Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
points turns your footballer into a 'perfect footballing machine' for four
matches, and you can buy similar short-term performance boosts for
80
game content as well, with the mode of updating player statistics and rat-
ings throughout the season costing about $
5
for one league or $
10
for the
fi ve prominent leagues in the game. In
Madden NFL
elements from scout-
ing reports to short-term player and team boosts are sold, altering play and
generating revenue for EA. By increasingly moving players to online, con-
nected play, EA generates the ability to build microtransactions into their
sports games, both charging for things that used to be included and adding
new elements, like the Ultimate Team trading card games, for which there
can be a charge. Although the increased use of online interactions generally
give the game publisher additional control in defi ning the terrain of words,
design, and play, EA Sports has also opened up a relative amount of power
to their players in at least one interesting way.
E ach year one of the most pri zed pieces of real estate in the spor ts world
is the cover of
Madden NFL Football
. As the game has grown in cultural
force, players now openly speak of their desire to be on the cover. The
eventual choice of athlete routinely sparks discussion, frequently referenc-
ing a perceived Madden cover jinx, as many of those featured on the cover
have been struck down by injury or poor performance in the year follow-
ing their selection. Traditionally, the choice of cover athlete has been a
decision made by EA Sports and a closely held secret until they choose
to release the information in a massive marketing bonanza. However, for
Madden NFL
12
,
EA chose to take a dif erent path, electing thirty-two
dif erent options, one for each team, and conducting an online, bracket-
style voting competition for who would be the new cover athlete. As part
of the EA Sports license deal with sports broadcasting network ESPN,
results of each round of voting were announced on an ESPN show, with
the vote between the fi nal two athletes, Peyton Hillis and Michael Vick,
promoted across the networks. The eventual winner, Peyton Hillis, was
originally seeded in the lower third of the rankings, as he plays for the rel-
atively unsuccessful, low-profi le Cleveland Browns and who, at the time
of his election, had a modest NFL career. Hillis was initially selected in
the last round of the NFL draft and before the
2010
season he was traded
to Cleveland where he only fi nished eleventh in the NFL in rushing yards.
By all accounts, prior to fan voting, Hillis never would have ended up on
the cover of
Madden
, but he rolled through the voting, defeating more
traditional
Madden NFL
cover boys, like the reigning Super Bowl MVP
Aaron Rodgers. In turning this small part of
Madden
over to the players,
or at least the internet voters, EA Sports gave up a modicum of control,
while substantially building the hype around and cultural force of one of
their fl agship sports titles. Although this kind of process likely was not
possible prior to the mass adoption of the internet among EA Sports pri-
mary customers, it of ers an example of a collaboration between a game
