Moore knows people are 'pissed' about no PC Madden '09

by Alexander Sliwinski { Apr 30th 2008 at 4:30PM }

EA Sports President Peter Moore recently talked to GameDaily about his decision to not release Madden NFL 09 on PC. He acknowledges the move "pissed off a lot of people," but it was a business decision based on sports games in the PC market.

He stands by previous statements he made, when he was still with Microsoft, that there'll be a PC gaming renaissance, but he says sports games aren't going to play a "huge role." He says that whether people agree with it or not, EA Sports is designing its games to be played ten feet away from a high-definition screen with groups of people playing online or in the same room. The full interview is actually quite deep, with Moore discussing a lot more about EA Sports' design philosophy, its targeted consumer and the issue of PC piracy.

Tags: ea-sports, easports, madden-09, moore, peter-moore

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

DangerMouse @ Apr 30th 2008 4:34PM

Bo knows, too.

LaughingTarget @ Apr 30th 2008 4:40PM

I'm not angry, PC gaming feels cleaner somehow because of it.

Zertoss @ Apr 30th 2008 4:44PM

Haha, yeah, that's exactly what I thought when I read this.

Let me know if Spore or Starcraft 2 goes console-exclusive. THEN we'll have a problem.

JonFitt @ Apr 30th 2008 6:49PM

Yeah, I can't pretend I care about sports games, but I hardly think it's impossible to play PC games on your HDTV!
All HDTVs seem to have DVI/VESA ports and there's an adaptor for the 360 controller.

MAME on the big screen with mates!

Mike @ Apr 30th 2008 4:42PM

Really? They're pissed? By a show of hands, is anyone who games exclusively on PC upset about not getting Madden 09?

UltimateQ @ May 1st 2008 12:35AM

The last sports game I played was tecmo super bowl.

DangerMouse @ Apr 30th 2008 4:48PM

Last madden i bought was '97. Not a huge football fan, but if i have an urge to play one, i'll grab a PS2 copy.

LaughingTarget @ Apr 30th 2008 4:49PM

I played Madden '03 and NFL2K3. Probably not going to mess around with sports again until Backbreaker hits, then probably a rental. There just isn't a whole lot a sport game can do to advance the genre anymore and I tend to dislike buying the same game twice (or more).

Haggard @ Apr 30th 2008 5:54PM

As a British PC gamer with little interest in (even our own) sports, and even less in yearly rEA-hashed games - not particularly bothered, no.

Ivan @ Apr 30th 2008 6:35PM

nay! I haven't played a pc sports game since i saw how retarded Madden 2001 was...

BigD145 @ May 1st 2008 1:25AM

I wouldn't touch Madden on a PC or console. I'm so happy it's not attempting to violate my computer.

nerrrrrrd @ Apr 30th 2008 4:43PM

I want to see him tattoo "Madden 09 Player Control Touchdown Celebration" on his face so I know it's true!

HighFiveJesus @ Apr 30th 2008 4:50PM

Where does the portable justification come into that 10 feet away from HD tv designs?

THE WICKER MAN (BWF) (GT: Dalek Prime) @ Apr 30th 2008 4:51PM

Apologize for my shitty 360 Moore you beardy git!

JoSav @ Apr 30th 2008 4:51PM

im pissed about the motherf*cking license Moore , f*ck you Moore! f*cking uncompetitive.

Tom @ Apr 30th 2008 6:32PM

If it wasn't Ea, it would be 2k or some other company. Blame the NFL.

el serpiente @ Apr 30th 2008 7:47PM

It's also the NFL's fault. They didn't need to sell the exclusive rights. EA was getting bitch-slapped on quality and price by 2K sports and the only way they could keep Madden from dying was to go for exclusive. It's a shame that some companies are allowed to compete in such a manner.

Mr.ESC @ Apr 30th 2008 4:54PM

Well if PC gamers want to experience madden 09 in their Pc they know what they have to do...

Play Madden 08.

primetime4 @ Apr 30th 2008 5:18PM

The grass looks better in 09. Each year, EA improves the grass and not much else.

Teknocack @ Apr 30th 2008 5:10PM

I have sworn off all EA developed or published games until the license exclusivity expires in 2012. Unfortunately only the top 5% are actually prepared to make a sacrifice to make a statement. Fine, I will be the lonely voice that cries out in the night against injustice.

Chyld989 (MKWii: 5241-2307-2882) @ Apr 30th 2008 11:01PM

I'd join you Teknocack, but I just can't live without Spore. I just...can't do it.

Deric Lee @ Apr 30th 2008 5:15PM

I'm surprised that EA just doesn't make their own overly priced console and make Madden exclusive to that........uh oh, did I just say to much?

el serpiente @ Apr 30th 2008 7:49PM

MADDENBOX! It comes with a fudge dispenser and defibrillator.

Curtis the Claw:XBL - supapaypamawio @ Apr 30th 2008 5:33PM

EA should just release a Madden game every 3 years and then provide roster updates via free DLC.

Tom @ Apr 30th 2008 6:34PM

Why would they do that? You do realize that companies exist to make money right?

ShadowGod @ Apr 30th 2008 5:39PM

I agree. I have my 360 simply for racing and sports games, imo those genres are better played on the couch on a big screen. Everything else I play on the PC.

Avoli @ Apr 30th 2008 5:47PM

Granted, no on PC, but 2K Sports was my cup of tea. I can' remember the last EA Sports game I liked. Did they do Joe Montana? I liked that one too back in the Genesis days.

LaughingTarget @ May 1st 2008 10:22AM

Was that the one with Joe in the Chiefs uniform? That one was horrible. My own team tackled me when I got an onside kick and the opponents blocked.

Jonah Falcon @ Apr 30th 2008 6:12PM

First, he claims, "I'd like to think, from a marketing view, [EA Sports is] probably the only real brand in video games", which is absolutely untrue - ask anyone who's played NBA 2K8 or NFL 2K5. EA Sports is the "only real brand" not by merit, but by brute monetary force of buying up exclusives.

Then comes this winning statement:
"we've built sports games to take advantage of the plasma televisions, and the new hi-def experiences that people are having in their homes. We've also built them to be very social. So whether it's playing online, or equally likely, two or four of you in the room together, the PC business has just...waned."

Apparently, Moore hasn't noticed people buying LCD widescreen monitors that are capable of broadcasting an HD signal. Oh, and apparently, no one plays games online on the PC. WHAT?

Then he prattles this line:
"BIZ: But many people were pointing out the irony of the "renaissance of PC gaming" you talked about while at Microsoft.

Moore: And you know what? I totally agree, and I'll stand by that, with Vista. But sports is not playing a huge role in that renaissance. Look at World of Warcraft, look at the great games – Crytek with Crysis – there are a ton of great PC games."

WHAT? Hey, Peter, if you're going to give an example of hot-selling PC software, don't use Crysis, which is going console. Furthermore, yeah, no one is going to buy a Madden PC game if no one is making it. Furthermore, please, stop thinking you need to sell 3M copies of a title to be profitable. Just port the 360 DX9 version to the PC. It's easy, and will sell at least 200K copies.

I think your IQ really does drop 60 or 70 points when you join Electronic Arts - which must mean Will Wright started with an IQ of 230 before joining.

Little hint: IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME

Ranko @ Apr 30th 2008 6:22PM

Doesn't it look like he shat his pants and is trying to get up ever so slowly without anyone noticing?

r3m1x @ Apr 30th 2008 8:50PM

They also ditched PC production for their NBA Live franchise. It makes sense, you play sports games on a console. The PC is meant for WoW, RTS, and FPS.

As someone who did tweaked mods from nba-live.com for himself back in the day, I'm stunned that NBA Live fell to the same fate as Madden.