cdj
05-03-2011, 09:31 PM
Forbes blogger John Gaudiosi has written a new article discussing how the "NFL Lockout Has Been Good for (EA's) NCAA Football Franchise (http://blogs.forbes.com/johngaudiosi/2011/05/02/ea-sports-exec-says-nfl-lockout-has-been-good-for-its-ncaa-football-franchise/)." Continue on to read some excerpts of his blog entry.
http://thegamingtailgate.com/images/NCAA12/NCAAFootball12logo.png
Tom Goedde, vice president of marketing for EA Sports, said that the on-again, off-again NFL lockout actually was good for the annual NCAA Football bash. The company had more big-name draft players attend this year’s shindig than ever before. And that was, in part, due to the record number of players in New York for the NFL Draft.
While Madden gets all the attention – and this year Michael Vick, the NFL lockout and a lawsuit by a former Madden game creator have given Madden NFL 12 plenty of publicity; EA’s NCAA Football franchise is a perennial money-maker for the company. Life-to-date revenue for EA Sports’ long-running NCAA Football franchise is over $868 million, according to video game tracking firm The NPD Group. Since last July, EA Sports has sold over 3 million copies of NCAA Football 11 for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360, according to The NPD Group.
The new game, which ships July 12 for PS3 and Xbox 360 (no PS2 game for the first time), has added a new collision system, new defensive maneuvers, and new visuals like 3D grass and fog (for those night games). One of the focal points for the new game is bringing authentic sound (large crowds of 100,000 will sound different than smaller crowds) and sights (over 60 authentic pre-game on-the-field traditions) to the virtual gridiron. EA’s Tiburon Studio in Orlando also worked closely with ESPN to integrate their broadcast graphics and camera style, as well as their announcers, into the game. Of course, there will other features rolled out as launch approaches.
***
One thing that separates NFL rookies from the seasoned veterans is that the whole experience of seeing themselves in Madden for the first time is literally eye-opening to them. Before they’ve been drafted, these players love to talk about college football and video games and Madden. It’s a PR dream for EA. Sometimes, after players have been in the league and gone through the media interviews over and over again, that authentic excitement about football and video games can be lost.
The other issue is that the bigger the player becomes, the less time EA can afford to secure with them. Madden NFL cover athletes, for example, are extremely limited when it comes to gaming media. We’re not talking Tiger Woods limited – where EA gets six 10-minute blocks of time a year (last year it got none, for obvious reasons). Even Peyton Hillis, who isn’t a household name, wasn’t as accessible as the NCAA Football cover athlete.
***
One thing that hasn’t transpired over the years is an NCAA Football cover curse. While many Madden cover athletes have fallen to injuries or other bad luck over the years, NCAA Football cover athletes have remained unscathed.
For the full article, follow the link (http://blogs.forbes.com/johngaudiosi/2011/05/02/ea-sports-exec-says-nfl-lockout-has-been-good-for-its-ncaa-football-franchise/).
http://thegamingtailgate.com/images/NCAA12/NCAAFootball12logo.png
Tom Goedde, vice president of marketing for EA Sports, said that the on-again, off-again NFL lockout actually was good for the annual NCAA Football bash. The company had more big-name draft players attend this year’s shindig than ever before. And that was, in part, due to the record number of players in New York for the NFL Draft.
While Madden gets all the attention – and this year Michael Vick, the NFL lockout and a lawsuit by a former Madden game creator have given Madden NFL 12 plenty of publicity; EA’s NCAA Football franchise is a perennial money-maker for the company. Life-to-date revenue for EA Sports’ long-running NCAA Football franchise is over $868 million, according to video game tracking firm The NPD Group. Since last July, EA Sports has sold over 3 million copies of NCAA Football 11 for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360, according to The NPD Group.
The new game, which ships July 12 for PS3 and Xbox 360 (no PS2 game for the first time), has added a new collision system, new defensive maneuvers, and new visuals like 3D grass and fog (for those night games). One of the focal points for the new game is bringing authentic sound (large crowds of 100,000 will sound different than smaller crowds) and sights (over 60 authentic pre-game on-the-field traditions) to the virtual gridiron. EA’s Tiburon Studio in Orlando also worked closely with ESPN to integrate their broadcast graphics and camera style, as well as their announcers, into the game. Of course, there will other features rolled out as launch approaches.
***
One thing that separates NFL rookies from the seasoned veterans is that the whole experience of seeing themselves in Madden for the first time is literally eye-opening to them. Before they’ve been drafted, these players love to talk about college football and video games and Madden. It’s a PR dream for EA. Sometimes, after players have been in the league and gone through the media interviews over and over again, that authentic excitement about football and video games can be lost.
The other issue is that the bigger the player becomes, the less time EA can afford to secure with them. Madden NFL cover athletes, for example, are extremely limited when it comes to gaming media. We’re not talking Tiger Woods limited – where EA gets six 10-minute blocks of time a year (last year it got none, for obvious reasons). Even Peyton Hillis, who isn’t a household name, wasn’t as accessible as the NCAA Football cover athlete.
***
One thing that hasn’t transpired over the years is an NCAA Football cover curse. While many Madden cover athletes have fallen to injuries or other bad luck over the years, NCAA Football cover athletes have remained unscathed.
For the full article, follow the link (http://blogs.forbes.com/johngaudiosi/2011/05/02/ea-sports-exec-says-nfl-lockout-has-been-good-for-its-ncaa-football-franchise/).