Between retailer cut, distributor cut, NFL royalties, Sony/MS royalties, Take Two cut, and costs associated with running the online servers.....I don't see how they can possibly make any money on each copy of ESPN NFL. So is this $20 price just a one-off promotion where they take monetary losses to try and help increase the visibility of the series? Are they going to jack up the price again next year, or try and firmly entrench themselves as a "budget" brand?
Given that Madden is still turning in record sales, I wouldn't say that they have really put much of a chink in EA's armor, and a return to $40-50 games would probably relegate them back into the bargain bin. But with the next generation quickly approaching, they are going to need a significant price tag to offset the costs associated with developing the new round of sports titles.
Given that Madden is still turning in record sales, I wouldn't say that they have really put much of a chink in EA's armor, and a return to $40-50 games would probably relegate them back into the bargain bin. But with the next generation quickly approaching, they are going to need a significant price tag to offset the costs associated with developing the new round of sports titles.