Don't Expect a Change in the NFL License Status Quo

[Number999]

Re: Don't Expect a Change in the NFL License Status Quo

Sigh, not the happiest to hear that a change is unlikely but can't say I'm all that shocked. The shame is nothing realistically can be done, sure boycotting the game may diminish the sale records a bit but since EA mainly focuses on casual gamers it won't matter. After the SimCity disaster, I just hope NFL eventually come to their senses and make it an open license, yep it's unlikely and it probably won't ever happen but what's wrong with hoping.

[Crimsontide27]

Why in the world would the NFL, a multi-billion dollar organization who has shown its ruthless when it comes to business decisions, agree to a lower deal than what was paid in 2004?? If anything they would be looking for a bigger deal. The NFL does not care about EA's financial troubles, they care about the NFL's bottom dollar, if EA doesnt agree to their terms its on to the next highest bidder. Don't assume just because Take Two and EA are the only main sports game publishers that they would be the only bidders either. Activision Bizzard, Ubisoft, and Square Enix have just as much capital as those two and have all been known to bid on high profile franchises, not to mention the big 3 (Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo). How much do you think Msoft would pay to make NFL games exclusive to the Xbox?

Lets keep in mind that EA was not the highest bidder for the last contract, but in fact had the highest bid for a company that had previously released a football game and already had market proliferation. There is a big difference there.

$400m up front for the contract was just too good to turn down by the NFL. They used to get a flat % per game sold, but when you arer offered that much plus interest, only a fool would turn that away.

I personally dont feel that EA can offer up anywhere near that amount of $$$ to get another contract, and feel the NFL may be able to go back to a % based amount with multiple companies able to release games, versus the exclusive route. It all depends on how much the NFL is willing to sell itself for. Im not aware of any other companies that would be willing to make a NFL game if they even had to put up $100M up front because thats a huge risk and will take years to recoup that investment.

[roadman]

Re: Don't Expect a Change in the NFL License Status Quo

Lets keep in mind that EA was not the highest bidder for the last contract, but in fact had the highest bid for a company that had previously released a football game and already had market proliferation. There is a big difference there.

$400m up front for the contract was just too good to turn down by the NFL. They used to get a flat % per game sold, but when you arer offered that much plus interest, only a fool would turn that away.

I personally dont feel that EA can offer up anywhere near that amount of $$$ to get another contract, and feel the NFL may be able to go back to a % based amount with multiple companies able to release games, versus the exclusive route. It all depends on how much the NFL is willing to sell itself for. Im not aware of any other companies that would be willing to make a NFL game if they even had to put up $100M up front because thats a huge risk and will take years to recoup that investment.

I agree for the most part Crimson, but I feel that the NFL won't break up their exclusive buisiness model and remain partners with EA at an agreed upon cost.

I would loved to be proved wrong.

[SageInfinite]

Re: Don't Expect a Change in the NFL License Status Quo

At this stage in the game a non exclusive will hurt football gaming for a few years before it gets better. Madden 13 showed EAs willingness to finally listen to its gamers with the new physics engine. Lets not lose this momentum. I hope for another long term exclusivity deal. I'm loving the direction we are going.

I am........

[illiterateoption]

I have wasted so much money and time to convince myself, "Hey, Madden (NCAA) is decent this year" only to go back to my copies of 2k8 and 2k5. I don't care about 2k vs EA, but the fact is that when I play 2K games there's swag, fun, and football and modes that work as advertised. I own Madden 12/13 and NCAA 12/13. I know that Madden 13, when tweaked with sliders adjustments, can be an ok football game..NCAA 13 is an absolute freeze fest....but when I can pop in 2K8 and feel like "i'm home" with a football game, a 7 year old football game, something terribly wrong. EA hasn't given us one complete football game this entire generation. It's telling that when I want to play a franchise mode, transitioning from 2k8 to Madden 13, I have to lower my expectations from a gameplay standpoint and shrug off certain things (footwork/planting, qb animations, individuality, atmosphere, etc.) to get through a game...it's 2013.

Just imagine, 2K8 with a franchise mode and character development (players, coaches, franchise history), and a little APFL league history behind it, and 1-patch to adjust the speed differential between DL and other positions, honestly, I wouldn't care about the NFL License and or Madden. I've given enough. Games like Bioshock, Gears of War, etc., they aren't based on much more than fantasy, why as sports gamers do we care so much about the licensing instead of working from a blank canvas and building your team, your way? Isn't that why many here, like myself, miss the old PS2 NCAA series when you could get into recruiting and build your school, your way, with players you want to build with...fictional players.

[balcobomber25]

The NFL lowered the last liscense agreement, didn't they?

So, you don't think negotiations ever take place? NFL offers one price, EA counters with another? I'd say that is pure speculation that the NFL doesn't care about EA's financial troubles. They currently are business partners. They have established a relationship. Businesses extend discounts a lot in the business world to their business partners. It's not all black and white, I'm sure there are other considerations to factor into the equation.

John Madden is also an advisor to the NFL. As I stated earlier, if people feel that Goodell and company will kick John Madden to the curb, not positive that would happen.

We'll see in the coming year.

Bottom line, I hope it doesn't come down to one bidder, I hope it's an open liscense and bring in more competition, but the NFL chooses exclusive business models

The NFL agreed to a year extension at a discounted rate with all of its exclusive licensing companies that had expiring contracts because of something major that was about to happen: The Lockout. If they agreed to huge deals it would have drove up the value of the NFL revenue causing the players to seek even more money from the owners. Roger is a businessman first and foremost. Roger's biggest thing is exclusive partners with the NFL, and those often go to whoever is the highest bidder. At the end of the day in pro sports its all about the bottom dollar. Roger works for the NFL owners, the owners care more about their bottom dollar than John Madden. That's just the way it works.

[balcobomber25]

At this stage in the game a non exclusive will hurt football gaming for a few years before it gets better. Madden 13 showed EAs willingness to finally listen to its gamers with the new physics engine. Lets not lose this momentum. I hope for another long term exclusivity deal. I'm loving the direction we are going.

Thats quite possibly the worst argument I have ever heard. Madden 13 was so much better because sales for Madden 12 and Madden 11 were down from what they were projected. The greatest innovation comes with competition.

[cuttingteeth]

Re: Don't Expect a Change in the NFL License Status Quo

You know...the funniest, most ironic thing is realizing that EA has had competition this whole time. They've competed with themselves year after year by changing the game constantly to try and be better than the previous game...and they didn't even have to. All they had to do was actually listen to their fans or pay attention to their own projects to see what works, what doesn't, what should be fixed, what should be left alone and so on.

If a true, other competitor game developer starts making football games, then the results for EA should be expected as nothing less than chaotic.

[roadman]

Re: Don't Expect a Change in the NFL License Status Quo

The NFL agreed to a year extension at a discounted rate with all of its exclusive licensing companies that had expiring contracts because of something major that was about to happen: The Lockout. If they agreed to huge deals it would have drove up the value of the NFL revenue causing the players to seek even more money from the owners. Roger is a businessman first and foremost. Roger's biggest thing is exclusive partners with the NFL, and those often go to whoever is the highest bidder. At the end of the day in pro sports its all about the bottom dollar. Roger works for the NFL owners, the owners care more about their bottom dollar than John Madden. That's just the way it works.

I'll gladly agree to disagree at this point, no use going back and forth.

They already have a decades worth of establishing a business relationship and most businesses stick with their customers.

It's my belief that EA and the NFL will negotiate until a deal get's done.

I'd love to be proven wrong and will be the first to admit it.

[KBLover]

Re: Don't Expect a Change in the NFL License Status Quo

All Pro Football 2K8 was considered a good but not great game, and the expectations for sports gaming and football games are even higher now. 2K Sports simply isn't in a position to make the jump to new hardware AND build a new football engine that could compete with Madden all within one year at this point. NFL 2K5 was an outstanding game for it's time, but it's also easy to recognize that the gameplay in 2K football is well behind Madden in most respects today.

Really? An 8-year old game can't keep up with a soon-to-be released game? I don't think that really says a lot.

And what part of the engine that Madden has is all that difficult to replicate? Other football games had hitboxes long before the hitbox engine, er, Infinity Engine came into being. Madden was the only engine that had the level of sliding/clipping/suction that it did.

The ability to mutate routes to the degree M13 let's you shouldn't even be in the game (it's not football) which is probably why other games didn't have it as much as any technological limitations.

Anything else seems like every other football game I've played. The only difference is the graphics, not the football.

[KBLover]

Re: Don't Expect a Change in the NFL License Status Quo

Thats quite possibly the worst argument I have ever heard. Madden 13 was so much better because sales for Madden 12 and Madden 11 were down from what they were projected. The greatest innovation comes with competition.

The greatest innovation comes from creators with vision. I, again, point to OOTP competing in a space with...um...what's another current text baseball sim that has a significant following?

Competition gives consumers choices, but it's not always a choice between a bunch of greatly increasing quality at decreasing prices. Sometimes, it's a choice between the original and clones 1 to 10 with "innovations" that try to make themselves look better, but are still basically clones of *insert popular game from popular genre here* <insert popular="" game="" in="" genre="" here="">- all at the same price.

Am I saying competition would do nothing? No. But it seems like it's said as if it's this magical thing that always makes things better and cheaper.

You still need people with vision and talent. And that's just the product side. There's a lot of consumer behavior to deal with as well. Brand loyalty, "it's cheaper so it must suck", etc.</insert>

[pietasterp]

Re: Don't Expect a Change in the NFL License Status Quo

Am I saying competition would do nothing? No. But it seems like it's said as if it's this magical thing that always makes things better and cheaper.

Competition is not the magical panacea and it doesn't guarantee improved consumer experiences. But the lack of competition is a guarantee of lack of innovation (at least, lack of innovation at the level it could be had there been competing products).

[moose616]

Re: Don't Expect a Change in the NFL License Status Quo

SCEA should jump on making a generic football game. They could EASILY put out a respectable product. Gamers just need a second option. If the second option is even a little good, people will flock as it grows its reputation.

I've been playing The Show for years and it continues to set the bar for sports video games each and every time.

Hey Ramone

[roadman]

Re: Don't Expect a Change in the NFL License Status Quo

SCEA should jump on making a generic football game. They could EASILY put out a respectable product. Gamers just need a second option. If the second option is even a little good, people will flock as it grows its reputation.

I've been playing The Show for years and it continues to set the bar for sports video games each and every time.

Hey Ramone

Yep, Kolbe from The Show came over to Madden, so, we are hoping that Kolbe brings some of The Show logic into Madden.

[balcobomber25]

Lets keep in mind that EA was not the highest bidder for the last contract, but in fact had the highest bid for a company that had previously released a football game and already had market proliferation. There is a big difference there.

$400m up front for the contract was just too good to turn down by the NFL. They used to get a flat % per game sold, but when you arer offered that much plus interest, only a fool would turn that away.

I personally dont feel that EA can offer up anywhere near that amount of $$$ to get another contract, and feel the NFL may be able to go back to a % based amount with multiple companies able to release games, versus the exclusive route. It all depends on how much the NFL is willing to sell itself for. Im not aware of any other companies that would be willing to make a NFL game if they even had to put up $100M up front because thats a huge risk and will take years to recoup that investment.

No one was aware that Take Two was going to be the biggest bidder for the WWE franchise, despite never making a wrestling game in the past. The WWE license is just as big of a commitment financially, if not more than the NFL's. I could see companies paying upwards of $100m for the chance at the NFL license. The NFL name sells itself, people will buy just about anything associated with the NFL name in record numbers, just take a look at Madden 12...