The Video Game Critic

For over 10 years EA has retained an exclusive deal with the NFL, effectively forcing all competitors out of the market. I find it hard to believe this monopoly is lawful, yet since it's "just video games" nobody places it under heavy scrutiny. Unfortunately there's no end in sight to this racket. Worse yet, gamers seem to have entered an "acceptance" phase which is very distressing to me. Heck, younger gamers don't even know any better.

The details of the original deal are very sketchy. A lot of people think they know happened but there are really no creditable sources. The details have never been made public, and I'm sure EA and the NFL would like to keep it that way. I'm convinced this whole thing was a backroom deal.

Recall that in 2005 EA had a tremendous rivalry in 2K Sports and its ESPN NFL 2K line of games. Not only did ESPN NFL 2K5 far surpass Madden in terms of quality, but it retailed at half the cost ($30)! Naturally this forced EA to mark down Madden to $30. Those were great days to be a gamer. We didn't know how good we had it.

Some people actually buy into the idea that at this point in time the NFL decided they only wanted one football game and put up the exclusive rights to the highest bidder. This makes no sense. Wouldn't the NFL have more to gain with multiple licensed games competing with one another?? Of course they would. So what the heck happened?

Well my theory is that EA, the world's largest game publisher and flush with money, gave the NFL a sweetheart deal they couldn't resist. They probably sent a team of lawyers over to the NFL to offer tons of money for the rights. EA knew they would take a financial hit at first, but they'd be printing money every year after. The timing was perfect. The NFL didn't even consider the consequences. They took the money and ran.

So here we are - football fans forced to pay $60 each year for a stagnated series that's basically been in maintenance mode for the last 10 years. EA adds a few minor features, and removes a few. They keep it "just good enough" that people go along with whatever they put out. It's a sad state of affairs. One can only imagine how far 2K could have pushed the genre with the benefit of 10 years of development.

I'd like to hear your thoughts.

I think all football fans have been pissed about this for a very long time. I own NFL2K5 and it is without a doubt one of the best football games ever made. I prefer the college game but can't seem to enjoy many after the PS2 era. Not to get off topic. But Madden has been getting lamer every year, esp with the upgrade in tech. I personally haven't bought a Madden game in years. But I have friends who buy the new version every year. Madden is like the IPhone, some peeps just have to have it despite the fact it has grown into a mediocre franchise. And most young gamers prob have no idea who the hell John Madden even is. Yeah it stinks!

Darn - when I saw the topic I thought the exclusive deal was coming to an end. Wishful thinking.

I think the NFL likes making exclusive deals for 'officially licensed merchandise'. I think they deal with monopolies for their own equipment for things like helmets, and for fan merchandise too. Doesn't just one company, New Era, make all the NFL hats now, and before that I think it was Reebok. Why wouldn't the NFL just license both New Era and Reebok to make hats?

The video game is just an extension of the idea that an exclusive licensing agreement is best for the NFL.

How is it unlawful? There's no monopoly over making American football games, but EA is the only company that can use the NFL license. And no one is "forced" to buy anything. Is this a consumer problem or an NFL problem?

EA also has the exclusive license with Disney to make Star Wars games.

The NFL itself is a monopoly with an exemption granted by Congress. That's why the NFL is legally prohibited from having games on Friday or Saturday until after college regular season is over.

Slight tangent as I'm not really interested in NFL, but EA have the same stitch up with FIFA. Superior games like Pro Evolution Soccer lose sales because they cannot obtain all the team licences and FIFA dominates despite incremental updates every year.

Unfortunately, this monopoly phenomenon has carried over into The Show, which has been getting progressively sloppier over the years.