Should Head Coach remain exclusive to Madden CE?
March 29, 2008 by pastapadre
Tucked away near the end of the press release announcing the 20th Anniversary Collector’s Edition of Madden 09 was a statement proclaiming that NFL Head Coach 09 would be exclusive to the CE. The news was followed by confirmation from Madden marketing director Chris Erb in an interview with 1UP.
For the most part the reaction to the Collectors Edition has been very positive. The main detraction seems to be regarding the Head Coach decision. Packing it in with Madden for what amounts to $30 was a pleasant surprise however forcing consumers potentially interested in just Head Coach to buy it along with Madden is a questionable decision.
The thinking is likely that the CE presents a special value and that they’ll be able to introduce a lot of gamers to Head Coach that maybe wouldn’t have tried it otherwise. However there are those consumers who want to only purchase Head Coach. While the outrage can be partially be attributed to forum exaggeration as a way of hating on Madden there certainly would be some of those people out there.
To me though the bigger issue comes from people who already have Madden but later would like to pick up Head Coach. Think of how many copies of Madden will be given away as gifts for example. Then if they are interested in Head Coach they aren’t going out and buy the Madden CE when they already have Madden.
I just don’t understand why EA would leave money on the table like that. Sell the game separately for $40, $50, or even the standard $60. I don’t believe that sales of the Madden CE would take much of a hit because of that. It would still sell to people who want both games as the value would still be the same. Unless they expect those people who would’ve only purchased Head Coach to now buy the Madden CE (not likely) it isn’t going to hurt them. There should just be the option out there. Consumers don’t like feeling that they are being forced into something.
Of course Ebay will probably see a bunch of Head Coach copies so it would still be possible to get it on its own. Again though why EA would want to have their consumers going a more frustrating and time consuming route to play their game I don’t know.
I am still of the belief that there is a good chance EA changes their thinking on this and releases Head Coach separately. Hopefully the pressure and interest from consumers will lead them to doing so.
i was going to purchase both anyway so ill get the madden collectors edition
but if i wanted only head coach i wouldnt buy the collectors edition just to get it
I think EA would have made more money if they sold head coach for $50 in May and then Madden for $60 in Aug…. I’m not paying $90 for Madden… and who has time to play both at the same time? Bad strategy by EA in my opinion.
EA doesnt care what you think…just give them your hard earned dollars & be thankful to the mcdonalds of the video game industry… 100$ for a roster update & a half baked coaching sim sounds right for all US suckers out there.
greed is good
Pasta,
As a former marketing and sales guy I have to somewhat disagree with you. Head Coach as of right now is the weaker of two products. The guy in the 1UP interview is full of you know what. To say the Head Coach could stand on it’s own right now is a total joke. I guess he would say the same thing about Arena Football and NCAA Baseball as well HA! Fact is you need a way to relaunch the product to the consumer because it bombed last time. This is why buddling it with your most popular product is a great idea. Fact is making money trumphs being fair, that is just reality! Besides EA knows that they are going to have X amount of early adopters who are hell bent on having Madden the day it comes out and will spend 59-69-79-89 or whatever EA wants to charge for the game. They need a way to get folks who are on the fence to be early adopters again. That is why the rep is using words like “value” and “full-sku”. Expect to hear those alot in the next full months. Geat call on ebay. In fact I get all my games on ebay a month or so after they come out and save 20-30 bucks per game.
Clearly at some point there was a meeting and Peter Moore said - “fellas, this HC game is NOT a hit” - at least not now as it stands alone. Bundle it in with Madden, see what reaction is and maybe down the line it can be spun off again
IF the suits at EA believed they could sell a boatload of HC at full price they would do it, any company would
I’m still not sure I see the market for this product - maybe 5-10 years ago when the football games were very arcadey, but now that football games come with huge playbooks, franchise modes, drafts, etc. alot of what used to be considered “hardcore” coach/GM stuff is already there.
GMONEY wrote:
And I understand that side of it. But why would you want to prohibit the people who really want to buy the game from being able to get it in any way? Like I stated being able to buy it separately doesn’t change how good the CE is nor would it adversely affect sales of it. I don’t think the CE is great value because I’m getting a game that I couldn’t get otherwise, I think it’s great value because I’m getting a game that would’ve been $60 for basically $30. Removing the option to buy it on its own doesn’t change my perception of the CE.
Keep them separate…I don’t want Head Coach, Superstar mode or any of that other nonsense…I want good gameplay, visuals, presentation and a solid CORE game…Not the extra nonsense that I’ll never use
To me it makes sense. The people who DO play HC usually play Madden too. Plus, if you do get both, your saving $30 if you buy seperately, so it seems the big evil empire is really not that evil. The only complaint from me is that it looks like EA is content to not include the Franchise heavy philosophy HC into Madden’s own Franchise mode.
No it shouldn’t be. i know people would rather sima nd coach then play amdden. sim guys would be furious to pay 89.99 for one game essentially.
madden 09 will NOT be a big change over 08.
i personally feel we have already senn teh biggest jump of any madden we ever see again. 07-08
I am a little surprised that EA isnt going to sell Head Coach alone for 20 or 30 bucks. From a consumer point of view spending 90 dollars on a game is a bit to pricey for me unless it is really worth it. And given EA’s track record I think we all know the answer to that, not a smart move in my opinion.
I love it. I was definitely planning on buying both anyway. Now I can get HC for $30, Madden for $60, and then all of the other extras. Great deal, for me anyway.
If HC was sold alone the price would drop faster than APF. The gane is worth $30. Thats it. There is no deal hear.
Its like the late night infomercial, “But wait! If you order now we will throw in two more widgets at no cost!”
The value of the “widgets” has already been added in just like the value of HC has alrady been adden in the CE.
Its BS. Its going to be a glorious day when EA loses their NFL license. No competion leads to what we have experienced since EA has aquierd the license.
But I will give credit where its due. EA stepped their game up last year…. Why?? Because APF was comming out… Hence, competitio is good for the consumer. As long as there is no competition for EA expect minor updates to a rehashed game and crap marketing stratigies like the CE.
I’m not the biggest fan of EA Sports. But in defense of EA, they’re in the position when it’s darn if they do, and darn if they don’t. If they sold it (HC) separately at full price or even at $40, then people would find a way to say that EA is being greedy. I think people are pitching fits just to pitch fits.
Hypothetically speaking, let’s say there was no bundle and both games still released on the same day. I can’t speak for everyone, but I’m usually not someone who buys more than one game at a time. Most people would rush to the stores to pick up Madden only and Head Coach would be left on the shelf even if it was sold for $40. Gamestop would be blowing dust off the many copies left of Head Coach. So it makes sense to bundle them up and sell them collectively for one price. Otherwise, unless Madden has another off year, HC would not sell so much by its lonesome.
Personally, I think it’s a good deal. I don’t know if I’ll be buying the CE but I’m interested now knowing I can get both games for a decent price.
How long ago was the decision made? It must have been fairly recent. Weren’t they just touting Tony Dungy as the coach for the cover?
It’s an interesting marketing decision. Die-hard Madden fans may feel pressured to pay an extra $30 just to be able to create plays, a feature that should be included in Madden, and people who just wanted to play Head Coach are now forced to pay an extra $60.
I actually think it’s a smart way to “aggressively reintroduce” Head Coach into the market. More people will try it now. It’s that simple. Then EA can separate the two titles next year and charge $60 for each, claiming this year’s edition was just for the anniversary.
That being said, Madden 09 still needs to deliver. Big time. No amount of marketing smoke and mirrors will take the attention away from that.
Just wanted to say that Russ’ post is a great one - good points and I agree.
i have a PAL ps3,im wondering if the madden collectors edition will work on my console ?
To be honest, I have no problem getting the CE, as someone in the family usually breaks down every year and buys Madden anyway, and HC is a bonus. I personally would’ve thought it better to sell HC on its own, but after the last one bombed, I think it’s smart to at least guarantee it’s going to get into a fair few homes through the back door so to speak.
My points are moot anyway, the chances of this coming out in the UK are slim to none, right? Which annoys me on two fronts. Firstly, the first one at least came out on PC, so it was accessible to non-Americans. Second, I somehow doubt that it’ll at least be region free. And given the volume of threads I’ve seen on various forums asking about a PAL release, it seems EA’s leaving a fair bit of cash on the table. Not that they care, given the piles of it they’re swimming around in these days, but it’s hardly doing their public image much good.
No way in He11 will I buy Madden bundled with HC! at 1st I was going to pickup HC, but if I can only get the game with Madden and costing me more $$$, no way….!! I’m getting fed-up with there B.S.!
It’s hard enough spending $60 bucks on these games, let alone $90! I think it’s a dumb move. A person shouldn’t have to spend $90 bones if they just want HC. Plus if Madden sucks like it usually does it isn’t going to matter anyway.
GMONEY wrote:
You sir are the prime definition of a smart consumer in which i rarely see anymore on boards and fourms. and you good sir have gained my respect by what you have said here. it takes an average consumer to just forget the travesty last year only to toss $90 at a game like they are making it rain. but it takes a smart consumer to say EA wont get my dime but yet Ebay or used will benefit it. today common sense has prevailed.
and also 1up.com is one of the most biased EA websites you will see around. so just to let the people know that if its not EA? 1up will not say very much good on it. not biasness here? just from observation.
The Smart Consumer wrote:
Just out of curiousity what does that have to do with anything here? I’m no fan of 1UP (see my link below for an example) but even in this interview they criticized EA for the decision of not selling Head Coach separately as well.
http://www.pastapadre.com/2467.....-08-review
pastapadre wrote:
oh its nothing against you pasta it’s just i dont like their ways especially last year on podcast and such..the majority of the time they have some editors and such who are vastly biased. last year when hearing pod cast i came across that.
don bincente wrote:
exactly what ive been saying but its bahhh time and average consumers are not gonna see the vicious cycle that is planted out there. Not that I would like to control peoples pockets. but after my calls being ignored and etc from last year? there wont be anything coming from me for EA in anything anymore until they change their ethics and there business methods. cause if you look at the uniforms ? they are still wrong thats just little and miniscule but still they cant even get that right. what makes you think this $100 roster update 09 will change?
Mighty Boom wrote:
You’ve got to be kidding me. APF was the biggest piece of **** football game that’s been made in a very long time. lol @ competition. When you find a developer that can actually make a game that’ll compete with Madden, let me know. 2K certainly can’t do it. We’ll see about that “glorious day.” It’ll be a very sad day for people who actually enjoy real football games. Perfect games? No. But no one else has come even close.
And also, I’d like to know how you already know HC is going to be worthless crap. Please tell me. Because the reality is that you don’t and you are talking completely out of your EA-hating ass. I find it funny that people are criticizing the type of consumers who will “fall for the CE,” yet we aren’t criticizing these mindless immature fools for whom EA can do no right. It’s time to grow up, son.
@ Fort
I have been a loyal EA fan for a long—- long time. In fact I have NEVER bought a 2K football game. When Madden made the jump to the 360 I expected all the bells and whistles from the previous gen. I.e., total control of the D, d-line, and O-line. The ability to assign D-players to a specific receiver. Analog stick audibles (aka Ghost audibles), ect…
Instead, we were given one of the worst football games to date. Once the novelty of the visuals wore off you really realized the crap you were playing. I dont want to hear, “the developers needed time to adjust to the new hardware.” Thats BS. If we can put a man on the moon, we can program a football game properly. I dont need to rehash every problem up to 08. We all know about them.
Since the jump to the next gen, the aforementioned bells and whistles have been repackaged in 07 and 08 as if they were brand new. Total control of the D is not new! It was included in the previous gen. Im willing to bet that in 09 slide protection will be marketed as a “brand new” feature.
The list can go on and on. We dont even have classic teams, uniforms or any of the other “little things” EA conveniently ignores. It ridiculous. The culture at EA has slipped in to mediocrity because of the money its guaranteed to bring in. Largely impart due to the exclusivity deal with the NFL. There is no incentive for them to deliver a cutting edge, innovative football game. EA will use as little resources as they can to produce and deliver this game. The least resources EA uses the more money they make and Peter More and the share holders end up getting a huge check. But hey, thats business. It just sucks for the vast majority of the Madden fans.
With that said, I am part of the problem. I will be at GS at 12:01 am, just like I am every year, to fork over my $60 bucks in the hopes that the game will deliver this year. I love the game of football and I want to play with NFL teams. So until EA regains my trust or they lose their exclusivity license I will continue to expect a rehashed game and deliver negative word of mouth. And make no mistake about, I would jump ship right now if 2K had a NFL licensed game out. EA has failed me one to many times.
just one question, if head coach is as good as ea says it is then why not sell it separately and make more money .i dunno but something just aint right, and since when has EA or any business for that matter not care about money ,sure its not madden but it is football , football game + football fans = money nuff said
because hubcapp. they know like I know that a consumer who complained about 08 will run right back and fork over $100 on the same game with just a roster update and no change whatsoever. little do people who bomb apf 2k8 is the fact that 2k did what they could do with…loyal crumb suckers of EA cant understand that wake up and realize the market and realize what was done then you realize why 2k had very little to work with.. oh and guess what? remember when Some dude from EA said he will make sure that competition will be stopped? guess who that was towards? hey big hint EA is trying to buy them out right now…
Advantage SMART CONSUMER hands down like 6:30
I like the idea, idk about you guys but as soon as I heard that I can create my own plays/playbooks in HC and then transfer them to Madden, I was sold. I love the idea and yeah bash me for it but I’m glad they’re packaging it. just wondering but uh….Who’s gonna buy just Head Coach anyways?
Might as well package it with madden for people who want both. and whoever just wants Madden by itself can go buy the regular edition.
If the only way to get Head Coach is to buy Madden CE, so be it.
It is simple. You either want HC or you don’t. If you do, you will need to spend $90.
Worse comes to worse, for those that want HC and not Madden, go in with a partner and split the cost. You will each get your choice of game for $45 (or $48 with tax)…
Whether EA sells them separately or not, it is the consumer who will dictate what EA does in the future….