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The NBA made the right licensing choiceby scott sloan ssloan@herald-leader.com
NBA Live 09 and at least two other NBA games come out next week, all from different publishers. The NBA didn't go the exclusive-deal route. Photo by Games Press
Liu Kang attacks The Flash in Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, designed for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Photo courtesy of Games Press
It's time to hate on Electronic Arts again.
This time, it's not a specific game that the mega-publisher has rushed out the door or a hostile takeover bid; it's why next week will be better for sports fans than any other week of the year.
Next week is the launch of a number of NBA-licensed video games. You'll find Take-Two Interactive's NBA 2K9, as well as Sony's NBA 09 The Inside and EA's NBA Live 09.
But therein lies the rub: You'll find those games. With other major sports — I'm looking at you, National Football League and Major League Baseball — you'll find more limited offerings. And it's all because of EA. In 2004, the company came to terms with the NFL on an exclusive deal, cutting out all the other companies that were making football games. The Internet blew up, accusing EA of making a deal that would stifle creativity, raise prices and more.
Rival Take-Two Interactive, the same company that competition-averse EA tried to buy earlier this year, then struck an exclusive deal with Major League Baseball, becoming the sole third-party publisher to produce baseball games (console makers like Sony can still make MLB games).
No deal was ever struck with the NBA, though. And if critical reviews are any indication, the NBA made the right choice.
Since EA and Take-Two struck their deals, the average review scores of baseball and football games have declined, according to Metacritic. Granted, it's just Metacritic, and game reviews are by no means scientific, but it's a good indication that the Internet's fears were justified.
For instance, the NFL games released in 2008 have received an average rating of 68 on a scale of 100. The year before, the games averaged 77. In 2004, the last year that anyone other than EA released an NFL game, the titles averaged an 83. This year's MLB games averaged a 72, down from 77 a year earlier.
So sports fans, enjoy next week. The other 51 are the victims of big business's efforts to monopolize an industry driven by creativity.
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