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Businesses Entertainment Games

EA Nets Another Exclusivity Deal 61

Posted by Zonk from the wow-the-afl-sure-is-a-catch dept.
GamesIndustry.biz has the news that EA has signed an exclusive deal with the Arena Football League to produce games for that organization. From the article: "The move will see the creation of a new AFL title in the EA Sports line-up, joining other football franchises Madden, NFL Street and NCAA, with the first title due to hit the market before the 2006 AFL season starts in a year's time."
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EA Nets Another Exclusivity Deal More

EA Nets Another Exclusivity Deal

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  • Wowie. I wonder if it would be possible to license classic players from the NFLPA. Anyone know the full extent of the exclusivity deal?

    (fp?)
    • I doubt it, Madden already included all the classic teams, so I am sure that wouldn't have been over looked. I think your more likely to see Drew Gust, LaDainian Thomson, and Antonio Fence playing for the San Deigo Lightning.
      • That reminds me of a baseball game for the NES (maybe SNES) back in the day when you couldn't get both an MLB and an MLBPA license in the same game. For example, on the New York Mets you had "Darryl Raspberry" and "HoJo".

        Anyone remember the game?

        • I beleive that was Ken Griffey Jr Baseball for the SNES, in which Ken Griffey was the only actual MLB player on any team.
          • No, that one had names that weren't based on the real players' names. For instance, I believe the Cardinal's pitchers were all named after famous comedians.

            I'm almost positive that the game I'm thinking of was for the NES, because it was back when Darryl Strawberry, Doc Gooden, and Howard Johnson were all playing for the Mets (late 80's?).

  • No chance for Sega/Take-Two now... (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    The only thing they can do is go with the European or Canadian football leagues, and not many people in the US will be interested. Hopefully we'll get another $20 year for ESPN Games for the 2K6 games.
    • If by European you mean NFL Europe, then read into that.... "NFL" Europe. They actually do already include all the NFL Europe teams in Madden, and I doubt anyone would pay to get the 'rights' to them. Basically now, all any other companies can do is either (A) do like Midway is doing with "Playmakers" or (B) do a game that is evidently better than Madden with fake teams but with a very robust "editor", and make it very easy to import team graphics/rosters. I'd think that some enterprising company would t
    • ... called NCAA Division I-A football.

  • I think Sega should take this opportunity to try something different. Right now, the two biggest selling pieces in video games are boobs and violence. Why not create a M-rated football game? Similar to NFL Blitz, but it goes that next step...You sack the quarterback? Pull his arm off on your way up! Not too mention the stripper level cheerleaders on the sidelines.

    If anyone remembers Mutant League Football for the Sega Genesis, that is very close to what I am talking about. The game can still have sta
  • With the NHL surviving for at least another year ONLY in EA's virtual rink, look for the hockey league to negotiate with EA for the rights to play if the strike ever ends.
    • The way they're going the NHL should pay EA to come out with another version, just to keep some kind of visibility going. Those fools have unraveled any progress made in the US over the last 20 years, and I guess we'll probably see at least 2 or 3 franchises fold in the next few years as a result.
      • I guess we'll probably see at least 2 or 3 franchises fold in the next few years as a result.

        Are those the same 2 or 3 that would have folded had they been playing anyway?

        • No, I'm saying that the effect of this lockout will probably result in 2 or 3 teams being lost. Regardless of the financial relationship between players and owners, they've done some real long-term damage to the fanbase they've been trying to build in the US.
          • I agree about the damage that they have done to the fanbase - look at how long it took baseball to gain back the fans after the stunts that they pulled in the 90's.

            I was just saying that the NHL has a bigger small market vs. big market problem than baseball even has, and it did sound like at least one team would have folded had they played the year (and some teams are making more money by renting ice this year than they would have by playing hockey).

            I don't know if a salary cap like what the NFL has is

            • Actually, when it comes to big-market vs. small-market, you can make a good argument that hockey doesn't have a competitive balance problem, just a profit/loss problem for some teams.

              2004 Conference Finalists: Calgary, San Jose, Tampa Bay, Philadelphia
              2003 Conference Finalists: Minnesota, Anaheim, Ottawa, New Jersey
              2002 Conference Finalists: Detroit, Colorado, Carolina, Toronto

              That's 12 different teams in the last three years, running the gamut from the small-market paupers to Original Six powerhouses
      • ESPN2's replacement programming (college basketball, mostly) has on average been getting double the ratings of an average NHL game. Good riddance, I say.
    • It's not a strike. It's a lockout. That means that the players want to be playing, but the owners won't let them. Get your facts straight.
      • "It's not a strike. It's a lockout. That means that the players want to be playing, but the owners won't let them"

        There's nothing stopping them from playing. It's a strike.

        • There is something stopping them. The fact that they are under contracts to the NHL teams they play for that they may only play for those teams in North America. The only players active in N.A. right now are unsigned free agents. The others are only legally able to play in Europe, or else they are open to legal trouble. If your boss told you tomorrow "Go home. You can't come to work here until the new terms of employment for Burger King are settled, would you consider yourself on strike? Get a freaking clue
  • If they do a CFL game, that is. Think about the drastically reduced development time thanks to these contributing factors:
    • Fewer downs than the NFL
    • Players get paid less than their NFL counterparts
    • Significantly less interesting than the NFL

    Of course, the field technically is wider, so it may average out in the end.
  • Looks like I need to turn to EA for my Arena Football League fix.

    Wait a second... Who the Hell would ever possibly need an AFL fix? I mean, really... Arena football?

    Go Sega. Make a more comedic football game where you can make your own stars. Throw in a few, good, fluffy characters and you're good to go.
    • There's always the conspiracy theory that EA doesn't really plan to make an AFL game, they just don't want anyone else to take the license and make an AFL game that is superior to Madden in every way aside from the lack of an NFL license that could potentially kick Madden's ass.
  • Well this settles it. EA has now officially run out of things to spend money on
    • Why would they have a need for 4 different football games? I am content with the 3 games they have, but the AFL? I mean, a tennis game by EA would probably outsell the upcoming AFL game. The intrest in the AFL is close to none, I can't imagine many people coming out and buying the game. I would have to say that they should use the money in making a better James Bond game rather than another football game. I doubt that EA is going to make a goldeneye-like caliber game if they keep spending it on non-sense li
      • Sadly- they probably really don't care about making the AFL game.

        But, some guy in EA decided that they needed to BLOCK Sega from making an AFL game. So, they bought the rights.

        This was probably a defensive move...EA isn't THAT stupid. (No..they really aren't)
        • I think that they are planning for a monopoly...The EA Conspiracy...coming to a gaming console near you...

          But seriously, why spend a million dollars? It just doesn't line up for me. Seems a bit drastic...*cough*.
        • EA is in uncharted territory now. No company has ever released 3 football games in one season. One of the following has to happen. Either they burn out their developers for good. OR all 3 football games will basically be identical.

  • Who knew? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by white1827 ( 848173 ) on Tuesday January 11, 2005 @01:07PM (#11323072) Homepage
    I'm in shock that there is a demand for an AFL game. Because no one seems to want to see it in person or on TV.

    • Re:Who knew? (Score:2, Informative)

      by dletter ( 676436 )
      Average attendance of 11,000 last season. TV ratings, while not high, that do better than, amoung other things, NHL hockey, MLS Soccer and WNBA Basketball. /www.arenafan.com
      • What!?! More than NHL Hockey...are you referring to last season...or this season. I have trouble watching the NHL season this year due to the stupid lockout.
        I am surprised that NHL would be under Arena Football, you think that the *only* hockey sport in the US would get higher ratings than a small league overshadowed by the NFL. Oh well, time to practice place kicking... man those field goal posts are small...
        • "Only hockey league in the US?" Ever hear of the East Coast and West Coast Hockey Leagues? I bet that the two combined get a little more than AFL.
          • The West Coast Hockey League ceased to exist summer of 2003, and all of the teams were absorbed into the East Coast Hockey League, which is now known just as the ECHL (no longer stands for anything.

            Other US hockey leagues are the American Hockey League, Central Hockey League, United Hockey League, and Southern Professional Hockey League.

            And I can honestly say I _never_ expected to see the ol' WCHL mentioned on Slashdot...

  • I think a fark headline nailed this (Score:4, Funny)

    by enrico_suave ( 179651 ) on Tuesday January 11, 2005 @01:07PM (#11323082) Homepage
    "Electronic Arts grabs exclusive rights to Arena Football League videogames. Next up: exclusive rights for Milwaukee YMCA Basketball and Warren G. Harding Middle School Hopscotch"

    Fark [fark.com]

    e.
    • To be honest, it's all about gameplay. If EA released a YMCA basketball game and it had great gameplay, who would care that there weren't NBA players in it. People would buy it and play it. Same thing goes for this Arena Football League videogame. I'm not saying that it will be good, but you shouldn't throw that idea out the window just because it's perceived as a subpar sports league. Videogames can make anything fun.
      • "To be honest, it's all about gameplay. If EA released a YMCA basketball game and it had great gameplay, who would care that there weren't NBA players in it. People would buy it and play it. Same thing goes for this Arena Football League videogame. I'm not saying that it will be good, but you shouldn't throw that idea out the window just because it's perceived as a subpar sports league. Videogames can make anything fun."

        If that was true the licensing wouldn't be important.

        Hey i'm with you on the gameplay,
      • Videogames can make anything fun.

        We're talking about EA here.

  • Just Confirms Suspicions (Score:3, Insightful)

    by blueZhift ( 652272 ) on Tuesday January 11, 2005 @01:42PM (#11323527) Homepage Journal
    EA's exclusive deal with the AFL just confirms the suspicions of many that they want to kill competition in video football games. The AFL is not popular enough to warrant anyone's interest and EA wants to make sure that competitors like Sega don't even get a chance to make this any different. Now any competing game has to go with made up players, leagues, and stadiums. Yeah, I know about the CFL, but that's probably even less popular in the U.S. than the AFL.

    My guess is that EA is interested in sewing up American football ahead of the day when they have to stop using the Madden name. Stiff arming the competition is one way to do this. On the flipside though, a really good game with fully customizable players, leagues, and even stadiums could have a chance. Coupled with strong marketing and online league play, it could overcome the lack of real league licenses. I'd love to see someone try this. Oh, how about a MMO football game too? I heard that this is being tried for baseball by someone.
    • Umm...why does everyone keep forgetting about NCAA football? While I was never a huge fan of the college football offerings from Sega or EA, I will definitely put my money next year on Sega's College Football 2K6 or whatever they will call it. While you can't get the actual names (due to the whole amateur thing), you at least get real teams and the stats of the players are based on real people...
  • Somehow EA will grab the Exclusive rights to the next WNBA game. With all those other offers, how could the WNBA choose EA? Crazy kids, when something is as hot as the WNBA currently is, they should have kept their options open...
  • Now we're going to get a videogame identical to Madden in gameplay rather than a wholly original game which the AFL deserves. The AFL has really been doing well lately, so well that they had to create their own minor league, AF2. In cities without NFL teams (such as Orlando) the AFL has been very successfull.

  • I think... (Score:4, Interesting)

    by hollismb ( 817357 ) on Tuesday January 11, 2005 @01:48PM (#11323593) Homepage
    We all know why they did this. So Sega doesn't have any other licensing options in terms of football. Nobdy actually wants an AFL game, and I bet they won't even make one. It's just so Sega can't. EA sucks monkey balls.
  • My first thought was that they were going for an Australian Football League exclusive licence.
    • My first thought was that they were going for an Australian Football League exclusive licence.
      Yeah, but it'd be hard to make a version better than the one that appeared on the NES. And it'd hardly be exclusive given that Acclaim have created PS2 and Xbox versions (AFL Live 2004 [gamespot.com]).
  • I have to wonder how hard EA is trying to sew up exclusive rights with the NCAA as well. Complete that trifecta, and you've removed all reasonable outlets for a game company to build or maintain a simulation football engine, particularly heading into the next generation of consoles.

    Should they succeed, even if they let the exclusivity expire in 2010, any company that wants to make an NFL game - will be building a football engine from scratch for aging PS3, XBox2, and Revolution hardware, only to do it aga

  • I can't help but wonder if this is just EA walking away after beating the crap out of Sega and then turning around just to step on on Sega's glasses. I mean, what interest would anyone have in an AFL game - unless that was the only football game you could make?

    My guess is that the EA probably gave the AFL more money than it's ever made from video games (which is to say, greater than $5) and is probably assigning the five newest interns as the entire team. This isn't to make an AFL game, it's to stop oth
  • Maybe they're gonna use the AFL in a franchise mode in the Madden game. Work your way up to the big league, like in their Fifa game where you start from the smaller clubs and work your way up to the Manchester Uniteds, Barcelonas, etc.

    (plus they're probably just screwing w/ Sega that much more.)

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