2k Buyout/License

[teambayern]

All this excitement over Madden 10 has got me thinking about how much of the effort could have been saved in an ideal world if Madden would have just bought the APF team and package and developed an alternative game with the NFL license. They would have saved a lot of the time they spent re-inventing the wheel, and could have used some of the logic/team talent as borrowed for Madden. The game could either be an alternative to Madden, as the 2k games always used to be, or a have a separate focus (ie maybe a special playoffs game released in December, or a game released around the draft to feature the new class). Another way to accomplish the same thing would be to sublease the NFL license to 2k for a hefty price tag. For various reasons, this would be less profitable to EA, so let's stick with the first option of just buying out the engine.

A big part of me cringes at the thought of 2k and Take Two losing this engine, but think about it from a practical standpoint. EA could get rid off all the people who denigrate it year in and year out by allowing for its existence, and capitalizing on its sales. It would be the lexus to its Toyota, the Mobil to its Exxon. And with the same team working on it, we'd get treated to Nfl 2k11.

Who do you think would object more to this arrangement, 2k or EA?

[spudder2008]

Re: 2k Buyout/License

I agree with you, 2k is probally not going to do anything with their football game anymore, if they would just sell their rights or whatever to EA they could take the best from both games and develop a great game, but that's just wishful thinking.

[texbuk84]

Re: 2k Buyout/License

I agree with you, 2k is probally not going to do anything with their football game anymore, if they would just sell their rights or whatever to EA they could take the best from both games and develop a great game, but that's just wishful thinking.

i heard that they where suppose to be making 2k11 football. don't know how true this is but lets just keep our fingures crossed.

[18manning18]

Re: 2k Buyout/License

Personally i think the idea of making two seperate games is certainly better. The presentation of 2k5 was awesome but in terms of gameplay, once you get away from the running game there really wasn't much i liked. I'm sure a lot of other madden fans feel the same way or 2k would've been the massive game corporation and not easports.

I also kind of doubt 2k would want to sell it to their competition unless it was for a hefty price tag. Let's face it, it's a business, so why would you wanna give the competition your game so they can sell it just so the fans can be happy and have nfl teams ya know? I doubt either company cares enough about their fans to pull that move off.

[RogueHominid]

Re: 2k Buyout/License

I think there's a certain amount of pride at play here. From what I can tell, EA lacks some talent on the development squad for Madden. There is a surprising list of things they *still* can't do in Madden, which suggests to me that they have some limitations.

To take on 2K devs and let them run an EA title would entail an admission of EA's own limitations. If these two products were to be released side by side, I think folks would wonder why the secondary title was doing things the flagship title could not do.

I swear, though, if I had enough venture capital, I'd just finance the 2k squad myself.

[elgreazy1]

Re: 2k Buyout/License

I swear, though, if I had enough venture capital, I'd just finance the 2k squad myself.

Same here...

Let's all round up some loose change! Maybe we can pay off a 2K dev to mod APF for us!

[thejackal25]

Re: 2k Buyout/License

I think there's a certain amount of pride at play here. From what I can tell, EA lacks some talent on the development squad for Madden. There is a surprising list of things they *still* can't do in Madden, which suggests to me that they have some limitations.

To take on 2K devs and let them run an EA title would entail an admission of EA's own limitations. If these two products were to be released side by side, I think folks would wonder why the secondary title was doing things the flagship title could not do.

I swear, though, if I had enough venture capital, I'd just finance the 2k squad myself.

I'm not sure it's a matter of Madden devs lacking talent. Articles from a couple years back indicated that EA dev teams were some of the most overworked and poorly compensated teams within the industry, and that they had a pretty high turnover rate. They'd hire cheap, fresh out of school programmers and devs. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of the problems with Madden from year to year are more about a lack of consistency in the team make up and the tough deadlines they have to meet. I want to believe that the devs do everything in their power to create an amazing game, and have the potential to make some monumental strides, but the corporate side of EA often makes it tough for this to become a reality...imo.

I think a buyout would be difficult, and if it ever did happen, EA would just buy it so 2k couldn't use it. I don't see EA ever absorbing and utilizing Visual Concepts or its assets. Let's not forget that Visual Concepts used to develop Madden back in the day but EA and VC had a major falling out. Even though there likely aren't very many from either party still around with the respective companies, I think there's just too much history and bad blood for either side to ever do anything that remotely resembles cooperation or compromise. I do agree with your original post that it would likely be best for consumers and I'd gladly welcome it, but I think both sides are likely too stubborn to let it ever happen.

[teambayern]

Re: 2k Buyout/License

I think they are most certainly lacking talent in some areas, because some things they have addressed repeatedly to no avail. Case in point: the running animations.

Ian addressed the problem with them on the forums, then they posted the new animations, and got a lot of poor feedback. Then the dev doing the tweaking came on complaining that the community was too harsh and they shouldn't have the power they do this year. Then Ian admonished him, and apparently the guy then went the overboard making them too exaggerated. Now the Madden 10 videos still show stiff unnatural animations. How many sports games do you know of where the running looks stiff and unrealistic?

This might add to the bitterness of the whole situation, but still, if its a business, this might be the best decision money wise. Not that they need another game, but that they could easily own the whole market and shut up the 2k guys

[stead21]

Re: 2k Buyout/License

All this excitement over Madden 10 has got me thinking about how much of the effort could have been saved in an ideal world if Madden would have just bought the APF team and package and developed an alternative game with the NFL license. They would have saved a lot of the time they spent re-inventing the wheel, and could have used some of the logic/team talent as borrowed for Madden. The game could either be an alternative to Madden, as the 2k games always used to be, or a have a separate focus (ie maybe a special playoffs game released in December, or a game released around the draft to feature the new class). Another way to accomplish the same thing would be to sublease the NFL license to 2k for a hefty price tag. For various reasons, this would be less profitable to EA, so let's stick with the first option of just buying out the engine.

A big part of me cringes at the thought of 2k and Take Two losing this engine, but think about it from a practical standpoint. EA could get rid off all the people who denigrate it year in and year out by allowing for its existence, and capitalizing on its sales. It would be the lexus to its Toyota, the Mobil to its Exxon. And with the same team working on it, we'd get treated to Nfl 2k11.

Who do you think would object more to this arrangement, 2k or EA?

There could never be an arrangement cause EA is the devil and whatever they touch, they flick it up. I really can't stand EA cause they took away one of my favorite series of all time! That shigity pisses me off and it will forever piss me off. Especially when Madden is straight bootylicious compared to the NFL 2K series. And it's always been this way since back in the day. The only series I actually like was Fight Night and they jacked the controls up this year. I also really enjoyed Road Rash, but they never brought that to next-gen.

[stead21]

Re: 2k Buyout/License

I'm not sure it's a matter of Madden devs lacking talent. Articles from a couple years back indicated that EA dev teams were some of the most overworked and poorly compensated teams within the industry, and that they had a pretty high turnover rate. They'd hire cheap, fresh out of school programmers and devs. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of the problems with Madden from year to year are more about a lack of consistency in the team make up and the tough deadlines they have to meet. I want to believe that the devs do everything in their power to create an amazing game, and have the potential to make some monumental strides, but the corporate side of EA often makes it tough for this to become a reality...imo.

I think a buyout would be difficult, and if it ever did happen, EA would just buy it so 2k couldn't use it. I don't see EA ever absorbing and utilizing Visual Concepts or its assets. Let's not forget that Visual Concepts used to develop Madden back in the day but EA and VC had a major falling out. Even though there likely aren't very many from either party still around with the respective companies, I think there's just too much history and bad blood for either side to ever do anything that remotely resembles cooperation or compromise. I do agree with your original post that it would likely be best for consumers and I'd gladly welcome it, but I think both sides are likely too stubborn to let it ever happen.

You hit it right on the head, and also when you are over worked in any industry, you lose focus and you will not do as good whatever you do.