Individual Entry
The Monopolization of Sports Games
Electronic Arts, forever content with repackaging Madden's own turds every year, started losing ground to the new contender, SEGA Sports. The underdog, with its arguably superior game, went at EA's jugular with a low, low budget price. It started to work. EA's market-share began to slip.
EA couldn't stand this, so they made a deal: buy two sports games, get one free. No one really cared. Then they lowered their prices, but not as low as SEGA's. No one really cared. So, naturally, when the competition became tough, they fought back the only way they know how: they beat SEGA to a pulp with their giant, Scrooge McDuck like, money bags.
EA has bought 5 years worth of NFL exclusivity, and in doing so has essentially killed the SEGA's NFL line, 989's NFL GameDay line, Microsoft's NFL Fever line, and overall competition in the marketplace. EA now has free reign to republish the same shit ever year, at a stupid price, without ever needing to up the ante. Everyone else loses big.
The gaming boards, the realms of the more dedicated gamers, responded with a united "Holy Shit". They see the problems this causes. The sad thing is, come next football season, the casual gamer -- the one that buys the sports game here, the military shooter there -- will not know or care about what transpired today. They'll just go to get their annual football game, and they'll be greeted with one option. The memories of those other choices will become long forgotten (the stuff of legends), and EA's evil shadow will spread, bringing darkness and terror to all.
December 13, 2004. Gaming.Comments (7)
CYBERBALL 2073!
Erm, or not.
Hey, what the hell ever happened to the Speedball 3 game Bitmap Brothers were working on?
December 14, 2004 09:07 AM. Posted by: JP.I was just talking with someone about the need for more accessible football games. Mutant League was the first of that breed to come up.
Honestly, I want to see all the good people working for that evil company walk out on them. I want to see that company DIE.
(Btw, Aubrey, very cool that you got an interview with Kenta Cho.)
December 14, 2004 09:34 AM. Posted by: Walter.When I get more time, there will be follow up questions.
December 14, 2004 10:08 AM. Posted by: Aubrey.Yeah, just saw that interview myself.
Regarding your last unanswered question in that interview, though
there's this
Wow. That was honestly one of those things I wanted to remain happily ignorant of. Damn you for answering my question, demystifying my understanding, and making me a better person. Damn you!
December 14, 2004 12:53 PM. Posted by: Aubrey.Sorry to further side track this thread, but SpeedBall Arena was mentioned. Ed Bartlett was the guy I knew who was working on the project, but he has since left to join some kind of in-game marketing company - you know, PEPSI sponsored exploding tits and all that. I've lost my inside track (as if I had one in the first place).
The speedball arena site is down. Bitmap Brothers have been quiet for ages (last news post in 2002). They're either very good at the silent-but-deadly marketing approach, or they're silent because they're dead. This would be a real shame. I long for a super arcadey sports game.
December 14, 2004 03:19 PM. Posted by: Aubrey.
I was pretty sad to hear this. It's typical of Sega (getting fucked a lot) and typical of EA (doing the fucking). I feel sorry for both parties.
On the upside, it *may* force Sega to do some neat arcadey Football-like games. Remember Mutant League Football, anyone?
I guess this is unlikely. Those games aren't really going to fill the financial hole.
December 14, 2004 05:08 AM. Posted by: Aubrey.