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[lo escondido]

Seems the Arcade games will alternate but the sim games will continue as usual

March 21, 2005 - When EA and the NFL closed their exclusive licensing deal, what transpired next was a whirlwind of rumors, negotiations, and partnerships. EA signed the AFL and ESPN while Take-Two hooked up with Major League Baseball, but the big deal everyone has been talking about is the NBA.

Then just today, even more rumors started to spread when word from the NBA league office that Sal LaRocca, Senior Vice President of NBA Global Merchandising Group, and Greg Lassen, Senior Director of NBA Electronic and Interactive Licensing, will be holding a conference call with the media tomorrow afternoon to make an announcement detailing the future of the NBA video game business.

So what's the call all about? It looks like the NBA is not looking to go the exclusive route, at least not in the same way the NFL and MLB signed their deals. Sources tell me that the NBA is instead giving out exclusives to certain games for certain years. In terms of the street genre, the NBA is now mandating that EA's NBA Street series and Midway's NBA Ballers series alternate years. So in 2005, we get NBA Streeet V3. In 2006, we get NBA Ballers 2. In 2007, we'll see NBA Street V4…

As far as the announcement about the sims goes, fans of NBA Live and 2K5 can both take a deep breath and relax. Both series will continue to compete with each other on a yearly basis, making for the only real video game sports battle still in existence, with the NFL and MLB on lock, and the NHL on lockout.

That means that this year you will see NBA Live 2006, NBA 2K6, and a new game from 989 Sports tentatively titled right now, NBA 2006.
Check back to IGN Sports tomorrow as we find out even more details from the media call with NBA execs.

In the mean time, celebrate the fact that at least one league believes in the value of competition.

Link

 

[Amused_To_Death]

Now that doesn't make sense, what does the NBA gain from having one arcade game a year?

 

[Ristamar]

Money hats?

Regardless, sounds good to me. There's no need for a yearly update of Street or Ballers. The developers can use that time to make substantial improvements with each iteration.

 

[JJConrad]

I guess Midway wins this round. NBA Street is significantly more popular than Ballers, so it helps them there, though this should give EA the first round on the PS3. Midway shouldn't have half-assed their bribe.

A sim without a license is kinda silly, but these arcade games barely use it. I wonder if people would even notice.


If I were deciding which company got to use my highly desired name, I have them all make their game and then pitch each one to me. The game I think is the best get the license and the other guys can release their game without me and try again next year. Come next year, EA stepped up and made the best game, then they'd get it.

Competition is still alive (this rotating crap isn't competition). My license isn't oversaturated. There's still plenty of room for back-alley deals and moneyhats. Its win-win-win.

 

[Particle Physicist]

hey, this isnt so bad at all. NBA > NFL, MLB

 

[Link316]

NBA Street didn't have yearly installments anyway, this deal makes no sense

 

[Blackie]

I don't see the logic behind mandating alternate years for producing the streetball games either, but whatever. I guess this deal is fair and intelligently balanced for all involved.

 

[The Shadow]

Kudos to the NBA for being smart as well as fair. It's a better deal all around, unlike the NFL.

 

[DrLazy]

Now that competition is confirmed I predict NBA games will gain in popularity while NFL games will remain popular but with no significant growth.

 

[heidern]

Woah, that alternating thing is very smart on behalf of the NBA. It means not only that some competition is there, but it forces a 2 year dev cycle. If someone tries to play it cheap, the other one could blaze past them. Looks like these NBA higher ups earn the pay.