Madden Sales Down 18% Y-o-Y in October

[TDKing]

Re: Madden Sales Down 18% from last year

Maybe now they will really listen to the community instead of pretending too!
No more gimmicks, half truths, and mis-representations! We know more about want we want in the game EA than you do. Give the people want they want not what you think they want.

[Eski33]

The Madden series needs to look at what the NCAA team did. They brought in not only much improved graphics, but atmosphere.

I am a long time Madden fan and it still boggles my mind that they add a feature but instead of building on it they simply remove it. The Extra Point is something that could be outstanding. I thought that after Madden 10 we would have seen a huge presentation lift. Instead, we got Madden 10 with stripped down presentation....

[GoJayzGo]

Re: Madden Sales Down 18% from last year

I'm sure there are alot of gamers such as myself who wait a couple of months before purchasing the game due to the ridiculous amount of game breaking bugs that EA has produced in the last few years. I have not bought Madden as of yet and I doubt that I will as they've continued to ignore franchise mode.

EA has burned me too many times and now I don't buy until I know the game works properly and is actually worth investing my money and time.

[dcsoldier]

The Madden series needs to look at what the NCAA team did. They brought in not only much improved graphics, but atmosphere.

I am a long time Madden fan and it still boggles my mind that they add a feature but instead of building on it they simply remove it. The Extra Point is something that could be outstanding. I thought that after Madden 10 we would have seen a huge presentation lift. Instead, we got Madden 10 with stripped down presentation....

graphics and atmosphere won't cut it anymore......people want a true to life game with exceptional gameplay.....in my blog "graphics over gameplay" i explain how eye candy is short lived and its the gameplay that keeps one playing for years.

[ryan36]

Re: Madden Sales Down 18% from last year

What amazes me about this is how badly people want to play NFL video games year in and year out.

The demand for a quality product is definitely there. But they can't capitalize on it because their offering is so off the mark.

This is akin to a company not being able to sell water in the desert.

We should also realize that with an 18% decline, it's not just the type of people on message boards that are rejecting their product. We're not 18% of their customers. Nope, folks. This is all those people they keep trying to "simplify" the game for that are saying no. Those same people used to say yes.

[RaychelSnr]

graphics and atmosphere won't cut it anymore......people want a true to life game with exceptional gameplay.....in my blog "graphics over gameplay" i explain how eye candy is short lived and its the gameplay that keeps one playing for years.

In today's market, you have to have a realistic and smooth presentation as well as good and well balanced gameplay. If you have both, a game doesn't have to play realistic in the sense of true to life stats in order to be considered realistic. From a psychological point of view, a lot of the gaming experience is believing what you are seeing and a good chunk of us experience a majority of our sports via the TV. The key to a good game is mimicking that delivery with gameplay that's well-balanced (ie neither the defense or offense has a built in advantage due to how the game is played). Of course, that discussion is something I'm saving up for a future Op-Ed for the frontpage at some point

[Bellsprout]

Re: Madden Sales Down 18% from last year

graphics and atmosphere won't cut it anymore......people want a true to life game with exceptional gameplay.....in my blog "graphics over gameplay" i explain how eye candy is short lived and its the gameplay that keeps one playing for years.

If they stuck ESPN logos all over Madden 11 and released it next year as Madden 12 I'm betting it sells a fair bit better.

[dcsoldier]

If they stuck ESPN logos all over Madden 11 and released it next year as Madden 12 I'm betting it sells a fair bit better.

maybe, maybe not....ESPN logos all over the field will not improve the game......thus your casual gamer might say "oh wow espn i must buy now!" but your regular hardcore sim gamer will just look at it and say "another bs gimmick and makeup job to hide the terrible gameplay....thanks but no thanks".

[Bellsprout]

Re: Madden Sales Down 18% from last year

maybe, maybe not....ESPN logos all over the field will not improve the game......thus your casual gamer might say "oh wow espn i must buy now!" but your regular hardcore sim gamer will just look at it and say "another bs gimmick and makeup job to hide the terrible gameplay....thanks but no thanks".

There's a lot more casual gamers than hardcore gamers. Hence the Wii selling like hot cakes.

[TDKing]

Re: Madden Sales Down 18% from last year

This is akin to a company not being able to sell water in the desert.

good one!!!!

[greenieblue]

This was the first year that I owned a system and did not buy Madden. The reasons? NCAA was a very good game and NBA 2K11's release was on the horizon.

Personally, I think this story is unfortunate. EA has pushed (mostly in the 90's and early 2000's) sports games development and innovation and I don't think we would see games like The Show or NBA 2K without their dedication to trying to walk that fine line between sports gamers and sports fans. There have been a lot of ideas borrowed from EA over the years and they have (at the very least) pressured competitors to strive for solid, balanced and innovative games.

That said, I think (having never played Madden 11) NCAA 11 is the best football game ever made.

[dcsoldier]

There's a lot more casual gamers than hardcore gamers. Hence the Wii selling like hot cakes.

well if so they are not buying madden thats for sure.........a casual gamer will not comeback every year to buy the same old football game......hardcore gamers is where the money is.

[edaddy]

Re: Madden Sales Down 18% from last year

In today's market, you have to have a realistic and smooth presentation as well as good and well balanced gameplay. If you have both, a game doesn't have to play realistic in the sense of true to life stats in order to be considered realistic. From a psychological point of view, a lot of the gaming experience is believing what you are seeing and a good chunk of us experience a majority of our sports via the TV. The key to a good game is mimicking that delivery with gameplay that's well-balanced (ie neither the defense or offense has a built in advantage due to how the game is played). Of course, that discussion is something I'm saving up for a future Op-Ed for the frontpage at some point

Man these are sentiments to a tee...I have been preaching for years that sports gamers want immersion more than anything..we want to feel like we are at the game ,playing the game, or watching it on tv..all those elements can be improved presentation wise including multiple camera angles, ridiculous crowd noise and to include all the little nuances that go on in a nfl telecast and nfl stadium..from pregame warmups to real commentary ...etc..Ea is also lacking in the basic nuances of the game of football that hold it back..including things like real penalties that are more than clipping or holding, signature running styles..signature and varied catching styles and animations.. player personalities..pre snap movement..individual team tendencies and realistic play...and creatioing a sim that truly is a chessmatch on the field not who has the fastest players...Ea created this by resting on its laurels and like i have sted before if someone can point out the major differences or improvements between madden 10 and 11 I would love to listen...Sim is the way to go and leave the arcade version to blitz or whatever..etc..follow NBA2K11's lead include everything thing that goes on in a game and madden will be a succcess...remeber 2k11 isnt perfect gameplay wise by any means but the immersion factor, attentio to detail, and presentation makes everyone overlook that fact!!!

[rooney8]

Re: Madden Sales Down 18% from last year

They have already restructured putting someone overlooking each game franchise rather than studio who has to report to the top so they don't have anymore Elite surprises. Bad sales are good news for sim gamers as it doesn't support their targeting the casuals approach.
However, I think some people are a little confused. That article says Madden sales are down 18% for October compared to last year. It did quite well in August and September so is probably up overall. Hopefully this slump will continue through the Christmas months and change the direction of the game.

Publisher Take-Two's titles are seeing strong performance, however: NBA 2K11 sold 1.15 million units in October, twice what the previous installment did last year. Creutz indicates this is, "most impressively, 60 percent more than last October's combined sales for NBA 2K10 and NBA Live 10."

I hope EA realises Nba2k11 success was purely down to it being a great game and a good representation of basketball and that drew in a whole range of fans. More likely they will still go with thinking football fans are more casual about their sport so Nba2k being a successful sim game is just down to basketball having a more hardcore fanbase than football. If anything, I think the opposite is true.

One day the penny will drop with the suits at EA but not on this news.

[RaychelSnr]

Man these are sentiments to a tee...I have been preaching for years that sports gamers want immersion more than anything..we want to feel like we are at the game ,playing the game, or watching it on tv..all those elements can be improved presentation wise including multiple camera angles, ridiculous crowd noise and to include all the little nuances that go on in a nfl telecast and nfl stadium..from pregame warmups to real commentary ...etc..Ea is also lacking in the basic nuances of the game of football that hold it back..including things like real penalties that are more than clipping or holding, signature running styles..signature and varied catching styles and animations.. player personalities..pre snap movement..individual team tendencies and realistic play...and creatioing a sim that truly is a chessmatch on the field not who has the fastest players...Ea created this by resting on its laurels and like i have sted before if someone can point out the major differences or improvements between madden 10 and 11 I would love to listen...Sim is the way to go and leave the arcade version to blitz or whatever..etc..follow NBA2K11's lead include everything thing that goes on in a game and madden will be a succcess...remeber 2k11 isnt perfect gameplay wise by any means but the immersion factor, attentio to detail, and presentation makes everyone overlook that fact!!!

You nailed it. Just make sure your game plays well and balanced and you've got yourself an all time classic if you nail the immersion factor.