To EA and Madden Consumers, Madden Is a Success

[RaychelSnr]

Quote: Originally Posted by KyGamerLT

Madden fans need to stop buying for a year, it can be done and send a message to EA. I have been a fan fo years but the crap of a game EA put out last year wow. I won't be buying madden 2012, NCAA will have o do it for me.

This is the step I've been recommending for the past year. Everyone who says they don't like the game just needs to not buy it for a year. If the movement gets going and if there are indeed that many people unhappy with the game, then the sales would be down enough to make EA take notice and changes would happen. You basically would be giving up one year of what you'd call a crappy product for the greater good of it. Of course, you could get what seems like a massive movement going and the game could sell more copies than it did the year before -- if that was the case then it'd be a wake up call that you probably aren't in the target market for the game.

[RaychelSnr]

Quote: Originally Posted by charter04

I'm all for a better Madden game. My copy of Madden 11 is now at Gamestop or someone's house. I thought that I could just play Madden 10 if I want a next gen Madden fix. But, when you look at things from EA's point of view why make drastic changes? EA has no reason to take that kind of a risk. As long as they sell Madden like they have why make a big change? I wish they would, but for them it may back fire. What if they scaped the whole game and made a totally sim game with a very deep dynasty? What if it sold a lot less. How do we know the majority of those who buy Madden even want those changes? It could be the best game ever and not sell as much. I hope I'm wrong but I don't see them making the big changes to the game until there is comp.

As I eluded to in the article, I think the simple fact is that the game is being made for a certain audience and for better or worse -- that audience might not be hardcore sim/franchise fans like OSers. I'm not sure if that's fully the case or not, because people in this community (the sim gamer one) are probably 15% of the total potential customer base for Madden. Maybe 35% if you want to stretch the definition. Anyone running a smart business will cater towards the other 65% while throwing the 35% a few bones along the way.

Of course, one could make a very compelling argument that the more realistic a game, the better it will eventually sell given the success of titles like NBA 2K and The Show compared to their Peers.

[db56]

The Madden train just keeps rolling along and as long as they can keep making the game easier to play, they can pick up more users than they lose and deem themselves and the game successful..

[khaliib]

Quote: Originally Posted by MMChrisS

As I eluded to in the article, I think the simple fact is that the game is being made for a certain audience and for better or worse -- that audience might not be hardcore sim/franchise fans like OSers. I'm not sure if that's fully the case or not, because people in this community (the sim gamer one) are probably 15% of the total potential customer base for Madden. Maybe 35% if you want to stretch the definition. Anyone running a smart business will cater towards the other 65% while throwing the 35% a few bones along the way. Of course, one could make a very compelling argument that the more realistic a game, the better it will eventually sell given the success of titles like NBA 2K and The Show compared to their Peers.

If the Sim Player is 15%, I know the thought is not that 65% are casual gamers.
I believe they look at it from an Online vs Offline user, because everything is streamlined towards Online.

Updates must now go through an Online Pass.
Added game features are purchased through Online.
In essence, all the Up-Selling is through Online.

So any business model would follow this pattern instead of Hardcore vs Casual.

What is happening is somebody got excited about the numbers from Online usage for the Shooter Games and is making an error in thinking that Sports Games can/will follow the same type of usage. That's why their Sports Games are being built to work in this area of revenue.

But in doing so, they are putting themselves in a corner because no Sports Game will ever draw Online usage numbers like Shooters. They're just not that type of game.

With timeframes to build shrinking, their push is towards this area of revenue more and more every year.
There's a reason Offline features have not been upgraded to the level of NBA 2k11 and The Show.
Online is were there focus is, period!!!

[KyGamerLT]

Quote: Originally Posted by MMChrisS

This is the step I've been recommending for the past year. Everyone who says they don't like the game just needs to not buy it for a year. If the movement gets going and if there are indeed that many people unhappy with the game, then the sales would be down enough to make EA take notice and changes would happen. You basically would be giving up one year of what you'd call a crappy product for the greater good of it. Of course, you could get what seems like a massive movement going and the game could sell more copies than it did the year before -- if that was the case then it'd be a wake up call that you probably aren't in the target market for the game.

I agree something has got to be done, we are the NFL players and madden is the Owner. The way madden is going I think the sales will go down, sooner or later the core that Madden is going after will start to see the BS they push out. I have shown a good amount of people what madden was really about by playing them and since then they haven't bought the game at all.

Madden is just being bought for the name. I think a lot of people know they buy madden for the name and in hopes of it getting better the next year. Does that happen no! Madden is so far behind the other games they make it's sick.

[JerseySuave4]

i no longer consider Madden a success. Its become too stale. Last year was the 1st year since Madden 92 that i didnt buy the game and i didnt miss it one bit. Then again, the 4-5 years prior to last that i did buy the game i would play it for a week or 2 and be bored and never touch it again so it ended up just collecting dust. But they always sucked me back in with hope and buying into the hype only to always be disappointed.

I was looking forward to seeing what they were gonna announce at halftime of the Super Bowl and with the stuff they talked about i gotta say its going to take something huge this year to bring me back because all the focus just seems to be on the wrong things.

Unless Defense is addressed big time to make each defense unique instead of just 4-3 or 3-4 with the same playbooks and styles, i wont both with this game.

[JerseySuave4]

and the only reason this game continues to sell is because of "the shield." Pretty much anything with the NFL associated with it sells well. Football is America's favorite sport, the NFL is the most successful pro sports league around. So just the association with the NFL and with the fact that its the only NFL football video game, is going to make people want to buy it because they want to play a NFL video game each year and its the only one.

[shyvoodoo]

Quote: Originally Posted by TheCreep

For all of you gents that dont like Madden and claim it is broken. I have two key words for you. Subjective opinion. I'm a sim head through and through and I absolutely love the game. Especially Madden/NCAA 11. I can really agree about 06-09 versions. Not so great, but to still be harping on em after 10 and 11. Come on now. I too would love a new phyics engine and boy oh boy I'm still waiting on decent presentation. Oh and I want my Ion 4d ropo with the correct facemask and u bar too, but claiming Madden is pretty much garbage, you all have lost every last marble. Might wanna find em lol.

What?!?!?!

I mean seriously if you say you are a sim player AND love this game then your not really the sim player you think you are. The thing that broke this game for me is the fact that I would be up by 10 points. There is like 8 or 9 minutes left in the 4th quarter and the computer decides to GO FOR IT ON 4TH DOWN FROM THEIR OWN 10 YARD LINE!!!! I'm like WTF.. I get the stop and now I have 1st and goal... Who in their right mind would do something so stupid while you are still in the game???

Sim players I KNOW are not happy with this game... Like someone said we have supercomputers that can do amazing things... Why do we not have football games that can do day/night transitions already?? The Show does it, heck even Grand Theft Auto does this.. AI that works, presentation, WHERE IS THE NEXT GEN MADDEN!!!!!!!

Ben
Voodoo