Madden NFL 11 News Post

Weak Madden Sales Signaling Trouble for Game Industry

01:22 PM - August 20, 2010 by RaychelSnr

CNBC has the story on Madden's weak sales numbers and it's impact on the industry as a whole. Sounds like a blog coming from yours truly soon.

Quote:


	Just one week after its flagship franchise hit the streets, EA is already seeing retailers dramatically discount this year�s installment of �Madden NFL�. Amazon, Wal Mart, and GameStop have all dropped the price from $60 to $50. One possible way to interpret that is the 2010 version of the game hasn�t been selling at the same pace as the 2009 version (which, incidentally, failed to match the 2008 numbers). That�s troubling, since EA relies heavily on Madden for up to 10 percent of its annual revenues. Admittedly, there were concerns about this year�s game prior to its launch. Pre-orders were flat and Colin Sebastian, an analyst with Lazard Capital Markets, noted that the 2010 installment was �a �show-me� story � People who are tired of what �Madden� has become are saying �I know some of my fiends are going to pick it up and I�ll see what they have to say first.'�

Game: Madden NFL 11Reader Score: 6/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS3 / Xbox 360Votes for game: 96 - View All

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Member Comments

# 141 HiTEqMETHOD @ 08/21/10 01:46 PM

*Crosses fingers in hopes 2k will soon be making an NFL game*

# 142 marshallfever @ 08/21/10 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by markprior22


	This is the first year I wasn't even the least bit tempted to buy Madden. I am an offline franchise player and the franchise mode is going to need quite an upgrade to pull me back in.

I completely agree with you on this. As much as i enjoy gaming online with other people, i feel like the true beast of past maddens were their franchise mode. It gave us an interesting look and feel to the game. I remember NFL 2K5 very vividly for their weekly preparations. It wasn't the most innovate thing, but it was certainly interesting.

Having a certain time to train certain players and to rehab others so they could come back earlier...it was that sort of thing that gave the game leg to me. Madden after the last generation has fallen off completely when it came to franchise mode. Instead of catering to the mode, they introduced another half baked mode called Super Star mode.

I want some to do in franchise mode again. I want to have mandatory practices where i run over plans with the team for certain game situations, i don't care to much about managing ticket prices but i want to be able to rehab players and work certain players who i think have potential out.

The on the field stuff is moving in the right direction which is a plus but it is still sort of far from perfection. The gang tackling is a joke and thats one of the biggest aspect of football, the team getting together to make tackles.

I'm not surprised at the low sales, until they show something that knocks people off and shows them how different it is from the previous versions, its not going to excite a lot of people.

Quote:

Originally Posted by HiTEqMETHOD


	Crosses fingers in hopes 2k will soon be making an NFL game

As much as i loved 2K5, they've been out of the game too long to make an EXCELLENT football game. I thought All Pro was pretty bland. It did everything 2K5 did but it was dated and didn't feel new or exciting. Then again like it's been mentioned before they only worked on the game for a very limited time, something like 8 months or so.

If they did get back into the game, it would require at LEAST 2 years for them to make a worth while game.

# 143 BDM313 @ 08/21/10 02:05 PM

good news now its time to step it up and pull the hardcore gamers back in EA:-)...

# 144 PGaither84 @ 08/21/10 02:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grunt


	Do you think Madden 11 will outsell Madden 10?

I think it will, not by a wide margin, but it will. People around here still think Madden 10 sold worse than 09 becasue they like to ignore facts. Madden 10 had a slow start, but after the holiday season it surpased 09's sales. The linked article even admits it really has ZERO hard data. The whole thing is an opinion piece with links to stock prices, "on sale" ads, and meta critic.

# 145 rooney8 @ 08/21/10 02:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grunt


	Do you think Madden 11 will outsell Madden 10?

I sense a bet coming on.

# 146 roadman @ 08/21/10 03:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grunt


	Do you think Madden 11 will outsell Madden 10?

Not sure at this point.

I would think it would hover around 10's sales.

# 147 steelersfan7 @ 08/21/10 04:34 PM

I passed this year on madden also, Im lovin NCAA 11. I"ll wait till I could get it for about $30 in a few months.

# 148 CS10029 @ 08/21/10 04:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by metallicatz


	All the flimsy correlations between lagging sales and supposed "poor quality" are amusing. Madden 11 and NCAA 11 are among the best, if not THE best, football games ever made by EA (or by anybody). The software industry is down across the board, as are numbers for almost every industry based purely on recreation and discretionary income. This is the worst economy since the Great Depression. So yeah....sales will be down. Believe it or not, the VAST majority of Madden buyers don't hang out on message boards whining about video games all day every day trying to pick it apart. Sorry to rain on the haters' parade, but the down economy is pretty much all it amounts to.

I'm so sick of the "haters gonna hate" crap. Come on get over it, I played Madden 11, it is not enough of an improvement. Simple as that, and to throw people on this board under the bus, when you obviously visit this site too, is just comical. People pick apart games for a reason, if they have problems...

# 149 Eski33 @ 08/21/10 04:55 PM

All EA needs to do is look at the NCAA 11 team. These guys looked at what people wanted and they provided.

1) Improved visuals
2) Dynamic lighting
3) Team-specific entrances
4) Tons of uniform options
5) Improved gameplay (run blocking made the game fun again)
6) Rejuvenated Online Dynasty with the addition of the ability to check your OD online

There is still room to improve in the presentation department. A highlight show and improved length of replays is much needed but the game is downright sick...

Madden is a solid game but it removed many features that gamers were looking to see EA build upon (Extra Point is one of them). Not to mention that with the only NFL game in town, why aren't classic jerseys, teams and stadiums better represented?

# 150 Fiasco West @ 08/21/10 04:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BSB215


	Looks like alot of people on here completely missed the point of the article. Not about gameplay issues or catering to this type of fan or that type of fan. It's about price. $60 a game is just too da** much especially in this economy and for a game that comes out year after year. There's no point to buying these games every year at that price anymore. And with all the license garbage they cut down on competition. All of that is a death blow to sports gaming. Slowly but surely this industry is dying.

$60 isn't too much for games.

You say it's not about gameplay yet later say in this post.

Quote:


	There's no point to buying these games every year at that price anymore.

There isn't a point in buying a game for that price when it is similar to the same thing you bought last year. It's like buying a high end computer....then next year buying the same computer but with a slightly better video card for more...hardly anyone does that.

You say it's not gameplay yet I can say (and reading through these threads) that I will not be buying the game because they have ignored Franchise mode. That is why I am not buying the game...I have 60 bucks right now, I could go out and get the game right now...Or I could instead buy another game I might enjoy or hold look forward to Fifa 11.

I'm sure the economy has to do with sales. But in the end it just means people are harder to part with their money and are more picky. Which means the game just has to be better and prove it is worth the $60.

# 151 inkcil @ 08/21/10 04:57 PM

Bottom line for me as someone who likes choices (including choices in pro-sports licened games), I hope this is a glimpse of good news and is somehow an indicator that having multiple choices of a NFL branded game will soon return to the gaming community...

# 152 mrprice33 @ 08/21/10 04:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by metallicatz


	All the flimsy correlations between lagging sales and supposed "poor quality" are amusing. Madden 11 and NCAA 11 are among the best, if not THE best, football games ever made by EA (or by anybody). The software industry is down across the board, as are numbers for almost every industry based purely on recreation and discretionary income. This is the worst economy since the Great Depression. So yeah....sales will be down. Believe it or not, the VAST majority of Madden buyers don't hang out on message boards whining about video games all day every day trying to pick it apart. Sorry to rain on the haters' parade, but the down economy is pretty much all it amounts to.

While I think you are right, there is also something else to it, as there has been this rising tide of seeming unhappiness at the Madden franchise, while other franchises which have remained just as stagnant gameplay-wise (I'm looking at you, NBA 2k) have flourished.

I think it's safe to say that gameplay alone doesn't sell. As brilliant as the 2k games were, they never approached Madden's sales (except for 2k5 which was very aggressively priced and marketed, and might have cost 2k the shot at the exclusive license). Backbreaker (although I vehemently disagree with any notion that this is a good game) has sold about 70 thousand copies in 11 weeks (bottoming out last week at a little over 1 thousand combined). NHL 11 (a game which is on-ice better than madden is on-field) sold less than a million units combined as well.

What the people want seem to be the big flashy features (Jordan mode in nba 2k11) and what has been presented so far (gameflow, locomotion, extra point, etc) haven't come up to that level. I think if we've learned anything from the past few years, it's that people don't take kindly to the iterative process of sports gaming (just look at the UFC franchise, which went from darling to dud in about a year) and a different approach might be needed to really capture the attention of the gaming landscape. One thing to note, though, is that if a game like Madden went to every 2 years, they'd have to do about 7 million units in those on years to justify the loss of sales in the off years. I don't think EA would be willing to take that risk, if they were even allowed to do so (which most say they aren't).

So where does that leave us? It seems to me like every few years there will be a watershed Madden which leaves us all amazed (2005 was the last one) and most years in between will be little nips and tucks. NCAA 11 seemed to just have its first watershed game since the 2004 game, so the hope is that Madden will have that experience for us next year.

# 153 mrprice33 @ 08/21/10 05:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clutch masta


	madden is nowhere near a 9 rating.Why are people so bias?

If a reviewer believes that the game deserves a 9, where is this supposed bias?

# 154 PRAY IV M3RCY @ 08/21/10 05:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by metallicatz


	All the flimsy correlations between lagging sales and supposed "poor quality" are amusing. Madden 11 and NCAA 11 are among the best, if not THE best, football games ever made by EA (or by anybody). The software industry is down across the board, as are numbers for almost every industry based purely on recreation and discretionary income. This is the worst economy since the Great Depression. So yeah....sales will be down. Believe it or not, the VAST majority of Madden buyers don't hang out on message boards whining about video games all day every day trying to pick it apart. Sorry to rain on the haters' parade, but the down economy is pretty much all it amounts to.

Please, and of course ea is going to have the best football game out. They got rid of all of their competition by having an exclusive license for NFL, NCAA and ARENA. It would be really sad if 5 years later after getting the nfl license that ea didnt have the best football game out

# 155 stlstudios189 @ 08/21/10 05:22 PM

before I jump in does anyone know what NCAA sales were compared to last year? That game made a huge jump from the year before quality wise. I hosted a Madden tourney this year at my house and most of the players had not purchased the game yet but after the tourney 3 guys went out and bought the game. I think it's been a little poor economy a little past poor quality and a little bit of people waiting to spend the $$. I usually get Madden and Raw vs. Smackdown every year but, this year with $$ tight I will bypass RAW and hope I get it for xmas.

# 156 mrprice33 @ 08/21/10 05:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PRAY IV M3RCY


	Please, and of course ea is going to have the best football game out. They got rid of all of their competition by having an exclusive license for NFL, NCAA and ARENA. It would be really sad if 5 years later after getting the nfl license that ea didnt have the best football game out

I'm not sure what you're arguing here. Do you mean best football game ever or just this year?

Sent from my HTC EVO 4G using Tapatalk.

# 157 mrprice33 @ 08/21/10 05:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stlstudios189


	before I jump in does anyone know what NCAA sales were compared to last year? That game made a huge jump from the year before quality wise. I hosted a Madden tourney this year at my house and most of the players had not purchased the game yet but after the tourney 3 guys went out and bought the game. I think it's been a little poor economy a little past poor quality and a little bit of people waiting to spend the $$. I usually get Madden and Raw vs. Smackdown every year but, this year with $$ tight I will bypass RAW and hope I get it for xmas.

Per vgchartz through 5 weeks:

NCAA 10-ps3 300,011
360-454,643

11-ps3 306,433
360 384,384

Total- 2010 754,654
2011- 690,817

They are down 8%.

Sent from my HTC EVO 4G using Tapatalk.

# 158 knickstorm @ 08/21/10 06:07 PM

??? i checked amazon, gamestop, walmart, the game's not 50, it's still 60

# 159 Fiasco West @ 08/21/10 06:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by metallicatz


	All the flimsy correlations between lagging sales and supposed "poor quality" are amusing. Madden 11 and NCAA 11 are among the best, if not THE best, football games ever made by EA (or by anybody). The software industry is down across the board, as are numbers for almost every industry based purely on recreation and discretionary income. This is the worst economy since the Great Depression. So yeah....sales will be down. Believe it or not, the VAST majority of Madden buyers don't hang out on message boards whining about video games all day every day trying to pick it apart. Sorry to rain on the haters' parade, but the down economy is pretty much all it amounts to.

No, it's not all on the Economy either.

COD:MW2 sold more units last year than any game in 2001. Was the Economy so horrible then? The Economy is the reason, yet COD can move units like it does. This was a time when games were 10 bucks cheaper too. IMO that says people are willing to pay for the game, even if a new COD game comes out every year. People are willing to shell out the bucks for it.

So to me, it's not all on the economy. At the same time anyone would be foolish to say the economy has no effect...but I think it's equally foolish to think the gameplay and how there are no major improvements from year to year has nothing to do with it.

I think the Economy has just made people more cautious. Any ways we'll see, Madden hasn't been out long enough to decide...but the user reviews for the game are not good.

# 160 avok23 @ 08/21/10 06:26 PM

FIFA has always been EA's flag ship franchise and until it suffers they dont really have a problem.

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