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Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Games on the Hotseat Stuck
02:41 PM - February 16, 2010. Written by MMChrisS
2009 was a make or break year for several games, and a couple -- NCAA Basketball and possibly NHL 2K -- didn't make the cut. I think this year is a huge make or break year for three titles in our genre specifically. Check out my list of 3 and respond with your own thoughts:

1. NBA Live 11
NBA Live is in a position where it must perform this year. NBA 2K is absolutely killing Live in sales and it still has an edge -- some would still say quite sizeable -- in quality. While Live is a long running title for EA Sports, so was NASCAR and we know how that turned out. If Live can't improve on sales, it could be the next to go for a company who's new business motto is less titles, bigger sales per title.

2. NHL 2K11
It is not confirmed whether we will or will not see NHL 2K11. However if the title is released, given the speculation this year, you can't help but think the title HAS to perform this year. While 2K10 may or may not have been the last year of the series, I have a hard time seeing how 2K11 won't be.

3. NCAA Football 11
Given the current lawsuits working their way through the courts, NCAA Football 11 is, by default, on the hotseat. It isn't due to a lack of quality nor a lack of sales, but rather outside forces which could end up threatening the series' future. For that reason, NCAA is on the hotseat this year until we get some resolution in the courts system. Performing well in sales and quality won't hurt it's chances though.
Blog: MMChrisS
Tuesday Other Stuff (2-16-10) Stuck
04:38 AM - February 16, 2010. Written by Steve_OS
QOTD: What was the last game you completed?

Happy Birthday to the following OS'ers!

mimo369 (37), Renoathf (36), ExtremeGamer (33), BigTigLSU (31), kjayb51 (23), porkthetorpedo (21)
Blog: Steve_OS
Monday, February 15, 2010
Time to kill the OVR? Stuck
05:44 PM - February 15, 2010. Written by MMChrisS
I've got a beef with an age old system in sports gaming: the overall rating.

I think it hampers the experience of sports video gaming. I mean, how can you effectively communicate an overall rating for a pitcher who can throw a 100mph fastball and is incredibly effective at the set-up or closer role? What about a running back with awesome speed but a tendency to fumble? What about a shooting guard who is very un-athletic but can shoot from anywhere and make it?

The problem with the overall rating is that it misrepresents who players are. One guy can be a 76 but a heck of a player in your system but another can be a 95 but not a fit at all. I think there is be a better way to rate players and provide visual feedback on what kind of players they are.

I think the Madden weapon system was a good idea on the surface, but deeply flawed in it's implementation. I think that's the sort of visual feedback you should give players on how good the players they have are, and I'm not talking about putting the icons everywhere on the football field, baseball diamond or basketball court either. Let's keep them to the depth charts.

Basically, I'm proposing the overall rating formula be improved upon by adding some additional visual feedback to a player on the type of player they have. If a guy has great hands, they should have an icon by their name. If they are a great 3 point shooter, ditto. If your player can swing for power, indicate that. Shoot, you can even keep the overall rating in place -- but with some improvements in it's calculation -- to give users as much info in as little of a space as possible.

I can visualize the depth chart screen in my head where you see a player name, his skill icons, and an overall rating of some sort. Of course, the option would be available to let the user see more advanced ratings and settings (why not add a simple button push for this?) as well. However, you could easily streamline the menus and make roster management much easier by giving users simplified views of important information for players.

What do you think about this idea? Do you have a beef with the overall rating present in most sports games? What is your idea to fix it?
Blog: MMChrisS
One more (small) note on the ongoing NCAA lawsuits. Stuck
01:43 PM - February 15, 2010. Written by MMChrisS
Here are a few more tidbits on the current legalese action going on in California over the current NCAA Athletes lawsuits against the NCAA:
  • There are numerous suits working their way through the courts right now. A quick Google and database search brought up several similar cases to Keller's, including a suit by former Rutger's QB Ryan Hart.
  • Claudia Wilken, the judge in the O'Bannon vs. NCAA suit, combined the claims of the Keller lawsuit into the O'Bannon case in the ruling issued last week. The accusers have 30 days to file an amended combined claim on the NCAA there, so expect more news by Early March at the latest.
  • As we reported, the California court system rejected EA's attempt to get the case thrown out as well as their claims of protecting the "public interest" and "public affaris". Also, EA's claim of protection by the First Amendment was all but thrown out as well.
  • Knowing what I know, if the case progresses very far and the argument comes down to whether EA is using likenesses in their games without athletes permission, they will almost certainly lose. EA actually pays people to research and do rosters for their NCAA games to make them as realistic as possible (either internally or externally). I'm sure with enough historical interview coverage, you will probably find an EA employee admitting to trying to get more accurate rosters in NCAA as well. As always, I must use the standard legalese can be tricky and unpredictable disclaimer, because who knows how things might actually work out.

That's it for now. But I figured I'd post an update before I post another blog later on today dealing with the OVR ratings in sports games (be sure to check that one out!). In the meantime, I know many of you are rooting against Keller/O'Bannon here, what arguments can EA and the NCAA muster up to avoid the damaging penalties they might have to incur?
Blog: MMChrisS
Friday, February 12, 2010
Thursday, February 11, 2010
R.I.P. College Basketball Gaming? Stuck
02:25 PM - February 11, 2010. Written by MMChrisS
First 2K Sports decided it wasn't profitable to make a college basketball game. Then EA, with the market all to itself, couldn't muster a title which could sell very well (much less be of good quality).

And now, with the NCAA under fire from multiple directions via lawsuits about how it's licensing player likenesses, it seems as if College Basketball gaming might just be dead.

At least for now.

Unfortunately, in the near term, it might be a tough sell for anyone going to any publisher looking to develop a college basketball game. According to the best figures I can find (the not so reliable but best thing we have VGChartz), College Basketball games have always had a tough time selling. The best selling College basketball game I could find only mustered just about half a million sales on any given platform -- and that was in the much more favorable to sports games PS2 generation of games.

Given the risks involved in the market at the present time (potentially paying a huge sum out of pocket in a lawsuit settlement) plus the simple fact the games aren't selling very well in an environment not very conducive to risk, it shouldn't be a huge surprise EA is dumping NCAA Basketball from a business standpoint.

So will anyone take up the torch at a later date and make a college basketball game? I think the answer is yes, and I think EA might be the company to do it at some point again in the future. But for now, the folks on the NCAA Basketball team have been reassigned in house, which could only be a good thing for other titles in development at EA Canada. In the meantime, college basketball gamers will have to settle for NCAA Basketball 10 or College Hoops 2K8 as their college basketball game of choice.

Do you care NCAA Basketball is no longer being developed by EA? Will we see another college basketball game? Sound off with your opinion!
Blog: MMChrisS
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Media convergence coming to a gaming console near you Stuck
08:46 PM - February 10, 2010. Written by MMChrisS
Welcome to 2010.

This is the year where media convergence will come full force and will finally rear it's head in an (as of yet) untouched and pristine frontier: video games. While it should hardly be a surprise -- in fact it may be more surprising we haven't talked about this sooner -- but 2010 will be the year convergence fully comes into full focus in our industry.

Media convergence, for those not in the know, is basically the moving together of media control into fewer companies companies across multiple platforms of media. It is a movement of media company diversification away from the old news, weather, and sports into movies, music, and other forms of media. 2010 will almost certainly see video games move into the new big media family.

Let's take a look at the two biggest publishing names in sports gaming: Take Two and Electronic Arts and their prospects for moving into the hands of big media.

Take Two is a relatively cheap company stock wise (hovering around $10), it's balance sheet is still pretty healthy, and it is rated as a 'buy' by most stock analysts. Carl Icahn, known to buy into companies in order to sell them, is now the single biggest individual stock holder in the company and just placed three of his choices onto the board of directors. The signs all point towards either Viacom or Time Warner (which Icahn owns significant stock in) buying the publisher in the not so distant future.

Electronic Arts is a company which simply promised too much and delivered too little and now the company is a relative bargain price wise with repeated disappointments in revenue and earnings. There have been persistent rumors of Disney being interested in EA, and while neither side has confirmed any talks they certainly haven't denied them either. The bad news continues to pile up for EA, including what is sure to be a lackluster release of Dante's Inferno with lukewarm reviews at best. Many analysts are predicting EA will be bought out in the near future simply because it's a bargain compared to where it was just a couple of years ago and the company can't seem to do anything right at this point.

So what would the move towards convergence have on sports gamers?

Media companies would not sink a lot of money into game companies to not use their existing properties extensively. So if say, EA was bought out by Disney, expect ESPN to be all over EA Sports games (and EA Sports games to be all over ESPN). As far as how the buyouts would practically effect game quality and game lineups, that's a good question. I would expect the current mantras to persist, of fewer but bigger titles. Also, some belt tightening and some shifts in focus could occur, such as a possible move away from exclusive licensing in order to maximize profitability.

So what do you think? Would our favorite sports gaming companies ending up in big media's hands be a good or bad thing for us? Sound off now!
Blog: MMChrisS
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
I may be wrong, but if you are planning on killing off a game, you probably shouldn't be looking to round out it's music soundtrack. The posting was posted on January 6 and expired on January 20. All of this was after the speculation that NHL 2K11 was dead surfaced in December. Hopefully we see the game in September, because the 2K lineup of games was getting rather thin to say the least.

Quote:
2K Sports is looking for a band who can provide a song to help round out the NHL 2K11 soundtrack. NHL 2K11 is the latest in a series of critically acclaimed hockey games, due out in September 2010.

2K Games is not accepting more than 300 artist submissions. Submissions may close before the posted deadline.

Besides the amazing exposure opportunity, selected bands will be paid a $3,000 fee.

Previous acts in 2K Sports hockey games include Phoenix, MGMT, The Ramones, Bad Religion, Korn and Quiet Riot.

If chosen, band will be required to sign 2K’s standard licensing form before they receive the $3,000.
I received this link via PM but also noticed Owen Good over at Kotaku snagged it first, so head there if you want to read his take on the listing.
Blog: MMChrisS
You may have heard about the Ed O'Bannon lawsuit against the NCAA. Or, like me, you might not have really heard much about it until several sports writers tweeted about it yesterday.

But it's a big one for sports gamers -- much less anyone remotely involved in college athletics.

You probably have heard about the Sam Keller vs. NCAA lawsuit on how the NCAA handles licensing athlete's likenesses in video games. Well O'Bannon vs. NCAA is along the same thread, and it has to do with the NCAA licensing former player likenesses to organizations for use.

And now the lawsuit of O'Bannon vs. NCAA is moving forward.

What it means is that the NCAA's amateurism ideas are going to be put to an extreme test at least once and probably twice over the coming months. The NCAA's claims to protect amateurism and to protect student athletes from exploitation will almost certainly be unfounded when their account books face some scrutiny.

The implications for NCAA Football, NCAA Basketball (if it's still going to be a game), and NCAA Baseball (if we ever see one again) could be huge.

If O'Bannon wins his lawsuit, Keller would have a great chance, after a lot of legal wrangling, to win his as well since the fundamental claims are pretty similar with the exception one deals with former athletes and the other deals with current. And the NCAA's claim of protecting amateurism would pretty much be put to sleep as well, so college athletics themselves would be forever changed.. The next question for everyone would be, what happens in a post lawsuit world if the judges side with the athletes?

In the O'Bannon case, classic teams with accurate rosters would be a huge no-no in sports gaming. In the Keller case, athletes that even remotely resemble their real life counterparts would be considered taboo in college games, and part of Keller's claim is against customization as well. So custom rosters just might go the way of the dodo. However, that's assuming the NCAA survives the legal onslaught and somehow still is able to maintain it's claim of 'protecting' amateur athletes. There is a small chance the NCAA might be required to compensate athletes in licensing deals (or they might not be around to police licensing deals anymore) which might open the door up to real names and likenesses being used instead of the old number system.

For a lack of a better term, the future is clearly fuzzy for the NCAA. When you step into the world of the legalese, you can never be too cautious when predicting outcomes, and these cases are no exception. Since these things typically take forever to decide, we'll stay on top of these stories at OS. However, don't expect any firm resolution for quite some time.
Blog: MMChrisS
Monday, February 8, 2010
I just checked out of the conference call, and while they were still taking questions, I unfortunately have to move on to other things. Here are a few notes from the investors conference call. Some interesting tidbits were mentioned in regards to sports:
  • EA's focus of fewer and bigger titles was heavily drummed during the call.
  • EA officially confirmed what was suspected and all but confirmed for quite awhile: EA Sports Active is coming to the PS3 and 360.
  • FIFA sold over 7 million copies in the quarter and Madden sold 2.3. FIFA is easily EA's biggest cash cow at this point.
  • Digital content is growing rapidly, EA is expecting 30% revenues growth in the year.
  • It was mentioned the R&D budget is less for sports franchises than other franchises due to their annual nature.
  • EA is expecting DLC to grow 100% in the next fiscal year.
  • While EA's packaged goods business is profitable, digital content is even more so profitable. It was hinted that EA was going to be more aggressive in the digital gaming market, which is no surprise.
  • Jon Riccitiello mentioned he wanted more innovation in the sports titles, especially NBA Live where they continue to trail the competition.
  • EA Sports titles earnings were up significantly from FY 09 to FY 10
  • There was absolutely no mention of an NCAA Basketball title for next year either in the investor report or in the conference call up to the point I checked out. This is not a good sign for what is easily EA's least profitable yearly sports title. To say the game is cancelled at this point might be a bit much, since EA does own exclusive college basketball rights which would likely require a yearly release of the franchise. However, the signs are there and at the very least, NCAA Basketball 11 (if there is one) will be nothing more than a small roster update and a minor upgrade gameplay wise given the lack of a mention by EA today.

Meanwhile, investors completely disowned EA, as EA's stock dropped by as much as 10% in after hours trading before settling around 8.5% down. EA's forecast for the rest of this year was, as they said, 'admittedly conservative'. Don't look for any major changes or major new titles anytime soon folks, as EA's survival of the fittest mantra for it's gaming titles continues to take hold through the next couple of years.
Blog: MMChrisS

In their Q3 FY 2010 earnings press release, EA lists their upcoming planned major sports titles and in Q4 FY 2011, EA lists a "Fighting Game TBA" as their only major title. Also, for PC gamers, EA only lists FIFA games (Online and FIFA 11) as their only games on the platform once more, once again a firm signal that the PC Sports Gaming platform is all but dead outside of text-sims.

Also of note is that FIFA 10 sold 9.7 million copies, which makes it easily EA's top selling sports game from last year's lineup of games. And one final note, NCAA Football 11 is listed as a handheld title, which probably means it might be coming to mobile platforms such as the iPhone. You can check the full report here.

Is this another Fight Night? Or is it something else? Let the speculation commence, as it always does!
Blog: MMChrisS