[SoxFan01605]

Quote: Originally Posted by rudyjuly2

I think one of the problems sports games face today is the feeling that the games aren't changing fast enough. That MLB 2K12 will be MLB 2K11.5. Same goes for the Show. Putting the same guy on the cover adds fuel to that fire. Baseball sales for both games really dropped off this past year. They both need to do whatever it takes to convince people that their new game is great AND much better/different than the prior version. In the past EA used a name change from Triple Play to MVP to convince people their new game was better and worth getting. Marketing is important.

I don't think anybody denies the importance of marketing. Of course, I can't speak for anyone else, but when I say "it doesn't matter" I'm talking in terms of actual user experience and as a counter to the ridiculous emotional response this stuff generates here. IMO, for a place full of people that covet being thought of as discerning gamers, people should start using more discernment.

Now, as for the marketing angle itself, I have no issue. If the sole point being made (as you are doing now) is based on that then I have no disagreement. Specifically related to 2K, if the argument is that their marketing has generally been terrible for this franchise, I also have no disagreement...I've been saying the same for years.

That said though, I also don't believe that most people who hop on here ranting about cover athletes are ultimately concerned with a company's marketing success (unless everyone here owns stock in one of these companies...which I doubt).

I just don't see the disappointed reactions stemming from a thought of "oh no, I sure hope Company X picked a guy that will help their sales." It seems to stem more from "my guy didn't make it" or a baseless belief that the cover somehow affects product quality.

So, while it does indeed affect marketing, my question to someone who gets overly emotional about this crap would be "why do you care?" Marketing is a fine argument for why Sony or 2K or EA should care, but it's a cop-out for why someone feels justified in railing about a game because their favorite didn't make the cover or by making dramatic "...or else" type statements as though a company should feel threatened by choosing "wrong."