Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
the promotion of the game, as the newest additions can be explained and
hyped with the implicit argument that previous versions of the game are
lacking, since they do not contain the amazing new design mechanic. There
are usually several smaller modifi cations that accompany the major changes
to provide bulk to the argument about why people should upgrade, but a
banner addition is at the core of the marketing campaign. A press release
for
Madden NFL
2004
contends that its key new feature is the “revolution-
ary Playmaker Control that lets gamers adjust on the fl y just as NFL players
of a particular version of a franchise; the press release for
FIFA Soccer
12
announced “a new physics engine that will deliver revolutionary changes
to the best sports videogame on the planet. Two years in development, the
new Player Impact Engine inside
FIFA Soccer
12
delivers real-world physi-
cality in every interaction on the pitch.”
33
By developing press releases fi lled with platitudes like these, reviewers
of the game frequently develop a parallel approach in their discussions sur-
rounding the game. This is then integrated into a larger articulation of the
ordering logic of why players should upgrade, as the features EA Sports
keeps adding are driven by player feedback. The changes to
FIFA Soccer
and success of the title are attributed to the fact that
during the past few years, however, the development team at EA Can-
ada [the development house for
FIFA Soccer
] has been listening to the
huge FIFA community more and more—involving the hardcore contin-
gent into the development process, with the result being a soccer series
that has fl ourished both critically and commercially.
34
The changes are not just important because they are revolutionary; the
reason to upgrade is because developers are listening to players by inviting
them to participate in the construction of the franchise, binding them more
closely to the game. When they are paying attention to their audience and
implementing requested changes, EA Sports can contend that these particu-
lar features are especially noteworthy, encouraging purchase of the latest
title. Whether or not the features are later celebrated or reviled, like the QB
Vision Cone that was introduced with
Madden NFL
06
and later removed
from the core of the game, is secondary because the additions are presented
in a way that makes the game seem new and dif erent, while retaining ele-
ments of the old and familiar.
Although the new mechanics are the key additions to the game that war-
rant upgrade, it is the underlying warrant behind the arguments surround-
ing the games that makes the appeals resound. By basing most EA Sports
games on a notion of simulation, of reality, of the fact that 'it's in the game,'
EA Sports of ers an ordering logic that encourages consumption of a new
game each year. Because sports leagues have a 'new version' each year the
appeal to annual editions of games fi ts a broader perception of how sports
