball a good ol' mulligan. Given what we know about the financial impact of each decision, which company is making the bigger mistake: 2K for dumping NHL games entirely (for now) or EA for taking at least one more year to develop a new basketball franchise in the face of a monster of a competitor? Read More - OS Roundtable: Who Made the Bigger Mistake, EA or 2K?

06-01-2011, 01:27 PM	#2
khaliib MVP OVR: 19 Join Date: Jan 2005 Blog Entries: 1	Interesting with the Hockey scenerio, 2k just getting a piece would be considered a good business move, but but creating some type of Generic College Football/Basketball with Full Customization, has been shot down as a bad business move. With how the Gaming community received the Customization feature in NBA 2k11 (which is the single most innovative thing that changed the game and set a new standard) is what tipped many gamers to spend more time playing their basketball vs EA's version. Were 2k is making the biggest mistake is not utilizing this moment and the current Gamer Customization high to produce Quality games in College Football/Basketball. Baseball, Hockey, Soccer, Tennis and Golf are sports that have a small following, but not a big enough following were more than one developer can really make profit. Football is the #1 money making Sports Video Game with basketball following right behind. The replay of these two video game genre's probably occupies over 90% of gaming time of all Sports titles in a year (my guess). With NBA Basketball being 2k's money maker, they need to find a way to incorporate the College aspect into their Pro series. There is a major void in this area, and at some point, the NBA series will need something different added to it extend it's replay value. I think the greatest error is 2k trying to compete against EA through Exclusive License's. The biggest thing the NBA 2k 11 showed, was that the more you allow Gamers into the Customization of the game, the greater the ability you'll have to draw and retain those gamers. The first thing Gamers do after purchase, is look to utilize the Customization features to edit Names, Ratings, Coaches, Uniforms and/or Courts or Fields. Backbreaker proved that by providing a Non-limiting Editor, there is no need to shell out money for Exlcusive License's or to individuals to use their likeness. Even worse, ist that 2k is watching their biggest cometitor utilize their Customization concept as EA decides to test it out on their Madden series for 2012. If EA injects this concept into their next Elite/Live Series, 2k's money maker will be in trouble because I think the Customization was the feature that put the most distance between the two developers Pro Basketball versions. In a nutshell, 2k better find a way to get back into the Football and/or College game as the other genre's are not strong enough to support when EA starts to slowly take away slices of the whole pie their currently in possesion of. "Just my rambling thoughts as the wife bewails my ears to go to the grocery store..."

06-01-2011, 01:45 PM	#3
savoie2006 R.I.P 2KHockey 2000-2011 OVR: 29 Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Oregon Posts: 4,659	2K is, but the NHL series has never been a money maker. Even during its prime years on Xbox and PS2, the game was still outsold by EA. As far as the NHL ever recovering, it won't at this point, not until the next systems drop. Yes NHL 2K10 showed potential, but it was too little too late and the time to take a year off should have been before 2K9. Besides, money spent trying to bring the NHL series back on the 360/PS3 at this point could be saved to help bring the NFL sereis back should EA finally give up the exclusive. Basketball is a much more popular sport in the states than hockey so it will be easier for EA to recover from the last couple years off. As long as they come back with a deep game that plays anything like basketball it will sell. Maybe not as much as 2K at right away, but it will be more profitable than 2K would be trying to bring back the NHL series.

06-01-2011, 02:29 PM	#4
jlandryst Rookie OVR: 1 Join Date: Jul 2005	2K is in trouble. They have one year to get the basketball game where its suppose to be. Everyone knows that 2K cant compete with EA when it comes to the servers and the myplayer.Most of my friends that have NHL for EA play in the EASHL only. If EA can get NBA Elite to that level or close then 2K is going to be in real trouble.

06-01-2011, 02:33 PM	#5
Boogiemanjay Rookie OVR: 1 Join Date: Apr 2011	They both drop the ball when they couldn't keep a college hoop game

06-01-2011, 03:07 PM	#7
mirrored32 (PS3) Madden 13 OVR: 18 Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 98 Blog Entries: 14	customization. yeah that is my key. I know for my money i would rather have a game that i can customize to my hearts content over a limited contracted game.

06-01-2011, 03:47 PM	#8
pabryant Rookie OVR: 6 Join Date: Nov 2007	Yeah, maybe 2k may be putting most of its eggs in one basket but if they use the hockey resources to pick college basketball back up, it will be worth it,.. in my opinion. If Take Two creates a college b-ball game that mimics the quality of NBA2k11,.. EA may have a serious problem on their hands. I know the NCAA license is a bit of a sore spot right now, but we all know, their WILL be another college b-ball game in the future. EA better hope its not anytime soon and definitely not by 2k. 2k has pretty much branded itself as the "king" of basketball titles. NBA2k8 and College Hoops2k8, together, was the most complete basketball gaming experience ever created by man, and another such endeavor executed at the level we all experienced from NBA2K11 could produce a sports gaming series that rivals even EA's monster football titles.