EA Gets Five Year Exclusive Deal For NFL Games. There's No Stopping The Monster.

Looks like were stuck with Madden.

>>>Five-year contract gives EA sole rights to the NFL, including teams, players, and stadiums. Take-Two reacts, calling it a "tremendous disservice to the consumers."<<<

They have effectivly destroyed all the football game competition. Were going to be stuck with EA's way of making NFL games. ESPN NFL is now dead. Good move for them but bad for us. EA no longer needs to try to make a competitive product.

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I'd like to go back in time and emotionally destroy the person that encouraged Will Wright to make The Sims and all it's expansion packs.
It's just going way too far, EA is becoming a gigantic canabalistic genatinous publising monster, 50p says that in 10 years time, 90% of all games will have that god-awful Challenge Everything slogan tacked on the front of it.

 

That's a shame because ea games suck!

 

If it were FIFA I would have cared, but really NFL?

But anyway I believe SoloCommand is right, EA will eventually publish everything. Except maybe first party games then a videogame crash will happen again and everybody will be sad

 

Is this really a big deal? The other companies can still make American Football games surely, just not use the real names? Pro Evolution Soccer has been doing that for years while FIFA used the real stuff and Pro Evo games have always been the best soccer games. The other companies just need to stick an edit mode in there to let players change names.

 

It's a huge deal. ESPN was keeping EA on their toes. They had managed to take some of EA's market share. Which encouraged EA to make a better Madden. The average gamer is now going to go with the licensed game so they can play as their favorite team/player. Theres a reason that the college games don't make as much as the NFL games. Whats next? Hockey?

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I guess they got scared when someone else actually made a better football game than Madden. Apparently, this just cannot be allowed to continue. So, instead of putting in more effort to make their game better next year, they just take out the competition.

Way to go, EA! I'm looking forward to the day when you finally rule the videogame kingdom with an iron fist, and this was yet another step towards your benevolent goal.



Okay, maybe I'm exagerrating slightly, but still...

 

Yeah, I'm not suprised at all at this move. EA is no doubt going to gobble up the rights to all other major sports you can make a video game out of in the next couple of years. They've already done it with the NASCAR series, driving Papyrus out of that market when Papyrus' NASCAR games were 100x better then EA's. It's really sad when you think of the impact a decision like this will have.

 

EA is the Microsoft/Wal-Mart of the game industry.

 

This is a huge deal for the NFL videogames, regardless if you're a fan of EA or not. Most of the pro-EA/anti-Sega gamers are exclaiming "Who cares, death to Sega", while those with the blinders off (Even those of us who prefer Sega/VC/ESPN Videogames) can see that there will be zero competition in official NFL games now.....And that sucks. I have preferred the Sega brand sports games (Well, for NHL & NFL, the only 2 I really play) over EA's since the 2K series were born on the Dreamcast, but I've always given EA their fair shake. Now, though, I will not. That means no more Tiger Woods for me either. It's time to speak with the wallet, even if EA won't feel the impact in their giant coffers of $$.


[image=http://img98.exs.cx/img98/8046/easportsmonopoly9lj.jpg]

 

Oh no not the sports games!

I do agree that EA sees to be a bit evil, but at least they didn't take over a more entertaining genre of games, or one that I actually like. Don't get me wrong sports are cool, but I would much rather play them than play them.

 

at least they didn't take over a more entertaining genre of games

God help us if they get exclusive rights to FPS games. Their contributions to that genre rarely escape the lacklustre, mediocre, derivative gaming dog pile.

 

Oh so true Solo.
Sad but true.

Did they not have a hand in the latest 007 debacle?
Lets not forget that jem of a game, Catwomen! Don't everyone jump at once, there are plenty left in the cheap bins! Take your time, Christmas is still 10 days away.

 

God help us if they get exclusive rights to FPS games

That's not even possible.

And nothing is stopping the other ones from making football games. They just can't use NFL players and Logos. Yea we all agree that it would be a hard sell for anyone making one but they can still do it. A FPS is a whole different Animal. Companies will aways beable to make them.


The only chance EA would have to control something like that would be to sign some kind of agreement with the game system companies to only allow them to make games for their system.

 

Such shortmindedness. Madden is the best series of Football games perioid. Even ESPN's own football shows used Madden as playguides.

 

I thought ESPN was the most overrated Football game anyway. And the fact that its snapped in half, proves it. This is good and bad, because as many have pointed out, EA wont have anymore stiff competition. Now, I don't believe they'll get lazy, but does this mean we'll get a Madden 2006 thats very good, but could have been better? Yes.

It's also good, because the article on ESPN boasts that EA will have access to all these kickass NFL Films music and videos and such.

 

As much as I haven't cared for the Sega games, this sucks. I remember when NBA Live was pretty much the only game and how lazy EA got with it. I'd hate to see that happen with Madden and the lack of competition will certainly make it a possibility.

The good part is this gives Microsoft some time to get NFL Fever up to a competitive level.

 

So they have joined forces with His Hornedness. Interesting.

 

Well if there was ever any doubt before now it's official. The ESPN games are now officially dead.

EA gets exclusive deal for the AFL.

Electronic Arts, ESPN hook up in exclusive 15-year deal.

Sega Sports and Visual Concepts just got served. A 15 year exclusive is just crazy.

Ubisoft is not to far off from being royaly screwed by EA aswell.

EA is even trying for a NBA exclusive deal aswell.

An EA console can't be to far away. Imagine what kind of damage they could do if all their games became exclusives on their own console. Just look how much Madden makes alone.

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My gawd, 15 years? You'd have to be an idiot to sign a deal like that. Who knows where technology will be in 15 years.

 

Fifteen years is three entire console cycles(historically most consoles last ~5 years before their successors are released). Holy crap.

And every time they're asked(most recently in EGM, IIRC), EA has said that they won't risk going into the hardware business. Obviously they're well-off enough selling just software.

 

I now officially hate EA

 

Has EA ever even made a good game?