I was having a conversation with AzzureEffect on Twitter about our hopes and worries for Madden 16 today. We talked about the new WR/DB interaction and if it the aggressive catch would be overpowered this year. We also got into how the guys at EA have to balance making a realistic, simulation game with appealing to the casual fan.
It got me to thinking about how the sales numbers for Madden have fallen off since the hey day of the PS2 and what was behind it? For those of you that aren't familiar, here are the total sales numbers for Madden over the past 10 years based on total copies sold worldwide:
As you can see, Madden has lost about 40% of its sales numbers since its peak in 2006 (Madden 07). But why? And what can we learn from them?
Madden 07 was the first Madden on the "next gen" of the time, Xbox 360. We all remember the Donovan McNabb hype video that had everyone excited for the new generation of Madden. That video, at the time, blew away everything that we had seen from a video game. Expectations were set incredibly high.
But Madden never really fulfilled those expectations. Madden 07 released on Xbox 360 to underwhelming fan reviews. For the most part, the critics enjoyed the game. However, fans were extremely disappointed. But how much of the hype trailer played into the decrease in sales numbers? And did that trickle down all the way into the current next gen (PlayStation 4 and Xbox One)?
That Madden 07 hype video probably did more damage to the franchise than any other decision made in the franchise's history. But was it the only one?
While the sales numbers plummeted the year after the 07 debacle, they continued to fall for the next five years. Even as the PlayStation 3 debuted and fans started to switch from the old gen to the newer gen, sales still declined.
Much of that can be blamed on the platform in which the PS3/360 game was based off of. I cannot find the article where I read this, but an independent software developer explained once that the PS3 was so much more difficult to program for than the PS2 that a lot of studios were having a hard time adjusting. He said that the programming manual delivered by Sony was several inches think and the complexities involved set a lot of developers back.
Its been speculated before on various forums as well, myself included, that EA rushed to get Madden 07 ready for the launch of the Xbox 360. Because of that, they had an inferior game engine (IGNITE) right off the bat. Then the complexities of the newer systems, PS3 especially, handcuffed them on what they could incorporate into the new games. That's a big reason why today you still do not see some of the features offered back on the PlayStation 2 and original Xbox.
But will it get better?
I think so. In many ways it already has. The first time I played Madden 25 on PlayStation 4 I could feel the difference. It was far more fluid and you could tell the engine (Infinity 2) was far superior. EA has built off of that and I think we are about to see a renaissance of sorts with Madden.
Microsoft and Sony learned their lesson with the last generation of systems and made the PS4 and Xbox One more developer friendly. That should allow the guys at EA to better refine the core elements of the game while also incorporating new features for the fans of Madden.
Madden NFL 2004 was the game that really started Madden on that climb to 10 million sales. That was also the fourth generation of Madden on that system. I think we are going to take another step forward with Madden 16 (third installment on this generation of systems) but it may be Madden 17 or Madden 18 before we really see what these systems are capable. I'm not sure if EA will ever get the sales numbers back to what they were in the mid 2000's, but I think, eventually, fans will get a game they enjoyed as much as they did back then.
It got me to thinking about how the sales numbers for Madden have fallen off since the hey day of the PS2 and what was behind it? For those of you that aren't familiar, here are the total sales numbers for Madden over the past 10 years based on total copies sold worldwide:
As you can see, Madden has lost about 40% of its sales numbers since its peak in 2006 (Madden 07). But why? And what can we learn from them?
Madden 07 was the first Madden on the "next gen" of the time, Xbox 360. We all remember the Donovan McNabb hype video that had everyone excited for the new generation of Madden. That video, at the time, blew away everything that we had seen from a video game. Expectations were set incredibly high.
But Madden never really fulfilled those expectations. Madden 07 released on Xbox 360 to underwhelming fan reviews. For the most part, the critics enjoyed the game. However, fans were extremely disappointed. But how much of the hype trailer played into the decrease in sales numbers? And did that trickle down all the way into the current next gen (PlayStation 4 and Xbox One)?
That Madden 07 hype video probably did more damage to the franchise than any other decision made in the franchise's history. But was it the only one?
While the sales numbers plummeted the year after the 07 debacle, they continued to fall for the next five years. Even as the PlayStation 3 debuted and fans started to switch from the old gen to the newer gen, sales still declined.
Much of that can be blamed on the platform in which the PS3/360 game was based off of. I cannot find the article where I read this, but an independent software developer explained once that the PS3 was so much more difficult to program for than the PS2 that a lot of studios were having a hard time adjusting. He said that the programming manual delivered by Sony was several inches think and the complexities involved set a lot of developers back.
Its been speculated before on various forums as well, myself included, that EA rushed to get Madden 07 ready for the launch of the Xbox 360. Because of that, they had an inferior game engine (IGNITE) right off the bat. Then the complexities of the newer systems, PS3 especially, handcuffed them on what they could incorporate into the new games. That's a big reason why today you still do not see some of the features offered back on the PlayStation 2 and original Xbox.
But will it get better?
I think so. In many ways it already has. The first time I played Madden 25 on PlayStation 4 I could feel the difference. It was far more fluid and you could tell the engine (Infinity 2) was far superior. EA has built off of that and I think we are about to see a renaissance of sorts with Madden.
Microsoft and Sony learned their lesson with the last generation of systems and made the PS4 and Xbox One more developer friendly. That should allow the guys at EA to better refine the core elements of the game while also incorporating new features for the fans of Madden.
Madden NFL 2004 was the game that really started Madden on that climb to 10 million sales. That was also the fourth generation of Madden on that system. I think we are going to take another step forward with Madden 16 (third installment on this generation of systems) but it may be Madden 17 or Madden 18 before we really see what these systems are capable. I'm not sure if EA will ever get the sales numbers back to what they were in the mid 2000's, but I think, eventually, fans will get a game they enjoyed as much as they did back then.