I've sort of wondered that myself. I don't think EA put a ton of resources into MVP's development personally, because really it's not that different from last year's game. It's just more refined. It might be a *bit* unfair to compare improvements to the two (MVP & Madden) because MVP received the overhaul it needed from EA Canada 2-3 years ago. Tiburon is... Tiburon. Triple Play was in a horrible state and dictated something drastic being done if simply out of embarrassment. Madden's no where near in the state Triple Play was. If anything, WE'RE the ones that are in trouble, because sports gaming has been changed for the forseeable future. And not for the better. What happens in 5yrs if someone else gets the exclusive license and has to essentially start from scratch?
Either way, the original poster's observations were off track. Loyal fans is something EA has in abundance. Loyal and accepting. My personal feeling is that EA could mail in an effort this year; people will just look forward to 2007. Granted, many in the gaming community see EA in a bad light, but the only ways I see EA feeling any heat are:
- If VC and/or Midway are able to release kick-azz football games WITHOUT the license. Then you'll see some sweat.
- The players get too greedy and there's no collective bargaining agreement. Something I almost want to see, seeing as how everything is so gimme more money-centric right now.