I know, optimism about the Madden series is frowned upon. You’re not supposed to enjoy any aspect of it because they sent a legal contract sized nuke through the 2K offices at the sight of a great game being 20 bucks. However, I like operating with sense and not just saying stuff to get people riled up. But with Madden 26 appearing to have been made with a level of seriousness not seen in a long time, it’s time for the NFL to take notice.
ea has always been better with some fire under their butts, espECIALLY with madden
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Competition is good and it creates some great memories for gamers. I was just talking to some of the Discord crew about NFL Gameday and some of the other games we got in the 90’s. And even those Madden games were part of that. And then the 2000’s came. the 2K series started to take off. The games were quality almost immediately culminating in the release of NFL 2K5, a game that many still hold in high regard. Releasing at a price of 20 dollars, it was poised to take all of the shine away from Madden 2005, which still might be the best of the Madden series.
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Both games were elite, but that is only because both companies recognized they had a real battle on their hands and needed to come correct. Unfortunate for the rest of us, EA decided that they had enough of the back and forth and decided to clear the board. The exclusive licensing agreement came and only EA could make simulation football games with the NFL attached. That doesn’t mean 2K didn’t try, they released All Pro Football 2K8 featuring a number of Hall of Fame legends on fictional teams. But because they didn’t see a way to do a full-blown franchise mode, the game was fairly bare bones.
Now here’s the funny part. All Pro Football 2K8 was a better game than Madden 08. But the NFL thinks the only way to make money is with EA. Which is wrong. Keep falling for the trick Roger Goodell. Because this happens every time this deal is about to come up. It’s not a coincidence that the best version of Madden may be on the way with College Football backand your deal about to come up. And I genuinely hope it is the best version. I’m not even advocating solely for the return of the 2K series, I want all the games back.
Football is king in this country. You can get away with one MLB game, and even then, the MLB basically said they have to be on other consoles too. But the other two sports? No one is hurt by the existence of multiple football or basketball games. You know how I know? Because right now, at this very moment, EA Sports could bring back NBA Live. They could have at any point in the last 6 years. They’ve chosen not to. But if they decided to and actually took it seriously? We might have a fight on our hands.
NBA 2K is still a quality gameplay experience, no matter what I think of the microtransactions. It’s of such a high quality that EA decided to just pack it up. No exclusive license necessary. EA didn’t make a good product, 2K did and the people spoke. The NFL likes money and has no idea how much money they stand to make by backing off the exclusivity. You want to see who can really make the best version of a football game? Take the training wheels off and let all of these folks get busy. The real ones will show themselves.