Madden About To Get Some Competition? (2K Rumored To Release PFL!!!!)

**McLaren** · 08-22-2006, 04:27 AM

Nice...I hope this is true....That would be awsome. Madden can once again kiss my a$$

Wednesday, August 16, 2006
http://langstonwertz.blogspot.com/

It appears that the folks from 2KSports are planning to launch a new professional football game, based on a fictional league called the PFL.

As you recall EA Sports, owners of the Madden franchise, signed an exclusive rights agreement with the NFL so that it would be the only company licensed to use NFL players, logos and stadiums in its games.

It essentially wiped out the competition.

Now 2K, which was nipping at Madden's heels with its excellent 2K series of NFL titles, is apparently planning to get back into the game with teams like the Miami Hammerheads, Pittsburgh Iron Men and New Orleans Soul.

Now we know the folks at 2K make an excellent sports game. In many ways their NFL games, when fully licensed, were a more immersive experience than Madden titles, and 2K's NBA line is clearly better than what we've seen on NBA Live lately.

But will gamers play with fake teams in fake stadiums? We know they're willing, to a degree, to have fake names, as we've witnessed from college games. And true gamers know who No. 89 from the Panthers is or who No. 12 for New England is.

This might get interesting. All that said, I'm not allowed to release my official review of Madden '07 until Aug. 22, but after first blush, the game is the best Madden ever, so 2K7 or 2K8, which I'm hoping comes out, will have to be on point. I think competition makes everybody better.

**nwo504** · 08-22-2006, 05:06 AM

ssweet, it could actually be better than madden since they dont have to worry about all the nfl players and rules

**CreativeWriter** · 08-22-2006, 05:17 AM

Well, I don't think I'd buy this game. I always hated the Blitz games and the "Street" games. It is too bad that 2K lost the NFL license, but I'm just too much of an NFL fan to buy another league's game... or even the NCAA game, really--unless we get roster updates for PS3, since we'll have an HD... I hope we're at least allowed to import rosters to the next NCAA game. I bet they know that a lot of people will settle for not buying the new Madden or the new NCAA if they can simply update rosters online. Maybe that'll be something that will push the next iterations of those games to innovate (competition with the previous versions).

***LaLiLuLeLo*** · 08-22-2006, 05:23 AM

I never really have been a fan of sports games, but it just pisses me off that EA bought exclusivity to the NFL license. Because they couldn't compete on a quality basis or something? Bastards, man. Just, on a moral, ethical, principle level, it just grates my nerves. Go 2k Sports.

**Zac** · 08-22-2006, 05:25 AM

I think it was the NFL's idea to do an exclusive license.

***LaLiLuLeLo*** · 08-22-2006, 05:37 AM

no I think it was EA's. Because EA definitely approached the NBA with the same idea but thank god NBA 2k series is competitive enough that they didn't agree to it.

**EvilTaru** · 08-22-2006, 05:49 AM

Originally Posted by McLaren

Nice...I hope this is true....That would be awsome. Madden can once again kiss my a$$

Wednesday, August 16, 2006
http://langstonwertz.blogspot.com/

I doubt football fans will buy the game in significant numbers, they were intensely loyal to Madden even before EA got the exclusive NFL license, 2K/Visual Concept is just wasting its time and resources.

***LaLiLuLeLo*** · 08-22-2006, 05:53 AM

it's just a principles thing, because a lot of people preferred the 2k games, and just before they stopped releasing them they were selling for 20 bucks brand new. EA didn't want to have to keep competing on a quality basis so they bought the license. What happened? Incremental improvements to the Madden series ever since. The competition forced them to innovate and grow but now they've gotten complacent, simply because they can. It's our duty as consumers to discourage that whenever possible.

**EvilTaru** · 08-22-2006, 06:12 AM

Originally Posted by LaLiLuLeLo2003

I never really have been a fan of sports games, but it just pisses me off that EA bought exclusivity to the NFL license. Because they couldn't compete on a quality basis or something? Bastards, man. Just, on a moral, ethical, principle level, it just grates my nerves. Go 2k Sports.

Madden and 2K had been neck-in-neck in terms of reviews, it's not like Madden couldn't compete quality-wise, some people like the way Madden played, other people like the way 2K played, but obviously according to sales, MANY MORE people liked Madden gameplay, Madden had been kicking the NFL2K license's ass year after year by a landslide, even though Sega sports/VC fans have traditionally been much more vocal trying to portray their series as the superior one.

EA bought exclusivity because the opportunity is there, and perhaps it had to do with 2K buying VC from Sega and trying to price EA out (which didn't work btw), it has nothing to do with "ethics" or "principles", 2K was trying to take a shot at EA's biggest and most important franchise by attempting to drag EA into a price war, did they expect EA to do nothing? EA simply retaliated when given the opportunity, except it's a knock-out punch which basically took out 2K/VC for years to come, 2K/VC would have tried to do the same thing had they been in the exact same position as EA.

**EvilTaru** · 08-22-2006, 06:20 AM

If I don't feel Madden is worth buying this year, I won't buy it, pure and simple. Without the NFL license, it's just a waste of time for 2K/VC to try to get back into the football market because they won't succeed.

***LaLiLuLeLo*** · 08-22-2006, 06:30 AM

I get you. I just hate that EA made it so they don't even have to compete with anyone. The sports games were improving so much before then.

**EvilTaru** · 08-22-2006, 07:07 AM

nvm.

Freeman_JI · 08-22-2006, 12:26 PM

All this game needs is a comprehensive edit mode like say Pro Evolution Soccer (another game with fake teams [premier league] yet kicks the living shit out of EA's offering)

And a distribution method over Live, PS3 Alive between users. Just for the hell of it lets say a VC employee remotly uploads this "custom" user made data from day 1 with full renamed team(s) player(s) ect.

I've had the same Idea about Pro Evolution 4 ever, there probably is some leagal hurdel to doing this thought.

**nemesis121** · 08-23-2006, 02:56 AM

For years EA has been trying to purchase the NFL license and for years the NFL has denied them, then came ESPN NFL2K5 priced at $20, that sent shockwaves thru the NFL, first off even though EA pays for use of the NFL license NFL still gets a percentage of every game sold, but when Sega released 2K5 at $20 the Percentage became smaller and NFL being a greedy bastard that it is put the word out to EA and sega that they were interested in Selling the NFL license.

NFL knew that Sega couldn't bargain with EA because EA had more money, and if buy some crazy chance Sega came up with the money they would just live with that decision, but what they were trying to do is sell the License off knowing that whoever purchased it would have to sell there game at $50 for at least 10 months, it's a business and i know that but gamers got screwed because since EA has had the license the 2 Madden games have SUCKED, I got Madden 07 today.... yikes this game crap compared to Madden 05, the lack of competition between EA and sega is Hurting Madden.

PS:Take 2 bought up VC concepts after the NFL license was sold.