NASCAR Changes Gaming Strategy -- Will it Succeed?

[RaychelSnr]

The Sporting News has a story up about NASCAR's new plan to abandon exclusive agreements in favor of signing deals with several developers instead:

When Electronic Arts and NASCAR decided to end their 12-year, exclusive partnership last year, the sanctioning body went back to the drawing board to hash out a new strategy for its gaming business.

The resulting strategy will see NASCAR eschew the traditional plan of signing an exclusive deal with a publisher such as EA in favor of signing a multitude of deals with a number of developers who will design games across a variety of platforms.

It has signed three deals to implement its strategy. Its new roster of gaming partners includes iRacing, which developed an online simulation game; Sony, which will feature NASCAR for the first time in the popular racing game Grand Turismo; and Eutechnyx, a video game developer from Great Britain that created a new NASCAR game slated for release by Activision in February. NASCAR hopes to build on those relationships by adding other agreements with developers that can create games for iPads and iPhones, Facebook and other platforms.

It seems to be a positive direction at least for NASCAR. As to whether this will ever spill over into other sports leagues, I'm not sure what the odds of that are at this point. Next up in the license free agent market is Baseball, so we will know more in the next year or so if exclusivity is something which is ending as quickly as it began or not.

[BurghFan]

Re: NASCAR Changes Gaming Strategy -- Will it Succeed?

Well, normally I'd say this is good because competition drives companies to make better games to outsell their competitors. However, in this case, only 1 developer (Eutechnyx) is developing a true NASCAR game that will truly be available to everyone. GT5 will have some NASCAR but not all of it while iRacing is a PC exclusive niche game for hard core racers who can afford to pay to play. It would be better to see more developers making true console NASCAR games like Eutechnyx so that there will be ture competition.

[br329]

Re: NASCAR Changes Gaming Strategy -- Will it Succeed?

I like this strategy alot. I remember back when we had EA, Monster games, and Papyrus all coming out with great games. Sadly these 3 aren't going to be involved with NASCAR any more but maybe some new companies could step in. And to go off topic I would kill for another Codemasters Indycar game!

[kneebon5]

Re: NASCAR Changes Gaming Strategy -- Will it Succeed?

br329, iRacing = Papyrus

[DubTrey1]

This is a great move and I only hope other sports look at this model. One company holding the rights is not a fiscal positive move in this economy. It makes sense to have as many solid groups pay for rights and sell versions of your sport on as many platforms that makes sense. I hope we all are able to see the days of multi developers for all sports..... Could this eventually mean a return of 2k football, ASB etc.?

[bhurst99]

Re: NASCAR Changes Gaming Strategy -- Will it Succeed?

Well, normally I'd say this is good because competition drives companies to make better games to outsell their competitors. However, in this case, only 1 developer (Eutechnyx) is developing a true NASCAR game that will truly be available to everyone. GT5 will have some NASCAR but not all of it while iRacing is a PC exclusive niche game for hard core racers who can afford to pay to play. It would be better to see more developers making true console NASCAR games like Eutechnyx so that there will be ture competition.

My thoughts exactly.

[Panthers7]

I think it will be good. Although we only have one producer making a sole NASCAR game, I think that Actvision and Eutechnyx will have learned from EA's mistakes and make us a great, realistic, and fun game

[GlennN]

This is a great move and I only hope other sports look at this model. One company holding the rights is not a fiscal positive move in this economy. It makes sense to have as many solid groups pay for rights and sell versions of your sport on as many platforms that makes sense. I hope we all are able to see the days of multi developers for all sports..... Could this eventually mean a return of 2k football, ASB etc.?

I agree completely!