Like it or not, Madden continues to be a cash cow
by Joystiq Staff 
{ Aug 31st 2006 at 7:25PM }
Electronic Arts has released estimates that show its yearly updated franchise, Madden, has just reached a new high: two million copies sold in the first week. EA says this is a record for a franchise that has been chugging along for 17 years now. A PR mouthpiece had this to say about the results:
"Consumers are the most meaningful judge of game quality and based on sales and the record-setting online activity, our toughest critics think Madden NFL has delivered another great game experience."
We guess it pays to be the only NFL game in town. For those of you that bought it, is Madden NFL 07 the best Madden ever?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Mark @ Aug 31st 2006 7:35PM
Wiil see...
Mikeawesome @ Aug 31st 2006 7:38PM
I think that would be a resounding, "No".
However, some of their improvements do work well and help make it a more complete, though different, experience. I think they should gather community feedback rather than judge their game based on their sales charts.
tactics @ Aug 31st 2006 7:38PM
yes wii will.
(jon stewart from half-baked:) ever play madden07... ON WII?????
-"ninerfan" tactics.
Crummy @ Aug 31st 2006 7:39PM
"Consumers are the most meaningful judge of game quality and based on sales and the record-setting online activity, our toughest critics think Madden NFL has delivered another great game experience."
Well... the first part is correct (consumers *are* the most meaningful judge of game quality), but sales are definitely *not*. Otherwise, 50 Cent's Bulletproof would not have sold one million or so copies, and Psychonauts would have sold *far* more than the 50,000 or so.
He's also lying if he thinks their "toughest critics" (hell, just about any critics) consider Madden 07 a great game experience.
Danny @ Aug 31st 2006 7:51PM
Madden '07, along with all other Madden NFL games, are well over-rated. Yea the single player format of the game is much more advanced then that of 2k Sports, but in this day and age, its all about the online play. Still no nets' behind the goal posts, whats that all about? Not to mention the fact that although this year they included the "challenge Play" option in single player, IT WAS STILL LEFT OUT OF ONLINE!!
IMO, if 2k had any rights to produce an NFL game, EA wouldn't be dependant on the sales stats. I know my $60 would have been better spent on 2k.
Danny Migliorisi
http://www.garysbasem3nt.com
Danny.Migliorisi@garysbasem3nt.com
Bob Solomon @ Aug 31st 2006 7:58PM
HELLLLLAAAA people like Nascar, and that shit sucks.
Same here, EA.
Bob.
Patricio @ Aug 31st 2006 8:00PM
Hated last years, love this years.
emehrkay @ Aug 31st 2006 8:01PM
*buys exclusive rights to provide internet service*
*brags that since everyone who uses the internet uses my company's service, its the best thing in town*
Louis @ Aug 31st 2006 8:08PM
well if i must add, i think madden 07 for the psp is their best version ever for the psp by far ;)
detinic @ Aug 31st 2006 8:14PM
1 reason I bought it.....no 2ksports game and I was a year without a NFL game. Simple as that.
Kurtis @ Sep 2nd 2006 1:50AM
I hate the new madden. Its a huge dissapointment. I agree with Danny, if 2K would have been in the mix the past 2 years then they would have made some really great football games
naughn @ Sep 1st 2006 9:01AM
not even close to the best ever
Marv Spaulding @ Aug 31st 2006 8:24PM
Madden '94 was the best.
obo @ Aug 31st 2006 8:32PM
It sold for $10 or more less than last year's edition, not counting the 360 version. Most of those sales were probably PS2 ($35-$40), then far back was 360 ($60 or less, depending on the retailer), then Xbox/GC/Jaguar/whatever ($25-$35).
They may have sold more copies than last year, but I have a feeling they - or at least the retailers - didn't make any more money. Selling 1.8 million at $50 each grosses $90,000,000, selling 1.5 million at $40 and 500,000 at $60 grosses the same.
obo @ Aug 31st 2006 8:34PM
On top of that, I've got a feeling - this is Madden we're talking about - 200,000 people may very well have bought both 360 and PS2 editions, since the online play doesn't cross over and not everybody has a 360.
Ice @ Aug 31st 2006 8:49PM
Bob Soloman proclaimed:
"6. HELLLLLAAAA people like Nascar, and that shit sucks.
Same here, EA."
Um, why would so many people like it if it sucks? The suckyness of something is highly subjective. Why you gotta bring NASCAR into this?
People like NASCAR because it's dramatic to watch, they can relate to the drivers, the rivalries between teams and their TV broadcasts are some of the best produced and informative of any televised sport.
But I digress, Madden 07 is pretty good, it's not perfect but definitely worth the $48 for the 360 version. No matter how good it is or isn't some people were gonna find fault w/ it.
The sales numbers speak for themselves.
HotShotX @ Aug 31st 2006 8:49PM
"Consumers are the most meaningful judge of game quality and based on sales and the record-setting online activity, our toughest critics think Madden NFL has delivered another great game experience."
Yeah, I guess getting those NFL rights was really just a major QA move, huh.
~HotShotX
Fandel @ Aug 31st 2006 9:03PM
Also, remember that many retailers, like Circuit City, Wal-Mart, and any other retailer wiling to price match, were selling the 360 game for 47 dollars, nearly 15 dollars off the retail price. I'm sure they were selling the PS2 version for around 37 dollars.(though I'm not sure)
At that big of a mark down, I wonder if the big retailers actually "LOST" money selling Madden for the first week it was on sale?
Crono @ Aug 31st 2006 8:58PM
Sales of 2 million copies in one week is astounding. Consumer sales certainly are not indicators of game quality, but those same sales determine the kinds of games released every year. It seems that roster updates and these small features that are added every year in Madden games could simply be put on the PS3, 360 and Wii's online services for far cheaper than a brand new game every year. But once again, sales of each yearly installment would need to go way down, and based on this trend, that doesn't look like it's going to happen anytime soon.
SoularPowered @ Aug 31st 2006 9:16PM
God dammit. 2 million people need to be kicked in the throat.
striderhayasa @ Aug 31st 2006 9:18PM
I agree with many of you here. I'll how off judgement until the Wii version is in my hands. If I had to render an opinion based on the 360 and current gen versions...then I would have to say it sucks. It's a sad world we live in when madden is the only NFL football available. Wii is Madden's only hope for me.
GSI @ Aug 31st 2006 9:19PM
-->""Consumers are the most meaningful judge of game quality"
Judge of WHAT?!?!? There is nothing to compare this game to since there are no other competitors for it.
They should just call it what it really is:
Roster Update 2007
I downloaded the 360 demo a couple days ago and it looks BARELY better then the PS2 versions. The guys h ave veins and dreadlocks now...WOOP-DE-FREAKIN DOO!
OS Perry @ Aug 31st 2006 9:30PM
If you want a new NFL experience on a game system you are left with Madden and no other. Since there is no ESPN 2K7 from Sega to offer up competition, the fabulously popular NFL franchise, players and fans are left with little choice.
The reason for big sales: NO COMPETITION!
Madden on 360... No Online Leagues, No Commentary by games namesake (really not a negative though)No real practice mode to learn the controls.
This game is fun, but pales when compared to the options available in ESPN 2k5 from 2 years ago.
Fandel @ Aug 31st 2006 9:29PM
"I downloaded the 360 demo a couple days ago and it looks BARELY better then the PS2 versions. The guys h ave veins and dreadlocks now...WOOP-DE-FREAKIN DOO!"
Either you're just trying to be funny, ore you're having some eye problems. Madden on the 360 may not be perfect, game play wise. But anyone who says that the 360 version barley looks better than the PS2 version has just failed the BS meter.
obo @ Aug 31st 2006 9:47PM
"the 360 version barley looks better"
I agree, you've got to be drunk as hell to not see a difference. (I keed, I keed.)
greg @ Aug 31st 2006 9:40PM
A person is smart people are stupid....a few smart people just held on to last years game and bunch of stupid bought it cause its new...can we say RIIIIIIDDDGE RAAAACER!!!!
I bet this is how bush got elected...damn stupid people!
cheese @ Aug 31st 2006 9:46PM
it may be 2 million copies, but that's between all the different versions, DS, PSP, Xbox, PS2, 360 etc. I'm not impressed. It's the ONLY NFL game in town, why should we be surprised. EA bought itself the only spot in the beauty pageant. Not much of a contest there.
obo @ Aug 31st 2006 9:47PM
"If you want a new NFL experience on a game system you are left with Madden and no other."
Well, you can download a Tecmo Bowl update and buy a NES flash cart/ROM player. But that's a stretch.
that guy @ Sep 1st 2006 12:34AM
Don't know if it's the best one yet, but it is a solid football game (gotta give credit where credit is due). Take away all the EA hate (I'm just as pissed as anyone that they bought out exclusive rights to NFL games), and look at the game for what it is, and it IS a good game.
GSI @ Aug 31st 2006 9:54PM
I'm being serious...
Sure there are little things that make it look "better" but none of which makes it worthy of $60 (or even $40 or $50.)
msdarnell @ Aug 31st 2006 10:02PM
Yes, Madden players are all stupid. Their football fantasy's are much dumber than those of the RPG fan who dreams of being a 16 year-old with magical super powers.
They also do not buy other games. Buying Madden means that you never bought Psychonauts or Beyond Good & Evil. Madden fans only buy one game a year. They are truly the scourge of the gaming community.
You know Spore is coming from EA, right? Without the annual cash inflow of Madden, that game might never even seen production. Never mind scores of other projects.
Fandel @ Aug 31st 2006 10:09PM
Also, I find it a little ironic that the same people who are flaming Madden fans for having the audacidy to spend their own money on the game of their choice, are the same people who have no qualms about paying Nintendo 30$$$ for porting one of their 10-15 year old NES/SNES games to the Gameboy/DS.
The Rev @ Aug 31st 2006 10:12PM
2k5 for life....or until the next one comes out....hopefully that happens right when EA loses rights...now if 2k sports is smart they would be working little by little on details for the game then it will blow Madden out of the water again
rcholbert @ Aug 31st 2006 10:21PM
#29,
Nevermind the fact that all those folks who whine about how every Madden game is just a simple rehash, but continue to buy the exact same Mario [x] game every few years, where [x] is Kart, Party, Smash Bros, etc.
It's a football game. We had pretty good football games since the turn of the century. Everything else is a new coat of wax, a little more shine. Sorry joe gamer, you can't innovate much with the NFL.
The Voice of Reason @ Aug 31st 2006 10:39PM
I dont know if its true or not but according to espn radio(kinda ironic) ea does not make much money from the game. The have to pay the nfl, madden, and a bunch of other people and organization. If this is true i dont blame ea for not changing the game. Its all about profit and if te profit is not there wats the point to changing the game.
I dont blame people for buying madden every year as for some of us this is more than a game. Madden is the start of football season and as any football fan knows there is nothing like football season. i do laugh at people who buy rehash of the same mario game every year. Even the "new super mario" wasnt so new as to me it was basicly the same mario but different maps.
Brian @ Aug 31st 2006 10:40PM
Hell, just the roster updates are worth it. I can pretend that the Texans are a great team and delude myself before the regular season starts.
Brian @ Aug 31st 2006 10:42PM
Also, the Wii version will suck. Hard. How are you going to run or play defense with the Wiimote? I know most people who play Madden don't care but Passing is only 1/4 of the game.
Pat @ Aug 31st 2006 10:58PM
At 34:
Before you arbitrarily bash the Wii version of the game, why don't you go ahead and read just a tiny bit about the game and its controls first? After watching the video of the gameplay that was posted on this site just a day or two ago, there's no doubt that all of the motions required in the game will be intuitive. To tackle, you just push the controller forward. To juke, you just move the nunchuck left or right. You sound completely ignorant.
Rich Cutter @ Sep 1st 2006 3:13PM
Hey you Madden fans!
My buddies and I are finishing up a website where you can upload pics of your home sports gaming setup. We are going to launch tomorrow sometime but need some test data. If anyone has some pics of their awesome gaming setup, log in and upload em'
Let us know any feedback while you are at it. We are still making tweeks.
http://www.thefaninside.us
Ice @ Aug 31st 2006 11:08PM
"23. A person is smart people are stupid....a few smart people just held on to last years game and bunch of stupid bought it cause its new...can we say RIIIIIIDDDGE RAAAACER!!!!
I bet this is how bush got elected...damn stupid people!"
You must be a "people" then. ;-)
First, last year's Madden on the 360 was widely acknowledged as being a bad game and this years got good reviews so how would it have been smarter to not buy this years game? I can see not liking Madden 07 or nitpicking certain features, not sure why you need to trash everyone that did buy it and is enjoying it. Am I stupid because I bought the new Madden?
Second, I don't get the comparison between Madden and Ridge Racer at all.
Third, Bush got elected because your party is full of elitist hollywood liberals that are completely out of touch with the values that drive the majority of America.
But I'm glad you got on here to post about a game you were "too smart" to buy just to tell the rest of us how stupid we are.
dsub @ Aug 31st 2006 11:37PM
ice-
you not understanding the comment just moves to show how little knowledge of the industry you have, I don't mean to sound like an elitist, but that was a pretty straight forward comparison. The point is, every Ridge Racer has been the same since the dawn of time (i.e. change a minor thing and charge full price for it all over again). 2,000,000 people bought Madden, because 2,000,000 people didn't know any better, and there was NOTHING ELSE TO BUY.
If you had exclusive rights to ANYTHING you'd see extremely high sales numbers, that doesn't necessarily mean you have a good product. If you hold the exclusive rights to a popular product, such as a football game in this game (we all know how well football sells in america) then you WILL see great sales. For instance, around here it is a common assumption that Wendy's makes a better fast food burger than McDonald's for 99 cents. Alot of people still like McDonald's, but McDonald's starts to notice that more and more people are catching on to the fact that Wendy's is selling a higher quality product for a cheaper price. Instead of improving there product, they just buy out the exclusive rights to sell cheeseburgers, and keep pumping out the same crappy burgers. Get it?
That's what EA did with football games.
msdarnell @ Aug 31st 2006 11:55PM
...and your comments shows exactly how little you understand about the NFL license agreement. EA did not go to the NFL to buy the license. It was auctioned off by the NFL.
Again.
The NFL wanted to have only one license holder for their video game product. EA simply had the better offer. As much as I disagree with EA buying out most of the industry, this was not their doing. Madden is their flagship title, what did you expect them to do.
PS If you don't wish to sound like an elitist, maybe you want to avoid platitudes like
"2,000,000 people bought Madden, because 2,000,000 people didn't know any better"
murc @ Sep 1st 2006 12:24AM
Greg said: "I bet this is how bush got elected...damn stupid people!"
Actually...greg.
Bush got elected because of the exact opposite reasons...the smart people.
BTW, I really wish people would stop buying madden...there games have always sucked...they try to hard to make it look realistic, and the players moves are to jittery.
booooo
Zorak @ Sep 1st 2006 12:35AM
Jeez, this has become the most belabored point in the history of the universe.
Madden is not perfect. Certainly, some of its gameplay mechanics are broken; it has a bad-for-the-consumer monopoly on NFL-licensed football games (I don't see any one making any fun non-NFL licensed games, though;) it makes little changes from year to year; it gets rushed to market, leaving buyers to deal with the
bugs.
On the other hand, it is still fun to play against a friend since you are both subject to the same gameplay quirks; it provides the authenticity (in the form of playbooks, stats, etc.) an NFL fan wants; it doesn't try to revolutionize the way a football video game
is played with each release, instead keeping the core elements of pass, run, defense, and kicking the same while offering some small new features and slight improvements. In short, if you follow the NFL
and have someone to play against, it's pretty fun.
Some years are better than others (blocking is more fun than pointing a QBs eyes, for example,) but Madden is Madden, and you know what you are getting. It's a shame that there's no 2K to play anymore, but it was
never a better football game - just different; it suffered from plenty of the same problems Madden does. Madden could and should be better, but it's still fun as it is.
Also, it makes a big difference if you pirate your games instead of buying them - then you don't feel quite so screwed by EA. I highly recommend it.
WamBam @ Sep 1st 2006 12:42AM
In all fairness to EA, Madden was the top selling series long before they got exclusive rights to the NFL. I'm sure that the rights hasn't hurt their sales but Madden has consistantly been the top selling sports game, if not one of the top selling games for quite some time.
I'd be the first one to argue that competition is better for the consumer. Sometimes I do question if an annual payment of $50 is always worth what at times seems to be minor changes to the series and a roster upgrade.
Personally, I think there are two types of Madden players: Those that are casual football/video game fans and those that are hardcore football freaks. Casual players might not want to spend $50 every year for what they percieve as little more then roster updates. Hardcore fans not only need the roster updates but they also appreciate the subtle changes made to controls, team management, career modes and etc. Perhaps EA could start charging less money for more casual fans who seek simply to get updated rosters. For those diehard Madden fans who want the small tweaks and upgrades, then $50 seems appropriate.
I told myself I wouldn't buy Madden this year but then I would be denied the pleasure of doing the "I just whipped you ass in Madden!" dance in front of my friends.
GSI @ Sep 1st 2006 12:54AM
-->"the same people who have no qualms about paying Nintendo 30$$$ for porting one of their 10-15 year old NES/SNES games to the Gameboy/DS."
Not the same thing buddy. It's football...IT'S THE SAME DAMN GAME EVERY YEAR!
As to your other statement, it's called a FRANCHISE genius AND 99% of them are NOT the same game. Sure there are spin-offs but what is wrong with that as long as they are successful.
I still stand by my statement about it being barely better then the PS2 version. Why? Look at the jump from the 16-era Madden to 32-bit, the 32-bit jump to the PS2...what do they all have in common? The graphical difference is HUGE.
The jump from this generation to the 360 is "blah" and hardly worth spending $60.
Wild Homes @ Sep 1st 2006 7:28AM
to be honest, I really wasn't impressed with the 360 demo this year. it definitely seemed a little bit nicer than last year's game (three dimensional grass!), but to anyone who bought NCAA I can't figure out what additional work the Madden team put into it. I'm really glad people feel a little better about buying it this year, but it's definitely not for me.
Luap @ Sep 1st 2006 2:53AM
I for one have never purchased a Madden game in my life...but broke down and bout this years version basically because I needed an updated game. If 2k5 was backward compatible on my 360 and had updates...I never would have left it. I feel so ashamed!
Fandel @ Sep 1st 2006 1:34AM
"As to your other statement, it's called a FRANCHISE genius AND 99% of them are NOT the same game."
Yeah, like there was a huge difference between Super Mario's 1, 2, 3, 4, and Yoshi's Island on the NES/SNES, compared to Super Mario's 1, 2, 3, 4, and Yoshi's Island on the GameBoy Advance. I'm sure there was also a huge difference between Mario Kart on the N64, or even the GameBoy, compared to Mario Kart on the DS, or even the GameCube. How about the differences between Zelda 3 on the SNES, compared to Zelda 3 on the Game Cube.
"Sure there are spin-offs but what is wrong with that as long as they are successful."
So, by what you just said, you have absolutely no problem with the success of Madden 2007, because as long as EA is successful with Madden, whats wrong with that? Hey, I didn't say it, you just did.
Fandel @ Sep 1st 2006 1:36AM
Oops, I meant Zelda 3 on the GameBoy Advance, NOT the GameCube.