One week away till the end of exclusive license.

[K33057]

Sooo Its Been a week,.... What Happened??????

[NYG 5]

Quote: Originally Posted by 24

At the end of the day it comes down to making money. If the NFL feels like they could make more money by not having a exclusive license then that's what there going to do. I know sales for Current Gen Madden were down with this release so I wouldn't be surprised if they get rid of the license. However I'm not expecting it either.

the trouble is, they make a guaranteed fortune by EA paying tribute just for the license alone, not including sharing revenue from sales of the game itself.

it really depends whether or not EA can afford to pay the king's ransom for the license, and whether or not the NFL would be willing to make up the difference by offering non-exclusive licenses

[24]

Quote: Originally Posted by NYG 5

the trouble is, they make a guaranteed fortune by EA paying tribute just for the license alone, not including sharing revenue from sales of the game itself. it really depends whether or not EA can afford to pay the king's ransom for the license, and whether or not the NFL would be willing to make up the difference by offering non-exclusive licenses

NFL likes dealing with exclusive deals that has never been a secret. If The NFL feels they could make more money by giving the license to a company like 2K then they will do that.

The Ideal situation is that either A)License gets dissolved B)2K Gets Exclusive Rights or C) 3rd Party Agreement.

Whichever gives the NFL the opportunity to turn the most profit will be the path that they follow. The NFL does not care about who produces the better game. They care who makes them the most money.

[FaceMask]

Scenario B would be bad too. I love 2K football, but we need football to get back to where it used to be, and that can never happen with just one company in the game.

[kjcheezhead]

Quote: Originally Posted by 24

NFL likes dealing with exclusive deals that has never been a secret. If The NFL feels they could make more money by giving the license to a company like 2K then they will do that. The Ideal situation is that either A)License gets dissolved B)2K Gets Exclusive Rights or C) 3rd Party Agreement. Whichever gives the NFL the opportunity to turn the most profit will be the path that they follow. The NFL does not care about who produces the better game. They care who makes them the most money.

B would be bad. Exclusives are the problem. Madden was fun on ps2, but I truly believe this gen was so bad because so much money went to the license that EA couldn't put enough into development and still keep madden as profitable as EA wanted. It took 5 versions to make a playable game, 4 just to get commentary in.

The only way an exclusive is ok is if a company like Disney got it and resold it to 2k and EA and anyone wanting to make a game. I know they put it a bid on the original exclusive.

[Crimsontide27]

Quote: Originally Posted by kjcheezhead

B would be bad. Exclusives are the problem. Madden was fun on ps2, but I truly believe this gen was so bad because so much money went to the license that EA couldn't put enough into development and still keep madden as profitable as EA wanted. It took 5 versions to make a playable game, 4 just to get commentary in. The only way an exclusive is ok is if a company like Disney got it and resold it to 2k and EA and anyone wanting to make a game. I know they put it a bid on the original exclusive.

Disney was the highest bid as well.

Without going into detail of such which would get me in trouble, there are 2 companies now that I believe are readying a football product. I know for absolute fact on one, and about 75% positive on the 2nd company.

Whether either of these products ever see the light of day, depends on the NFL. Right now the sales of video game football do not justify anywhere near the price tag that was placed on the exclusive agreement. Factoring in the cost of the exclusive deal and everything else, Madden was not even as remotely profitable as it was prior to the deal.

They could even offer the deal for half of what it was and it wouldn't be worth getting.

It is not worth the time to release a generic game, as it would not recover the costs to make it, no matter how good it was.

As a personal opinion, there is no way EA could justify another deal like the NFL got the first time around, so they would reduce it quite a bit. Just how far, no one knows.

Best case scenario is that they go back to a royalty agreement such that for every copy sold of all NFL games, regardless of company that makes them, makes the NFL money. In that case, you will see multiple titles come out again, but not before in my opinion.

Either way, I have a plan in place for the next round of football games that come out, that should see a monumental increase in sales if another exclusive is not signed.

[RateSports]

Quote: Originally Posted by Crimsontide27

Disney was the highest bid as well. Without going into detail of such which would get me in trouble, there are 2 companies now that I believe are readying a football product. I know for absolute fact on one, and about 75% positive on the 2nd company. Whether either of these products ever see the light of day, depends on the NFL. Right now the sales of video game football do not justify anywhere near the price tag that was placed on the exclusive agreement. Factoring in the cost of the exclusive deal and everything else, Madden was not even as remotely profitable as it was prior to the deal. They could even offer the deal for half of what it was and it wouldn't be worth getting. It is not worth the time to release a generic game, as it would not recover the costs to make it, no matter how good it was. As a personal opinion, there is no way EA could justify another deal like the NFL got the first time around, so they would reduce it quite a bit. Just how far, no one knows. Best case scenario is that they go back to a royalty agreement such that for every copy sold of all NFL games, regardless of company that makes them, makes the NFL money. In that case, you will see multiple titles come out again, but not before in my opinion. Either way, I have a plan in place for the next round of football games that come out, that should see a monumental increase in sales if another exclusive is not signed.

When you say "readying a football product", do you mean readying an NFL game or a game that would be a generic league?

[FaceMask]

Quote: Originally Posted by Crimsontide27

It is not worth the time to release a generic game, as it would not recover the costs to make it, no matter how good it was.

I've heard that many times over the years, but everyone seems to forget that Blitz The League 1 sold about 1.6 Million copies (about 4 times what APF sold), and it turned a very nice profit. Unlike 2K, Midway didn't kill their budget trying to sign hundreds of legends. They let their game stand on its own merits, built a league and a story that people could latch onto, and put together a good promotional campaign. They managed a low-budget project the correct way.

An unlicensed game can be profitable, that's been proven. It just has to be managed properly, and as much as I enjoy All-Pro Football, it is a perfect example of what NOT to do with a non-NFL licensed game. If you're going to have an unlicensed football game with no story, no identity, no league presence, and a lack of modes, and then promote it poorly, and expect people to get behind it, you're going to fail.