EA Balks At Idea Of Episodic Madden

I wrote up a feature for the Rocky earlier this month on the latest installment of Madden. It was mostly a guide to what’s new in the latest versions and how the developer continues to squeeze some semblance of originality out of an 18-year-old franchise. 18! So Madden is actual legal. Isn’t that shocking?

Annnnnyway, I did manage to throw the games producer, David Ortiz, off his game for a second when I suggested that maybe it’s time for Electronic Arts to turn Madden into an episodic game. They could just keep a general build available on shelves for people who don’t own the game and then every year sell a huge downloadable pack that adds in a bit of gameplay and new elements for the franchise. Every three to five years they could sell a new in-store version with a different engine or major overhaul. It’s essentially what EA seems to be doing already, but for the full price.

Ortiz wasn’t exactly clear with his answer to the question.

“That’s something we may explore in the future . . . or maybe we won’t,” he said. “What’s important to us is having enough time to deliver something relevant to our fan base. Right now we tie in nicely with the football season. It kinda works out nice. In addition, it gives us enough time to devote to coming up with these innovative ideas.”

So I guess $60 a pop retail games win out over $20 to $30 episodic versions every time.

Power game [Rocky Mountain News]