And then there was one..

[yh]

maybe now that Sega cannot make and NFL games, they can be the first to create an Arena football game, I know theres a market out there for a game like this, it may not seel like Madden, but if you make it good enough it will be bought

That will depend on whether the NFL which has some sort of equity stake or branding alliance with the AFL, would permit such a thing. And if they don't then there should be no reason why EA shouldn't be producing an AFL game or including an AFL component within Madden (if they're concerned about floating an independent game that is only supported by a 17 team league).

[Discrim]

i probably wouldn't have doen this if I were the NFL. Wouldn't 2 or 3 NFL games from 3 companies make more money than 1-2 NFL games from one company?

to make matters worse, I hear EA's trying for similar deals with MLB and the NBA.

[Sterling84]

I'd hesitate before assuming our ideas are "in the works". I think Yale's idea, which paralleled my own flights of fancy, is a dream scenario.

If I were them, I wouldn't focus on any licensing any particular secondary league....Canadien, Arena, European or other.....

Reason? Nobody's going to tackel the NFL in terms of sales anyway. To approach this "project" as though Sega could bring down EA is silly....at least not initially. Even this year, WITH the NFL license, at a cost less than half of Madden and with a comparable game......Sega still didn't pull even. They must've scared EA, which is cool, but they didn't hurt their sales wildly. So IMO there is no way that even the best Canadien or AFL licensed game could even touch Madden.

Also, you are probably never going to beat out Madden in that typical, 14 yr old media-slave demographic who all want Madden cause their friends have Madden.

You are going to have to target a bit more discerning, mature audience (initially) and let the world discover at a more grass-roots pace, what a flexible and powerful game this could be. I keep bringing up Half-Life, and I don't know if you guys even are familiar with it's story. But you put something out so customizeable, so user friendly and open source (where fans created Counter Strike out of nothing.) To release a football game like that, where some kids are "making" the AFL, some are making the NFL, some are making imaginery leagues........all driven by just a simple, fantastic football engine....thats what we need.

[yh]

a simple, fantastic football engine....thats what we need.

Exactly, and if Sega wants consideration for future NFL work 5 years from now then they'd damn better well have that superior and highly user-friendly football engine well in place. Five years from now we'll be well into XBox2 and PS3 platforms, so the potential for sophistication and flexibility of gameplay control is going to be tremendous. They've basically got five years to out Madden Madden.

[JamesCraven]

The sad part is, ESPN/Sega doesn't have a Game Cube version of their games.

[JamesCraven]

"Maybe now that Sega cannot make and NFL games, they can be the first to create an Arena Football game. I know there's a market out there for a game like this, it may not seel like Madden, but if you make it good enough it will be bought."

I think a few years ago, Acclaim came out wih a Arenaball game endorsed by none other than Kurt Warner.

[TFoA]

"Maybe now that Sega cannot make and NFL games, they can be the first to create an Arena Football game.  I know there's a market out there for a game like this, it may not seel like Madden, but if you make it good enough it will be bought."

I think a few years ago, Acclaim came out wih a Arenaball game endorsed by none other than Kurt Warner.

I remember that. It was like a cheap version of NFL Blitz.

[Discrim]

You are going to have to target a bit more discerning, mature audience (initially) and let the world discover at a more grass-roots pace, what a flexible and powerful game this could be. I keep bringing up Half-Life, and I don't know if you guys even are familiar with it's story. But you put something out so customizeable, so user friendly and open source (where fans created Counter Strike out of nothing.) To release a football game like that, where some kids are "making" the AFL, some are making the NFL, some are making imaginery leagues........all driven by just a simple, fantastic football engine....thats what we need.

while we wait for Sega to consider directions to take the now-former NFL 2K series, I'll bring thru the backdoor a game that's been in development for the PC for a few years now.

Maximum-Football

I may look into any game that offers customability like this, cus as much as i've liked Madden over the years, it ain't perfect. 5 years of an exclusive NFL license, i fear, equals 5 years of underachieving. then again, the studio that does Madden isn't filled with the morons who regurgitate EA's sorry excuses for baseball or hockey games, so there's hope. hell, i already know i'm never gonna play those two games again.

[Waffles]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...m/nfl_midway_dc

Midway has already moved on from the NFL, hiring a former writer for ESPN's late, great "Playmakers" to develop Blitz: Playmakers with fictional teams and players.

[Magus]

I'm ticked..They did this to Papyrus..best *darn* racing simulator in the world, and EA buys NASCAR out from under them..

I agree with that guy frome Take-Two..

the gran turismo franchise owns the EA Nascar franchise.

[vicfurth]

You know what I'd do if I were Sega/ESPN? Make an NCAA game, complete with all divisions from 1-A to NAIA. Could you imagine playing USC vs. Mount Union? That'd be kinda cool. I'd make this game as close to College Gameday as you could get, complete with Lee Corso/Kirk Herbstreit in the booth, break-in updates on conference games that you need to keep up with, & AN ACTUAL PLAYOFF!!! I'd love to play at Kyle Field and hear "beat the h--- outta (insert team here)" or "farmers fight!!!". That'd be awesome. One more feature that'd far surpass all the other NCAA football games... Have player names on the jerseys. I never understood why they didn't have names on the back. My guess was memory or something. It's not like they don't have access to rosters to figure out names.

For off-season, while you're recruiting, set it to where when you recruit that one guy you need, you actually recruit him. You type things in to pitch your school. You send certain people to recruit certain players. You even follow the new tweaks to the BCS each year.

Oh, and the graphics would be photo-realistic. For example, this'd be what the graphics looked like...

There wouldn't be the graphics they have now. (Also, this's is probably how they'll do graphics for the X-Box2/PS3). I mean, c'mon, they've been putting movies on Playstation discs for nearly eight years. There's no reason why they couldn't do that.

There'd also be some of the features from NFL 2K5, such as player interviews after games. I could even imagine a microphone feature where you actually answer the questions. They had this feature with N64 (you Pokemon/Pikachu fans prolly remember more than I do).

I could go on forever, but this's what I got now. DISCUSS!!!

[slapshot]

NCAA games can't feature current players' names on the backs of the jerseys, because then the players would have to be paid for the use of their likenesses, which compromises NCAA eligibility. That's why graduated players are featured on the front covers of games like ESPN College Hoops 2K5 and EASports NCAA Football 2005.

In College Hoops, you can assign players names to their generic counterparts. There is a database of names built into the game, you just have to match up first names to last names. But this ends up being a "coincidence" instead of having the actual players' names.

[wheateater]

Ah, monopolies. The wonderful characteristic of our capitalist societies.

I don't really know if this deal is good or bad for me, but the thing is, I don't really care, either. See, I bought Madden 2005 for the high price and it didn't change much from 2004, which was kinda disappointing. However, the idea of a 30-year franchise in the game means that (at my pace) it might take me 3-to-4 years to complete the whole set. That means that I may not want or need to buy another football game until 2007 or 2008. If all you want is to play football, there is no need to buy the new version every year, unless you really want to play with accurate rosters. That's everyone's personal choice. Mine is to just roll along as owner of the six-time Super Bowl Champion Tennessee Titans. How's that for beating the system?

[pcgd]

speaking of madden 2005...its 19.99 at best buy this week.

[Discrim]

That'd be awesome. One more feature that'd far surpass all the other NCAA football games... Have player names on the jerseys. I never understood why they didn't have names on the back. My guess was memory or something. It's not like they don't have access to rosters to figure out names.

two words to get around that: player editor

which is what all the now-former NFL games will have to use to get around the EA/NFL thing.

[See Red]

Rumor - EA Dumps Madden?

How about that one? I'd be interesting in seeing what they would name the game. NFL 2006 would work because it's not like it could be confused with any other NFL games. Or Fox Sports NFL 2006? Or could they make a deal with ESPN, possibly?

It says it's too early to call, but to be honest, I would prefer they dump Madden, as the game could use some fresh commentary.

[dwertman]

I cant remember where I saw it,but i guess the giants of EA went after an exclusive deal with the NBA and the league denied them.....if i find it i will post

And isnt Madden supposedly hanging it up after this year?

[Stampman]

Well I have 2004, my custom teams and leagues--so this doesn't matter too much, now--but if someone comes along with a franchise mode and more customability--I may try it.

I may try maximumfootball if it ever arrives--supposedly soon...

although it lacks franchise mode...

[FiddySicks]

Hooray for EA Sports!!! The King of Football is now the UNDISPUTED king of football   ESPN was a darn good game, but it ain't no Madden.

You are right. ESPN is no Madden. It's better.

I swore after I bought ESPN 2K5 that I'd never buy Madden again. I guess I don't have a choice for football next season.

Well, I do; I won't buy a game at all!

ahhh quit complaining. ESPN will do what Madden did before they got the rights to team names. theyll just use the city names. the game will still be just as kick ass, im sure. and besides whats the real difference between Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts tackled by Derrick Brooks of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Claytoon Banning of the Indianapolis Bolts tackled by Eric Tooks of the Tampa Bay Plunderers, or whatever.

[FiddySicks]

That'd be awesome. One more feature that'd far surpass all the other NCAA football games... Have player names on the jerseys. I never understood why they didn't have names on the back. My guess was memory or something. It's not like they don't have access to rosters to figure out names.

two words to get around that: player editor

which is what all the now-former NFL games will have to use to get around the EA/NFL thing.

yeah but do you know how freakin long that takes?! im still working on the rosters for ncaa 2003