ESPN NFL 2K6 video games

[AURainman 6]

I know most of you older people could give a rats a$$ about the video game angle on football, but it has become SUPER popular of late. I found this article interesting.

It seems EA Sports is creating a monopoly....

Linky Linky

 

December 13, 2004 - Just when you thought ESPN Videogames was catching up, in one move, they've never been farther behind. Electronic Arts announced today an exclusive licensing agreement with the National Football League and Players Inc. to develop, publish, and distribute interactive football games. These agreements give EA the exclusive rights to the NFL teams, stadiums, and players for use in its football video games for the next five years.

You read that right…exclusive rights to the NFL teams, stadiums, and players.

Meaning no ESPN NFL 2K6, no more NFL GameDay, and bye-bye NFL Blitz. All football fans will be left with are Madden, NFL Street, and a new unannounced football management game that is in the works from, you guessed it, EA Sports.

.....

The agreement also provides the opportunity for new games and for EA to access both NFL Films and the NFL Network for use in the games.

"We are pleased to expand our agreement with Electronic Arts, the leading video game manufacturer and a valued NFL partner," said NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue. "We look forward to working with EA to continue to enhance the quality of NFL video games that our fans have enjoyed for many years."

.....

Also not part of the deal are, obviously, non-licensed football games. The first company to come forward to IGN with such a game is Midway, makers of classic sports titles like NFL Blitz and NBA Jam.

Midway has hired the writer of the show "Playmakers" to develop a new title, Blitz: Playmakers. The game will feature everything the NFL hated about the TV show, including drug use, and off-the-field habits the NFL likes to pretend never happens.

According to an interview earlier this year with Street & Smith's Sports Business Journal, an NFL spokesperson confirmed that they were through working with Midway: "Midway has been quietly dropped in a 'mutual decision' as an NFL video game licensee after years of controversy over the level of violence in its NFL Blitz game."

When IGN contacted Midway about the rumored Blitz: Playmakers, a spokesperson confirmed the game's existence and told us: "Enough of the 'No Fun League'…it's now time to talk about and prepare for the game the NFL wouldn't let anyone make…Blitz the way it should be played."

.....

Whether or not ESPN, 989, and Microsoft follow Midway's lead and develop football games without the license remains to be seen.

On a scarier note for these same publishers, rumors are already circulating that EA is attempting to negotiate similar deals with the NBA and Major League Baseball. When IGN contacted Trudy Muller, spokesperson for Electronic Arts about these rumors, she told us: "We cannot speculate at this time about any further plans these other leagues may have."

An ominous sign for sports game publishers everywhere to say the least.

Check back to IGN Sports for the latest on this genre-shattering deal.

-- Jon Robinson and Doug Perry

[BamaGrad03 0]

This freaking sucks. I hate EA. Gotta love it when it all comes down to money. Good lord....Since the Sega/ESPN games put the heat on EA this year (because they were better) ...instead of having to make better games, and respond to competition, EA just buys the NFL....this is crap.

[woods1110 0]

Start sending the emails....I am...

[BamaGrad03 0]

Who do we send them to? Not EA...they dont care...they are happy about it.

[Streyeder 0]

You think EA cares what you think? Look at how they treat their employees... http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/...&tid=156&tid=10

[TitanTiger 20,510]

Find me an email addy and I'll start writing to them.

[woods1110 0]

EA sports Board Of Directors...

Here is a whole list of people..have fun...I know I am about too!!

[TitanTiger 20,510]

We don't need to write EA. We need to hammer the NFL.

[TitanTiger 20,510]

All I've found so far is a number you can call for NFL Licensing. (212) 450-2000

[woods1110 0]

Dang, I thought there would be email addresses on there...

[AustinTiger 0]

Maybe Sega/ESPN will try to challenge the NCAA games.

Maybe Sega could return fire and get Herbstreit/Corso to

go exlcusive with them.

I think the NCAA football games are pretty good, bu they

have been definitely coasting for the past few years.

This year I didn't buy a copy of the newest version for the

first time since 2001.

Wasn't planning on buying a new version until they let you

design your own plays (defense too!) . Now I might not ever.

[Streyeder 0]

Maybe Sega/ESPN will try to challenge the NCAA games.

Maybe Sega could return fire and get Herbstreit/Corso to

go exlcusive with them.

I think the NCAA football games are pretty good, bu they

have been definitely coasting for the past few years.

This year I didn't buy a copy of the newest version for the

first time since 2001.

Wasn't planning on buying a new version until they let you

design your own plays (defense too!) . Now I might not ever.

131748[/snapback]

You're issing out on all of two new defensive sets.

[AUTaxMan 0]

I like all of EA's games. Viva la capitalism.

[AUHansel 0]

whats wrong with EA? I've never had a problem with them. They have very good games. I don't think that this is right to do, but they do make the best sports games, IMO.

[mcgufcm 4,107]

great games, but this does reek of monopoly. i mean all microsoft did was force people to use windows by making web browsers strictly compatible with their operating systems. they didn't stop others from making os systems. this'll get challenged in court. it has to.

i think all the competition is great for the gamers b/c it does force each side to improve. my opinion? the 20 dollar games got ea's attention. that was a sales genius. if nothing else, i'd make games with no names like they used to do for nba games on sega. they used to buy all the player names except the great players b/c there was an additional fee. so instead of jordan you'd have "roster guard." we loved hearing marv commentate for a great shot by "rosta guard." make it cool to be nameless. i think this sucks, and i hope ea and the nfl get raked over the coals for it.

[AUHansel 0]

I'm not sure if this qualifies as a monopoly. Maybe a cartel or something, but I don't think they can do anything. It's sort of like Wal Mart being the only provider of Mary Kate and Ashley clothing. They are the only place that sells (correct me if i'm wrong) it because they have a contract with the girls company.

[woods1110 0]

I wish ESPN would start making NCAA football games...

EA doesn't have that on lock down do they?

I am not going to buy any of EA's games anymore...ESPN quickly became my favorite once the release of NFL 2K5 came along!

[woods1110 0]

As printed on yahoobusiness.com

Electronic Arts

Trudy Muller, 650-628-7323

tmuller@ea.com

or

NFL

Brian McCarthy, 212-450-2069

McCarthyB@NFL.com

or

PLAYERS INC

Christy Moran, 202-496-2885

christy.moran@nflplayers.com

OR, sign the petition...

http://www.petitiononline.com/nfleacon/petition.html

Don't be rude, that will only make things worse, being polite will go a lot further...

[AUJarhead 70]

Totally agree, Woods. I hope that Sega and ESPN make a NCAA Football game next year that blows EA's NFL game out of the water. I loved the engine on NFL2K5, and hope they use that one.

As a side note to that, will EA be able to use the Madden name? John Madden now works for ABC. ABC is owned by Disney, who also owns ESPN.

[BamaGrad03 0]

What sucks is that instead of responding to an obvious threat of competition (sega makes a great game for 20 bucks) EA decides to just buy them out of the market. That way they dont HAVE to be competitive...or creative with new games...just strongarm them out of the market.

Oh and I hope you enjoyed getting a game for 20 bucks...because now EA can charge 100 bucks per nfl game if they want to.