Another blow for PC gaming: EA drops PC version of Madden '09

**KcMizzou** · 04-03-2008, 08:08 PM

Another blow for PC gaming: EA drops PC version of Madden '09

By Frank Caron | Published: April 03, 2008 - 12:06PM CT

Outcries for and against the belief that PC gaming is dying are a dime a dozen these days, but a new and unusual PC deficiency is raising the question all over again. Industry titan Electronic Arts has confirmed that there will be no PC version for the upcoming Madden 2009.

The announcement of Madden 2009 noted every major platform—both console and handheld—except for the PC, which EA has since confirmed was a conscious omission. This is the first Madden title not to hit the PC alongside current consoles since Madden NFL '96 in 1995.

EA's Peter Moore commented about the lack of a PC version on his official EA blog. "We knew that our decision to not develop this year’s Madden for the PC would be an unpopular decision in some circles," Moore admitted. "But I'll reiterate what I said a couple of weeks ago in this space... the PC presents some very serious business challenges to us in the sports category, particularly because so many of you all are playing your favorite sports games on the PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii. We are committed to shipping a limited number of our games on the PC this year, but we’ve also had to cut a few of our games from the platform."

In North America, Madden represents one of the core pillars of gaming. Like it or not, the franchise is an industry unto itself, topping sales charts year in and year out. Thanks to the sheer breadth of platforms and huge following in the US, Madden has routinely sold millions of copies every year. Madden 2007, for example, sold roughly 6.5 million copies in 2006. The second-best-selling title of the year, Cars, sold just over 2 million: no small feat, to be sure, but a number dwarfed by EA's cash cow.

While to some the loss of a PC version of a series built to legacy on consoles may seem trivial, there's no question that a definitive statement has been made by EA. Given the concurrent development of an Xbox 360 version, a PC port would not be too costly an endeavor. And for the hardest of hardcore football fans, the PC versions of Madden were often the version of choice: after all, they were the only versions that allowed user-generated content and roster updatability.

More than anything, EA's decision to nix the PC version of Madden reinforces the growing trend of noteworthy developers shying away from the PC as a platform for sales. The threat of piracy alone is reason enough to write off the platform, even for developers who treat their PC audience well. For example, Infinity Ward, developers of the hit title Call of Duty 4, readily admitted that its game was pirated in distressing amounts and only managed to succeed thanks to sales of the console versions.

While Madden may not be the foremost concern in the minds of hardcore PC gamers, the franchise does represent a significant contribution to the platform as a whole. The absence of such software only further contributes to the ever-shrinking content available to PC gamers, and furthers realizes that stigma that PC gaming is increasingly exclusive to massively multiplayer online games and first-person shooters.

Madden 2009 is slated to land on August 12 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo Wii, and Nintendo DS.

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post...madden-09.html

**KcMizzou** · 04-03-2008, 08:11 PM

I've never played a sports game on a PC. To me, they're just best played with a buddy in the same room, on a console. (preferably over many beers)

PC gaming is more for RPG's and shooters, IMO. And I don't think PC gaming will ever "die".

keg in kc · 04-03-2008, 10:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KcMizzou

I've never played a sports game on a PC. To me, they're just best played with a buddy in the same room, on a console. (preferably over many beers)

PC gaming is more for RPG's and shooters, IMO. And I don't think PC gaming will ever "die".

Ditto.

And I have played Madden on PC, and it's just not the same as it is on console. The only sports games I've liked as much or more on PC as their console versions have been the Tiger Woods games with the mouse swing control.

irishjayhawk · 04-03-2008, 10:42 PM

Obligatory shout of what everyone's already thinking

EA SUCKS

**TinyEvel** · 04-03-2008, 11:03 PM

. Like you're gonna play Madden on your PC!
First, you'd have to drag your PC over to in front of your couch.
Then hook up some sort of two keyboard/mouse setup.
and forget trying to get two guys to share that monitor.

PC Madden, R.I.P.

PS3...$399 Blu-ray gaming, folks!

kcxiv · 04-03-2008, 11:06 PM

Number 1 EA hater here, but they did the right thing. People are just pirating everything now days. Developers dont even wanna make PC games outside of games like World of Warcraft and Everquest becuase you cant really pirate that to play on their servers. YOu could make a emulation server, but i think they are pretty crappy.

PC gaming will never die, but its starting to hurt thats for sure.

Psyko Tek · 04-03-2008, 11:11 PM

crap, I don't wanna shell out more money to have a gaming platform along with my PC

keg in kc · 04-03-2008, 11:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TinyEvel

PS3...$399 Blu-ray gaming, folks!

Your voice sounds more...shill (cough, cough) than I remember.

irishjayhawk · 04-03-2008, 11:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TinyEvel

. Like you're gonna play Madden on your PC!
First, you'd have to drag your PC over to in front of your couch.
Then hook up some sort of two keyboard/mouse setup.
and forget trying to get two guys to share that monitor.

PC Madden, R.I.P.

PS3...$399 Blu-ray gaming, folks!

If I wasn't a broke college kid, I'd get one. I want it for two reasons:

Blu-Ray Player
Metal Gear Solid 4

Maybe Gran Tourismo 5. And GTA would be but that's for 360 too and everyone here has a 360 already.

JBucc · 04-03-2008, 11:21 PM

The funny thing about the console vs. PC debate is that consoles become more and more like PC's with every generation. Put Linux on the PS3 and what is it if not a PC? Want Windows on your Xbox 720? I bet you'll get it, or at least be able to install it. Even the Wii you can browse the web with.

irishjayhawk · 04-04-2008, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JBucc

The funny thing about the console vs. PC debate is that consoles become more and more like PC's with every generation. Put Linux on the PS3 and what is it if not a PC? Want Windows on your Xbox 720? I bet you'll get it, or at least be able to install it. Even the Wii you can browse the web with.

Yeah, but that's the deal with most computing: move to bigger TVs, controller based rather than keyboard based games, and the integration of internet systems.

In other words, I expect the traditional desktop in the home consumer market to be on the decline soon as computer people partner with televisions to combine them.

Frazod · 04-04-2008, 12:16 PM

Well, I can either sit at a desk playing games on my computer watching the action on a 21" monitor or kick back on the couch playing my Xbox watching the action on a 46" TV.

Sorry, but I think I'm pretty much done with PC games.

**Baby Lee** · 04-04-2008, 12:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frazod

Well, I can either sit at a desk playing games on my computer watching the action on a 21" monitor or kick back on the couch playing my Xbox watching the action on a 46" TV.

Sorry, but I think I'm pretty much done with PC games.

Because PCs don't plug into 46" TV's?
Is it that particular size, because it seems to work w/my 60" just fine.

Frazod · 04-04-2008, 12:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baby Lee

Because PCs don't plug into 46" TV's?
Is it that particular size, because it seems to work w/my 60" just fine.

I know I could set it up to work that way if I wanted to, but it would be too much of a hassle.

kaplin42 · 04-04-2008, 12:46 PM

For the record, it is possible to buy controllers for the PC. Ones that feel just like xbox, or PS controllers too. Certain games are not meant to be played with keyboard and mouse.

I buy madden every year for the PC, it has things on it that are just not available on the console versions. To have no new PC versions, means that I wont be buying madden this year. Just not worth it to me.

I do see the trend though. I imagine soon that PC gaming will most likely become dominated by MMO's, even their hold on FPS's is loosening up a bit and will soon be taken over by consoles.

Its a sad thing since I can get way better graphics on my PC that a 360 or a PS3 could ever dream of.

04-03-2008, 08:08 PM
KcMizzou Supporter Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Parkville MO Casino cash: $10005170	Another blow for PC gaming: EA drops PC version of Madden '09 Another blow for PC gaming: EA drops PC version of Madden '09 By Frank Caron \| Published: April 03, 2008 - 12:06PM CT Outcries for and against the belief that PC gaming is dying are a dime a dozen these days, but a new and unusual PC deficiency is raising the question all over again. Industry titan Electronic Arts has confirmed that there will be no PC version for the upcoming Madden 2009. The announcement of Madden 2009 noted every major platform—both console and handheld—except for the PC, which EA has since confirmed was a conscious omission. This is the first Madden title not to hit the PC alongside current consoles since Madden NFL '96 in 1995. EA's Peter Moore commented about the lack of a PC version on his official EA blog. "We knew that our decision to not develop this year’s Madden for the PC would be an unpopular decision in some circles," Moore admitted. "But I'll reiterate what I said a couple of weeks ago in this space... the PC presents some very serious business challenges to us in the sports category, particularly because so many of you all are playing your favorite sports games on the PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii. We are committed to shipping a limited number of our games on the PC this year, but we’ve also had to cut a few of our games from the platform." In North America, Madden represents one of the core pillars of gaming. Like it or not, the franchise is an industry unto itself, topping sales charts year in and year out. Thanks to the sheer breadth of platforms and huge following in the US, Madden has routinely sold millions of copies every year. Madden 2007, for example, sold roughly 6.5 million copies in 2006. The second-best-selling title of the year, Cars, sold just over 2 million: no small feat, to be sure, but a number dwarfed by EA's cash cow. While to some the loss of a PC version of a series built to legacy on consoles may seem trivial, there's no question that a definitive statement has been made by EA. Given the concurrent development of an Xbox 360 version, a PC port would not be too costly an endeavor. And for the hardest of hardcore football fans, the PC versions of Madden were often the version of choice: after all, they were the only versions that allowed user-generated content and roster updatability. More than anything, EA's decision to nix the PC version of Madden reinforces the growing trend of noteworthy developers shying away from the PC as a platform for sales. The threat of piracy alone is reason enough to write off the platform, even for developers who treat their PC audience well. For example, Infinity Ward, developers of the hit title Call of Duty 4, readily admitted that its game was pirated in distressing amounts and only managed to succeed thanks to sales of the console versions. While Madden may not be the foremost concern in the minds of hardcore PC gamers, the franchise does represent a significant contribution to the platform as a whole. The absence of such software only further contributes to the ever-shrinking content available to PC gamers, and furthers realizes that stigma that PC gaming is increasingly exclusive to massively multiplayer online games and first-person shooters. Madden 2009 is slated to land on August 12 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo Wii, and Nintendo DS. http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post...madden-09.html
Posts: 54,695

04-03-2008, 08:11 PM	#2
KcMizzou Supporter Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Parkville MO Casino cash: $10005170	I've never played a sports game on a PC. To me, they're just best played with a buddy in the same room, on a console. (preferably over many beers) PC gaming is more for RPG's and shooters, IMO. And I don't think PC gaming will ever "die".
Posts: 54,695

04-03-2008, 10:42 PM	#4
irishjayhawk Feelin' Alright Join Date: Aug 2004 Casino cash: $10004900	Obligatory shout of what everyone's already thinking EA SUCKS __________________ "Think about how stupid the average person is. Then remember that half the people in the world are stupider than that." --George Carlin
Posts: 16,887

04-03-2008, 11:03 PM	#5
TinyEvel Just a li'l Evel Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Bald. Goatee. Jorts. Casino cash: $5177131	. Like you're gonna play Madden on your PC! First, you'd have to drag your PC over to in front of your couch. Then hook up some sort of two keyboard/mouse setup. and forget trying to get two guys to share that monitor. PC Madden, R.I.P. PS3...$399 Blu-ray gaming, folks!
Posts: 11,823

04-03-2008, 11:06 PM	#6
kcxiv In Search of a Life Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Central Valley, Cali Casino cash: $8807996	Number 1 EA hater here, but they did the right thing. People are just pirating everything now days. Developers dont even wanna make PC games outside of games like World of Warcraft and Everquest becuase you cant really pirate that to play on their servers. YOu could make a emulation server, but i think they are pretty crappy. PC gaming will never die, but its starting to hurt thats for sure.
Posts: 29,110

04-03-2008, 11:11 PM	#7
Psyko Tek special teams Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Mesa AZ Casino cash: $10015665	crap, I don't wanna shell out more money to have a gaming platform along with my PC __________________ Psyko Tek The keyboard has been drinking,
Posts: 12,018

04-03-2008, 11:21 PM	#10
JBucc MVP Join Date: Oct 2005 Casino cash: $10004952	The funny thing about the console vs. PC debate is that consoles become more and more like PC's with every generation. Put Linux on the PS3 and what is it if not a PC? Want Windows on your Xbox 720? I bet you'll get it, or at least be able to install it. Even the Wii you can browse the web with.
Posts: 12,016

04-04-2008, 12:16 PM	#12
Frazod WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS Join Date: Aug 2000 Casino cash: $2545085	Well, I can either sit at a desk playing games on my computer watching the action on a 21" monitor or kick back on the couch playing my Xbox watching the action on a 46" TV. Sorry, but I think I'm pretty much done with PC games.
Posts: 119,587

04-04-2008, 12:46 PM	#15
kaplin42 Thats Right, Sniff the Glue!!! Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: tubbytronic superdome Casino cash: $10007177	For the record, it is possible to buy controllers for the PC. Ones that feel just like xbox, or PS controllers too. Certain games are not meant to be played with keyboard and mouse. I buy madden every year for the PC, it has things on it that are just not available on the console versions. To have no new PC versions, means that I wont be buying madden this year. Just not worth it to me. I do see the trend though. I imagine soon that PC gaming will most likely become dominated by MMO's, even their hold on FPS's is loosening up a bit and will soon be taken over by consoles. Its a sad thing since I can get way better graphics on my PC that a 360 or a PS3 could ever dream of.
Posts: 3,469