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Sports video game company stubborn, evil

By: James Harrison Posted: 01/16/08 9:17pm

The Electronic Arts Inc. juggernaut continues to roll.

When it comes to sports video games, EA has done everything they can to ensure you have to deal with them. Over the years they’ve picked up some fairly major exclusive licenses, including the NFL and the Arena Football League, preventing any competition from making games using those properties.

Their latest pursuit, according to gaming blog http://kotaku.com, would seem to be the NCAA.

2K Sports, EA’s main competition in producing sports games, recently announced they’re scrapping College Hoops 2K9, the latest in their College Hoops franchise after negotiations broke down with the Collegiate Licensing Company, the organization that holds the license rights for the sport.

Competition is a good thing. While Madden NFL has never been a bad game per se, the quality of the Madden games dipped in the wake of their exclusivity agreement.

It’s only in the past year when EA was suddenly faced with the threat of 2K’s All-Pro Football 2K8 that Madden returned to its quality play and innovation.

EA may actually be doing them a disservice if they manage to secure an exclusive license. College Hoops games have never had the fan base the Madden games have had. If they don’t have the challenge of trying to overcome 2K, it’s entirely possible the games would stagnate before they have a chance to break through.

Gaming thrives on competition, be it between consoles or franchises. While exclusivity may sound good in the short term, EA needs to realize their best work is done when the pressure is on.

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