Playstation 2 Online at OnlineConsoles.com

As you've probobly already heard, Electronic Arts bought sole rights to the NFL for the next 5 years. This includes teams, stadiums, and players. The only game formats not included are mobile phones, and internet based games(flash). I'll just cut strait to the chase. This is HORRIBLE. The only way this looks positive is in the minds of those on wallstreet. EA made a cut throat business decision, and cornered the market. Good for them, very very bad for us. To gamers this is a debocle. Even the most diehard EA/Madden gamer is negatively effected by this. Let me explain...

Electronic Arts now has ZERO competition in NFL Football games, they own the rights. So what is there to motivate them to make better video games? Sega was really breathing down EA's necks with their ESPN NFL franchise. Instead of working on way's to make the Madden franchise better, they just bought their competition out of the market. In the grand scheme of things they made a swift and smart business decision. However in terms of industry creative competition, this indicates not only weakness, but a lack of motivation to improve. Now that they have cornered the market, where is the motivation? Where is the motivation to make Madden and NFL Street better video games?

Now lets just say the same Madden game comes out year after year. A consumer, like yourself thinks, "I could just get Madden 2006, or keep playing Madden 2005 and just be satisfied if EA doesn't want to put time and effort into making their games unique enough to warrent shelling out another 49.99 each year. So I'll just stick with this copy, and play that." Sadly EA has the upper hand on your wallet as well, that is if your an online gamer. All EA has to do, is take the previous version of the game offline in order to make you upgrade to the latest 'build' of the game. (I say build because in all honesty the jumps from game to game on sports games today really are more like version builds than new games. They just have 2005....2006 on them, than v1.0, v2.0 etc etc.)

Last but not least if you want Professional Simulation Football, your stuck with Madden. Your stuck with Madden not just now...your stuck with it for the Next 5 years. Which means when Next Gen consoles role around you'll still only have Madden. The only NFL launch title football games for ALL of the next gen platforms will be: Madden.

The one consoling fact for gamers out there wanting realistic football, is there's always college football.

I don't even play NFL Football games on current systems. Many of you know this so your probobly wondering why I am speaking out so prominantly on this subject. The fact is, this is a sign of the times. This deal is starting to show that money, not creativity, is taking complete grasp of a hobby we all love. Up until now and in its infancy the video games market was one where developers were able to put out creative products. We, the gamers were able to play them, and experience their efforts. Slowly but surely the art of making a video game and competing to create stronger more worthwhile subject matter is being snuffed out by companies like EA who's only concern is the bottom doller.

Game consoles are turning into "media centers". Mainstream media outlets like the Spike VG Awards are setup to bring an MTV'esque marketing technique to the masses. Arcades are dying out. Sony is able to sell defective hardware, repeatedly to the same customer. Companies like MS and EA are buying their way through the industry rather than putting in the creative work to earn their place.

I would rather see developers competing to out-do each other in creativity, than to have companies competing on the best methods to con the consumer.