NBA 2k18 was the 2nd best selling game of 2017
https://venturebeat.com/2018/01/18/n...s-of-the-year/
The game clearly has mass appeal. An NBA game that came out in September at number 2! Not only does it have mass appeal (casuals), but it is also deep enough to satisfy hardcore "sim" heads as well as franchise types like myself and any and everything in between. My Park and Pro Am and My Team are the most popular modes, as is the industry standard, still there's something for everyone. I firmly believe that's why an NBA is doing unprecedented numbers.
I hate how people talk like these things are mutually exclusive. They are not, you can do both and still be a commercial smash. I'm not stupid enough to believe that having a sandbox MyLeague is the reason. But it doesn't hurt. Neither does having a story driven MyGM. It doesn't hurt, though. Having Czar and Scot OG designing the offense and defense, respectively isn't the reason. It doesn't hurt though. Then having Sam Pham "exploit" on aspect or the other and having them catch up. It only adds to the end product at the end of the day.
Madden is 4th, so its not struggling. Their model is successful as well. That's why I see very little reason for them to change things up. You can see from 2Ks basketball comp that the companies are just different philosophically. They tout "engines" and tech like infinity and ignite ( and living worlds), I remember "bounce-tek" for one of the Lives, and now Frostbite. It's not innovative. Madden is a good enough game even without innovating much yearly to stand on its own. NFL is king. The other game can't, so it died and is still struggling because of the snails pace they innovate.