Operation Sports Forums - View Single Post - OS Roundtable: Can a College Basketball Game Succeed in 2011?

whittleboy615 · 04-11-2011, 07:00 PM

I don't think the 2-year dev cycle would work very well. It seems like one of the biggest expenses for NCAA games is the cost of the NCAA license. Since they pay for the licensing in advance, it would make more sense to release a game every year to maximize time-sensitive profits. Its also questionable that a stand-alone, $15 downloadble game could make enough money to justify the cost of the license.

I like the idea of the January release date for a College Hoops game. EA tried this with MM 07 and failed miserably. However, they didn't have a record-selling NBA 2K11 (or a decent gameplay engine) to use as a marketing tool. In addition, they probably lost a portion of sales to people who bought CH 2K7 at release and then didn't need a second CBB game in January.

Another thing that most people overlook is the Sam Keller/Ed O'Bannon lawsuit. I really don't think we are going to see a new NCAA game until that is settled. EA removed all 65+ of their classic teams from NCAA Basketball 10 in fear of having to give up its profits. Game companies are actually taking those suits seriously.

04-11-2011, 07:00 PM	#23
whittleboy615 Pro OVR: 16 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Omaha, NE	Re: OS Roundtable: Can a College Basketball Game Succeed in 2011? I don't think the 2-year dev cycle would work very well. It seems like one of the biggest expenses for NCAA games is the cost of the NCAA license. Since they pay for the licensing in advance, it would make more sense to release a game every year to maximize time-sensitive profits. Its also questionable that a stand-alone, $15 downloadble game could make enough money to justify the cost of the license. I like the idea of the January release date for a College Hoops game. EA tried this with MM 07 and failed miserably. However, they didn't have a record-selling NBA 2K11 (or a decent gameplay engine) to use as a marketing tool. In addition, they probably lost a portion of sales to people who bought CH 2K7 at release and then didn't need a second CBB game in January. Another thing that most people overlook is the Sam Keller/Ed O'Bannon lawsuit. I really don't think we are going to see a new NCAA game until that is settled. EA removed all 65+ of their classic teams from NCAA Basketball 10 in fear of having to give up its profits. Game companies are actually taking those suits seriously.