So, as you well know, EA have the rights to the NFL. 2K Games have the rights to Major League
Baseball. (Sort of.) And never the twain shall meet.
So what do the companies plan to do? Well 2K Games seems to be planning some sort of NFL legends game, having
approached various hall of famers. As for EA, they're apparently looking at producing a college baseball game. It
sounds like the plan was to include college ball in MVP, but with that out the window, they're going all out on a
college only game.
What this means is that maybe, just maybe, if you can get past your need for an actual license, and realise that
gameplay matters, the sporting world may not be coming to an end. The piece also mentions the upcoming Midway football
title, Blitz, that is looking crude, violent, and certainly the most interesting arcade football game in years.
Perhaps, despite the cries of doom at the time, the next few years may turn out to be quite interesting after all,
when it comes to sports titles.
Reader Comments (15)
Posted: Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM (Unverified) said
So...the people who were angry at EA for getting the NFL license should be fuming that 2K has MLB exclusive right too...right?
Posted: Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM (Unverified) said
I think we'd rather just see nobody with exclusive licenses actually. (not that I was a fumer... it is business after all). But hey maybe all this exclusivity will have an unexpected positive impact - freeing up some developer brain power to come up with imaginative takes on sports, instead of using that brain to figure out how to make the game more realistic.
Bring back Mutant League!!!!
Bring back Mutant League!!!!
Posted: Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM (Unverified) said
The people who don't like EA having the NFL license and the people who ever would have bought a new Madden in the first place are a microscopic group of people. Most people who don't like EA's move are non-sports-gamers. Most people who are sports gamers live only for Madden and wouldn't mind if EA ate their first born child so long as they got a new game every year with marginally improved graphics and identical gameplay.
Posted: Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM (Unverified) said
Mutant League would definitely be a hit if they released a new version!
Posted: Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM (Unverified) said
The point here is...
College Baseball!
College Baseball!
Posted: Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM (Unverified) said
Cyberball is the game they should be focusing. There was nothing better than using your high priced safety to literally destroy your friend's super quick QB.
If that game was done correctly on a next gen system, it would be awesome.
If that game was done correctly on a next gen system, it would be awesome.
Posted: Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM (Unverified) said
I personally side with the Editor, JDH, and Cyberball... gameplay matters and need not be licensed.
OtakuCODE is right, though... sports nuts NEED the license and want to play as their favorite stars.
Why should it be exclusive, though? Mac OS on an Intel, Sonic on Nintendo... why don't these professional sports franchises charge less for the license and allow more companies to develop. I want to choose from 20 NFL games and get the best one; not just buy EA's cause they have the license.
OtakuCODE is right, though... sports nuts NEED the license and want to play as their favorite stars.
Why should it be exclusive, though? Mac OS on an Intel, Sonic on Nintendo... why don't these professional sports franchises charge less for the license and allow more companies to develop. I want to choose from 20 NFL games and get the best one; not just buy EA's cause they have the license.
Posted: Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM (Unverified) said
I don't know if its ever been addressed, but what about the fans of the MVP franchise that are PC users? Will the 2K Franchise port the series on the PC, or were the PC users just given the shaft?
Posted: Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM (Unverified) said
#3 - people like you piss me off. You're talking out of your ass, and have no idea what you're saying.
I'm a big sports gamer. I'm a big Madden guy. I certainly liked Madden better than the NFL 2k* series, though the graphics were definitely better on the later.
That said, I'm extremely pissed that EA has an exclusive NFL license. I think ALL such exclusive licenses are a load of BS. The reason? It takes away from competition. If you don't have anybody else nipping at your heels, you're far less likely to come up with that much more of a stellar game.
GRRRR @ you making ridiculous and completely ignorant assumptions.
I'm a big sports gamer. I'm a big Madden guy. I certainly liked Madden better than the NFL 2k* series, though the graphics were definitely better on the later.
That said, I'm extremely pissed that EA has an exclusive NFL license. I think ALL such exclusive licenses are a load of BS. The reason? It takes away from competition. If you don't have anybody else nipping at your heels, you're far less likely to come up with that much more of a stellar game.
GRRRR @ you making ridiculous and completely ignorant assumptions.
Posted: Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM (Unverified) said
Couple of things.
2K's "exclusive" MLB rights surprisingly allow other developers to develop MLB games as well. If it didn't, I'd be pissed at 2K as well.
Plenty of sports games fans are pissed at EA for the exclusive deal. It's bad for consumers, whether you're a sports games fan or not, that's the bottom line.
2K's "exclusive" MLB rights surprisingly allow other developers to develop MLB games as well. If it didn't, I'd be pissed at 2K as well.
Plenty of sports games fans are pissed at EA for the exclusive deal. It's bad for consumers, whether you're a sports games fan or not, that's the bottom line.
Posted: Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM (Unverified) said
Oops, the MLB exclusive deal is exclusive, I was thinking of the NBA one, which is the weird "exclusive" non-exclusive deal.
Any exclusive deal is bad, and should be discouraged by consumers.
Any exclusive deal is bad, and should be discouraged by consumers.
Posted: Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM (Unverified) said
One good thing about exclusive NFL games...
Everyone will know how th play Madden if they like football.
Everyone will know how th play Madden if they like football.
Posted: Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM (Unverified) said
Domino #12,
You are a retard
You are a retard
Posted: Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM (Unverified) said
While I'm not for anyone having an exclusive licensing rights, 2K Sports had to do what they had to do to protect themselves. EA currently holds exclusive console rights in at least 4 different sports leagues (NFL, NASCAR, FIFA, PGA) and is well on their way to a licensed sports monopoly. Which is what EA does when other companies make better games...they did it when NASCAR Heat started getting a lot of attention, and they did it when many prominent reviewers were giving 2K's NFL game superior marks over Madden for the first time.
Once EA fired the NFL-exclusivity shot and told the sports game world they're not going to allow other companies to make better games than they do, 2K Sports had to react and do something to avoid being forced out of the licensed sports business. And the MLB deal isn't entirely exclusive...it allows first-party companies (the console manufacturers) to make MLB games, a move done to not tick off the console manufacturers and try to foster better relations than a company that goes and nabs fully exclusive rights.
Like dan said, I'd rather NOBODY have exclusive rights like that. We were on the cusp of seeing some truly innovative improvements from both EA and 2K in their football franchises, possibly some pricing wars, you know...things that are great for the consumers. But now that's over with and we'll never know what could have been realized.
Once EA fired the NFL-exclusivity shot and told the sports game world they're not going to allow other companies to make better games than they do, 2K Sports had to react and do something to avoid being forced out of the licensed sports business. And the MLB deal isn't entirely exclusive...it allows first-party companies (the console manufacturers) to make MLB games, a move done to not tick off the console manufacturers and try to foster better relations than a company that goes and nabs fully exclusive rights.
Like dan said, I'd rather NOBODY have exclusive rights like that. We were on the cusp of seeing some truly innovative improvements from both EA and 2K in their football franchises, possibly some pricing wars, you know...things that are great for the consumers. But now that's over with and we'll never know what could have been realized.
Posted: Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM (Unverified) said
We demand the MUTANT LEAGUE sports return!!! All hail the football and hockey game of old. We could invade all sports!
