Madden 12 – Will It Happen?

June 15, 2011

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I was thinking the other day about how excited I was getting to get a new copy of the Madden 12 game when it comes out in early August (like it does every other year). But wait, will there be a Madden game this year with all of this NFL lockout nonsense? I’m not going to get into the gritty details of what’s going on with the lockout, because honestly I haven’t taken the time to figure it all out. I’m a huge NFL fan, and I enjoy playing sports games. This is simply the “sports game playing” side me saying JUST KNOCK IT OFF AND PLAY….preferably on time.

So, I started doing some research….and the first thing I find says the game won’t be released until August 30th this year. What?!?! August 30th. That’s almost THREE whole weeks we’re all going to have to wait to see the new game. Will this hurt sales? I really don’t think so. There is no other true NFL game on the market for any system, so it’s not like the competition is going to take advantage of the “late” release date. EA may not have the stellar sales that they’ve had in years past, but I personally don’t see the release date being a huge problem….just keeps guys like me waiting a few more weeks to play it!

I know that Madden 12 has been developed or is currently in development as several new features have been announced (I’ll save talking about those until I play the game). But if there ends up being no season in the NFL this year, what does that mean for the game? Some critics are saying that it could hurt the game’s sales by as much as 50%. Really? I get the correlation of NFL fans to the Madden game. But I don’t see millions of people not purchasing Madden because of the NFL lockout. Madden really has nothing to do with the lockout….it’s not like the game developers are on the same side as the owners, or the players for that matter.

I’m more worried about logistical things with the game. With the recent draftees not being able to sign contracts, will they all be free agents in the game? Or will they be on their team’s roster? If they’re on a roster, what will their salary be? With the impending lockout issues on the table, it’s hard to say, or to even guess. Maybe the lockout will be solved in time for EA Sports to get the game updated. Or, better yet, with today’s gaming world and online capabilities, an update can definitely be issues once everything with the lockout is figured out (it WILL be figured out, I mean, it’s a BILLION dollar “organization”).

I know for a fact that I don’t want the NFL to be delayed and I definitely don’t want to miss an entire season, and if either of those happens I probably will lose some interest in the league. But I KNOW that I will be getting a copy of Madden on August 30th (or whatever the dates turns out to be)! I’ve owned the game every year since its release in 1988 for whichever console I had at the time, and I’m not stopping now.

If you have thoughts, please share. If you are a Madden junkie but won’t by the game because of the lockout, why not?

4 Comments (+add yours?)

  1. kosmo
    Jun 16, 2011 @ 14:44:23

    I don’t see how the rookies can be included at all, unless Madden negotiates with all of them individually. How can the NFLPA’s existing agreement possibly include them – since the NFLPA decertified before the draft?

    Reply

  2. Evan
    Jun 21, 2011 @ 06:08:06

    I have a friend who is a Madden fanatic. He’s convinced himself that the lockout won’t hurt sales if it continues, as people will look for an alternative (the video game). I’m not sure that I agree.

    Reply

  3. Bob Inferapels
    Jun 23, 2011 @ 13:02:40

    Evan – I agree. I don’t see fans of the NFL (who don’t already play Madden) turning to the game as an alternative. At the same time, I don’t see fans of the game “quitting” because of the lockout. I’d like to think the two (Lockout and Madden) are independent of each other.

    Reply

  4. ross
    Jun 30, 2011 @ 13:57:24

    if the lockout isn’t solved by release day (can’t believe it will go that long) it will kill Madden sales… playing with your fav team as they get ready to light it up in real life is half the excitement of getting the newest version. all the big name free agnets in limbo make the rosters suck… why spend the $60? they need to load each team up with the best players of all time for all 32 teams that’s the only thing that would make me pick up madden in a strike year… and i’ve owned every single one dating back to the sega genisis.

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