Madden-opoly Faces Lawsuit

Do you remember when you had a choice when it came to your football games? Yes, it has been ages (well, 4 years), since gamers had a say in how they chose to play their NFL football games, when they could freely choose whether they wanted the ultra-realistic football simulation of Madden, or the slightly more arcade-like NFL 2K series. Times have, unfortunately, changed. As of 2004, EA has had the exclusive rights to release football games depicting realistic portrayals of NFL, NCAA and AFL football teams.

This action gave the promising 2K football series the proverbial finger, forcing gamers to buy Madden as it became the only licensed NFL game on the market.

This business strategy has two gamers doing their best Ace Ventura saying, “And you must be the Monopoly guy.” Geoffrey Pecover and Jeffrey Lawrence have become the plaintiffs in what has now become a class-action lawsuit against EA. They believe that EA has created a monopoly in the football gaming market by buying the rights to the NFL, NCAA, and AFL. As the only game with these licenses, rival football titles stand no chance to compete.

EA bought the official rights in December of 2004, a time in which they saw their stiffest competition from the 2K series when NFL 2K5 was released with a jaw-dropping price tag of $19.99. This was enough to lure at least some gamers away from Madden 05, causing EA to drop its $49.99 price down to $29.99. It truly was a great time for football gamers. Not only did the competing market result in a price drop, but it also caused EA and Take Two Interactive to boost their efforts to create the best game. Fans were paying a lower price to get two great games; what’s not to love about that?

Perhaps the Jeffereys (sorry Geoff) won’t win their case against EA, but there allegations hold water with me. EA has created an environment in which they have no “real” competition. The company can simply sit back on its heels and release mediocre football games (not to say that they will, the new Madden sounds great), with no pressure to produce new features, game modes, animations, etc., simply because there is no worthy competitor.

So who loses here: the game companies, video game retailers, the Houston Texans? Nobody loses in this issue more than the fans. Not only are they trapped into buying one football title every year, but they also have to pay a price that is set with no fear of competition. Perhaps one day the fans will be able to choose again, but that all depends on a decision in court.