Ea sports grabs ESPN title
 

EA Nabs ESPN as 15-Year Exclusive
First the NFL, now the most recognized brand in sports media.
January 17, 2005 - With thundering force, Electronic Arts may have just swung the final punch to sports rival SEGA: the gaming giant just announced it has entered a 15-year exclusive licensing deal with ESPN.

Under the agreement, EA has exclusive video game rights to ESPN-branded print, telecast, and online content -- in addition to other ESPN media properties. The agreement covers all gaming platforms -- consoles, PC, handhelds, and wireless, and will begin in 2006, upon completion of ESPN's current licensing commitments.

The agreement most clearly affects Take Two and SEGA, which jointly publish a series of ESPN-licensed sports titles. The companies are still reeling from EA's announcement last month that it had acquired exclusive video game rights to NFL properties -- a direct challenge to SEGA's ESPN NFL franchise.

Obviously, the challenge is now doubled.

Electronic Arts explains the ESPN agreement as helping gamers: "This relationship was created to benefit consumers who are passionate about sports games," said EA CEO Larry Probst. "EA SPORTS recreates the real life experience fans enjoy while watching or playing their favorite sport; while ESPN programming captures the look, sound and excitement of the sports they follow. Together, we believe we can significantly grow the interactive sports category."

Until recently, EA's sports titles, such as the Madden NFL series, have faced vigorous competition from SEGA's ESPN Videogames brand, which saw success last year with a strong critical reception and prices cut in half.

We'll be back with more on the situation as soon as new details emerge.

I'm not a gamer, but this can't be good news for you guys. Sounds like EA is cornering the NFL games market and you know that's gonna hit gamers where it counts.

Doesn't ESPN have its own game line? Or was that run through EA?

I guess EA games will be the only NFL game we will have to get now. I really liked the NFL2k5 too and it was only $20!

madden can just spit out 10 maddens in a row the exact same but new rosters (not like they haven't been doing that anyway) I read an article the other day how brutle EA is to their employees, which i don't really mind because if you don't like to work there you can leave, but when they have a deadline to push a game out most employees there average 20 hour work days.

I would bet most companies are that way when they have a big product release and millions of customers ready to buy.

Yes, the ESPN games are produced by SEGA. But EA recently bought the exclusive rights to all the naming, etc from the NFL. It was nice to have an alternative to Madden. And it was only$20. I guess EA didn't like the competition. This sucks. I own both Madden and ESPN.

Demonpenz, Madden does improve every year. They always add things to the game and improve in areas that were lacking.

Maybe Sega can get a licensing deal with CBS and make each week of the franchise mode have a postgame show where Marino tries to kill Boomer while Shannon Sharpe says a bunch of incomprehensible garbage. Then they could throw other little mini-games in there like "Make Randy Cross shut up", "Is this Dan Dierdorf or Alex Karras?", and "Undress Bonnie Bernstein". That would add entertainment value to the game.

Somebody call SEGA, asap! This man needs a job!

The Bonnie Bernstein crack alone is rep worthy! :thumb:

SEGA had a contract to produce the ESPN series.... they've just switched to EA........ even though shows like NFL Matchup and NFL Countdown always use Madden, and not the NFL2K series, when simulating plays.... which is really dumb, because in all the running plays they show, the RB runs for big yards and is never touched. Makes me want to run out and spend $50 on the game :rolleyes:

Picture EA as the gaming bully... they made huge strides in the 90's, through about 2001/02, and was far and away the best thing available. In the last few years, however, instead of improving their game on the field, where it matters, they've relied on their loyal fan base to just fork over $50 a year for Madden and other games.

In the last year though, SEGA has made huge strides of their own on the field/court/ice, and has passed EA in that department. On top of that, they start selling their games for $20, instead of $50. The loyal EA fans wonder if they would be better off buying SEGA games. This makes EA mad. Instead of working on the game, they pretty much buy out everyone else. Now they can raise their prices back to $50+, and will now go by Microsoft's slogan: You pretty much have to

Madden improving is an opinion. The owner mode sucks this year and the flaw that allows the D to get tired is stupid. Luckily I was able to take my madden back and by a game worth a shit.

I started getting tired of it around '02... they had a big offensive year, and then tried to counter that, and then repeated the cycle. I haven't played this year's, but if it's anything like NCAA '05, they're definitely in a defensive year. Next year the new fluff will center around new and exciting ways to score, so you can beat Pittsburgh 49-48 using Baltimore. They have a lot of great strategy involved in their game, but the gameplay/AI hasn't gone anywhere in years.... and if it's gone anywhere, it's downhill.




The same for their hockey, too..... EA's is getting worse, while ESPN's is far and away the best game out there. Good thing there's not nearly the amount of money in hockey... they probably won't touch those naming rights ;)

This is complete BS. EA is turning into Microsoft.

What's complete BS is everybody treating EA like the bad guy.

The NFL WANTED to sell exclusive rights.

ESPN WILLINGLY signed this deal, because it would make them more money than putting their name on the Sega product.

Don't blame EA for buying stuff that's out there on the OPEN MARKET. Blame the greed of the NFL and ESPN...

Saying the AI hasn't gone anywhere for years is wrong.

This year is the 1st I've bought Madden since 2002 and there's LIGHT YEARS of difference in the AI.