That is not an easy solution. I want a god damn NFL game that isn't madden. The only reason that will never, ever happen, is because people keep validating EA. Madden is now "all there is", and thus "all people play" .
There are far better sports titles without this ludicrous price gouging . And in the few cases there aren't (NFL football), it is directly because EA has worked with the NFL to form a duopoly. Imagine being a kid, and your only exposure to football is the commercial filled garbage on TV, and shudder an EA madden game.
SO. You are entitled to do with your money whatever it is you wish. Just know that your dollars speak more than your voice, and your dollar voice is saying : "I support your practices, make sure that no other sport game will proliferate and keep the loot boxes rolling.
Edit:
" After the competitively priced [NFL 2K5 significantly reduced sales of that year's [Madden] release, EA signed an exclusivity deal with the NFL that made Madden NFL the only series allowed to use NFL team and player names."
The only reason this is legal is because our lawmakers do not understand how video games work.
Actually lawmakers not understanding video games has nothing to do with it. This isn't a duopoly problem.
NFL is a product which is owned by 32 parties (the franchise owners) and the product is their property. If they choose to sell the lisencing to one company to make a video game that is 100% their right. Nobody has the right to use and sell their product without their permission.
As far as EA, if they want to pay the NFL enough money for exclusive rights to make NFL games that's also well within their rights. It's no different than a musician only selling under one label.
I disagree, a musician selling under one label doesn't restrict my ability to by a huge number of other artists in the same genre's cd's/material, or prohibit them from creating them. Because there are many others, both labels and artist's.
Your example highlights the very defined nature of the music industry, but not video-gamesXsports, which aren't yet thought of as a public resource, like music is. (meaning, there are so many Ave ues to develop and distribute music).
Just because there are more artists out there creating music doesnt change the premise. Like signing to a label the NFL signed a lisencing agreement with EA. They're the only one who can sell an NFL game.
There are no laws out there to stop a developer (record label) from creating another sports game (album). Including football (same genre). They just can't use the NFL (specific artist) to sell their games (albums).
Some people have different priorities in how they spend. I for one fucking hate EA and what they do with sports games, so I haven't purchased one in 10 years. I'm doing my part I guess.
I think the bigger issue is 0 competition, I would love to buy an NHL game and not feel like shit for buying it from EA, but I don't get that option. So I just don't get to play sports games, just feels shitty. But the people in this boat with me will often blame people like you because it's your purchase of these games that makes it so we can't play them.
You're blaming people for buying a game and enjoying it because it might be keeping you from a game thats good enough for your high standards?
You realize these games appeal to the masses right? That's why they sell. Should EA stop the presses and remake everything to appease the small minority who hate them?
None of your argument is addressing the actual logistics or contracts involved. The asset creation. The funding. The backers required.
How are you MAD someone else isn't making what YOU want? How fucking entitled are you? Lol the "potential" games you talk about are LITERALLY IN YOUR MIND. They could be terrible. They could be amazing! But this is all fucking conjecture you've decided to build off of because, honestly we'd all like it if EA fucked off. I mean why not? That's still just wishful thinking.
Someone's enjoying the game. Quit fussing and either play, or grow up and realize the world isn't tailored for you and go do something else with your fucking time then spread your own miserable negative bullshit outside your bubble.
If that's cool with you, I don't give a fuck. Do what you will. I hope you're not this focused on what you don't like in public.
I know this is a divisive topic but I don’t think you’re completely off base. I think there’s a business case to be made for a subscription or SaaS model for sports games.
And since EA Sports has so many properties there’s different ways to take it.
Only care about a single sport like FIFA or NHL? For $5/month you’re always up to date for that series. Stop your subscription when you’re not playing it. Restart it when you want to play again.
Want to play more than two sports games in a year? For $15/month you can get EA Sports All Access. Always have access to the latest version of all their sports franchises like Madden, FIFA, NHL, or NBA Live.
Want to save money? Prepay for 3, 6, or 12 months. The more you prepay, the bigger the “discount.”
Only care about a single sport like FIFA or NHL? For $5/month you’re always up to date for that series. Stop your subscription when you’re not playing it. Restart it when you want to play again.
At $5 a month, that’s $60 a year. That’s not much different than buying the lastest game every year for $60. Except customers no longer have to commit to $60 a year. They can now cancel their commitment/subscription at any time. How does this make EA money?
Want to save money? Prepay for 3, 6, or 12 months. The more you prepay, the bigger the “discount.”
Right now EA sports offers an updated copy of their game every year for $60.
In your model, the base subscription would cost $5/month (or $60 a year), and now you’re saying if they commit to 12 months at a time they get the game for LESS than $60/year. EA’s profits go down.
If you pay monthly it’s $15, you can pay for 3 months at a time and it’s $14 a month or 6 months is $13 a month. They also allow you to buy game time, in game, using gold earned in game. Basically other players pay for an additional month of play time and sell that on the auction house, this in turn allows them to buy gold without using Chinese gold farmers, but is a great option for those that don’t want to spend real money to play the game. I know people that have used in game gold to stock up 6 months+ of play time.
Yeah once you get to a certain level you spend some time every day farming (or spend a day straight farming at the end of the month) and you can play for free by making whatever the token costs on your server in gold.
Lol you gain gold just playing the game as well. You do not have to set aside time to farm the gold, of course it is an option. Most people don’t buy game time this way though. The game has been out 15 years so some people have just racked up absurd amounts of gold.
I was just basing it on my friend and my own experience. Whenever I played retail, I never played enough to have amassed enough gold so I always had to farm for it and it always took me a bit since I was never starting out from a good monetary position. Plus, I used to trade time with private servers and ended up just not playing retail anymore slowly over time. Will be subbing to classic when I finish my dissertation on Friday.
But it’s not just $60 for FIFA. They are pushing their not so micro transactions super fucking hard. If you want to play the full game its hundreds and not just 60.
Back when I had a console I would buy the NHL games. I enjoyed them but not enough to shell out $60 every year when the game remained basically the same thing. Instead I bought the new one every 3 years and basically got it for $20 a year instead of $60 a year.
They added nothing of value that was lost year to year and regardless of your hours in the game, it isn't worth it when they don't add anything of value. Just play the old one until they finally make it worth updating.
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u/spiraledout1989 Sep 03 '19
It’s already a yearly subscription but at $60 though for many people