Skip to main content

How to handle competition: make it impossible for your competitor to legally make their product.

EA has just acquired the exclusive rights to the NFL for video games. The deal, which is with both the NFL and the NFLPA, means that only EA games will get to feature actual NFL players for the next 5 years. This is the effective end of SEGA's ESPN NFL 2K franchise, which was this year actually competing with EA's Madden release, thanks to a lower price point and gameplay that actually was better than Madden for a lot of gamers (and gaming press).

EA has done an end run around SEGA (and ESPN) by doing this. Without trying to make a better game. For the next 5 years, if you want to play as the Manning brothers, Mike Vick or The New England Patriots, you'll have to boot up an old game, or buy EA's newest version, which will cost a bundle, guaranteed. They will have no incentive to innovate as there is effectively zero competition, since most gamers do not want to play with generic teams and rosters, no matter how good the actual gameplay is.

The NFL is also to blame for this--EA is not the sole rat in this pack. I guess they want games to rival NFL ticket prices, for that "authentic" experience.

EA, the NFL and the NFLPA all get spots in hell (link coming soon) for this.

Comments

Rube Waddell said…
Frankly... you have frightened me... thank God for Tiger Woods '05 and Halo 2 - Electric Boogaloo!
1:28 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Clay and Adam are a couple of dorks.

But I certainly had nothing to do with this monstosity. Or did I?
1 comment
Read more

Ruled by Secrecy

CONFIDENTIAL NEW BUSINESS PLAN Given the advancements in Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) technology, it is now possible to create the world's next great invention: The digital bumper sticker. See, OLEDs don't use a lot of voltage, can be almost paper-thin and are actually brighter than conventional LEDs using the same amount of power. This next generation bumper sticker (NGBS) will affix to your bumper or rear window as normal, but it will have a wireless connection to your cellular phone (WCTYCP). Flash memory (like in the iPod Shuffle) will keep each slogan displaying on the NGBS for at least 3 months without requiring a recharge/replacement. The advantages of this NGBS for the investor are so many as to boggle the mind, but I will outline a few for you: No more stale slogans. If your candidate lost, you can instantly update your Dennis Kucinich sticker to read "Don't Blame Me, I Voted Kucinich!" We think this will be a great revenue stream. After the l
6 comments
Read more

How to write like a gossip columnist

Anyone can do it! Just keep in mind to never use your source's name, and always play up a celebrity's reaction to something using the following words: Blast Slam Fuming Here's an example: "Latigo Flint blasted reports that his guns do not actually fire live ammunition." Use them in combination!: "Gil slammed fellow carnie Sal's insinuation that he got a bit too personal with a badger. "It was cold and he wasn't even there!" the one-eyed Whack 'em Cats operator fumed." That's right, kiddies. Anyone can write a gossip column. And with the internet, anyone can publish it, too! p.s. Don't forget to put a salacious slant on everything. And blow things out of proportion, too. In fact, you may want to change your middle name to that.
2 comments
Read more