Welcome to Peter Moore's Official Blog

James Anderson said:

I agree piracy is a problem but you can't only blame that EA sports never take full advantage of the PC's hardware which is why I never bought fifa 08 or madden 08 on the PC it was still on the Current Gen Gameplay and graphics engine that is ridiculous considering I now have 2 AMD 4870's and all I get is some game worthy for an internal graphics card that is a joke!

if you want people to buy your games design them to their maximum potential ''Crysis anyone''

EA claim to have sold over a million on that game alone I could see double or even triple that figure for the sports titles if that actually put the same effort they do for the PS3 and 360 versions so many times people I knew would have bought both games on the PC Only to find out it was not the same graphics/gameplay engine that was found on its console cousin!

Common Sense said:

Peter-

You are a great leader of a great company. For those of us who truly understand the industry and its ebs and flows, we see EA in a great position who is finally hitting stride in the next-gen era. The previews for your 09 titles look amazing and we, the millions and millions of loyal EA fans, look forward to these great titles this summer and fall.

Thanks again Peter! Keep up the great work and for this blog that lets us into your world.

-C.S.

Heywood Jablowme said:

I actually agree with Peter. PC's are becoming obsolete for gaming, and here's why. Not everyone has top end gaming PC's, and the cost of constantly upgrading a PC's hardware to play the newest games is more expensive. Instead I can buy a $300-$400 console which I can hook up to my HDTV and play games on that instead.

And developing games for PC's, which have 1000's of hardware configurations has got to be taxing. Not to mention you have to develop them not for the highest end PC, but rather what's considered the average PC in order to make your game playable by the highest amount of people. It's just simply not worth it.

PC gamers....it's time you quit complaining and realize you are a dying breed that companies can no longer cater to because there are so few of you in relation to consoles. Give in and buy the console of your choice.

fk915 said:

Now this should end the debate about PC games. People accept it, EA has decided not to release PC version of certain sports titles this year. That make sense. I fully agree with Peter. When all of us have at lease one console in our homes or at least we can buy one (Xbox is gonna be 299$) then what is the big fuss about playing Madden on PC?? people stop whinning and go back to your world of warcraft.

Hay peter you forgot to mention what your plans for EA Rugby and EA Cricket??? still waiting for the update. Thanks

Heywood Jablome (again) said:

Cricket!!! As an American, I've recently (last couple years) discovered this game. Don't forget your NTSC users if you guys do a cricket game! I want to school some Brits online.....

Former EA Supporter. said:

Peter,

Thank you for your honesty. Very well said. I would like to comment on one item you mentioned:

- The PC as a platform for authentic, fully-licensed, simulation sports games has declined radically in the past three years as the next generation consoles, with their high definition graphics and 5.1 sound capabilities have attracted millions of consumers to eschew the “lean in” PC sports gaming experience for the “lean back” full room console experience.

While the console has attracted many consumers, the pc is also capeable of High def graphics and 5.1 sound capabilities. There are those of us (myself included) that do not own consoles or plan to. It is these customers who were most affected by the dropping of the pc titiles and why we post to vent our disappointment. I hope you can understand in some way how we feel when we feel like we've been tossed aside.

I'm going to continue to enjoy my Madden 08 pc and hope that others will be able to continue to enjoy their games as well.

Thanks for the continued updates and better communication.

Pfellah said:

I don't think it's a question of insight, I think there's a frustration that EA won't own their role in alienating the PC base with their decisions -- many of which I realize pre-date your arrival at the company. It's frustrating to be served a turd sandwich year after year and then be told that turd sandwiches are a marketing challenge because people keep stealing the bread.

kbracer2002 said:

Crappy, rehashed, buggy product + exclusive license = radical decline in PC simulation sports games.  Open the PC sports license up for competitors and see what a quality product looks like, and sells like.  EA would rather stifle the competition, at the expense of the customers.

Timothy Daley said:

Honest and Brilliant testimony Peter.  Being both a high end PC owner and PS3 owner I have always hated the notion of sports games on a PC.  To me, sports games are meant to be played on a big comfy sofa with the stereo blaring and that means "CONSOLES".

Gone are the days of PC dominance.  The PC is no longer the pinnacle of graphical excellence and therefore gaming excellence.  Gone are the days of stripped down PC ports to the consoles. Consoles have finally equaled there PC brother in terms of game quality and performance.

The pitfalls are obvious when it comes to the PC format.  There are just too many variables when it comes to hardware and when making a game like madden you know the requirements of a PC would be steep if you wanted the console quality next gen experience on the PC.  Quite frankly, I don't believe that the numbers of high end users warrant the effort on EA's part.

Next gen consoles unify the gamer with a singular platform where everyone has the same equipment, therefore it is much easier to design and program for, besides why does anyone want PC sports anyway.  They at best have been the equivalent of PS2 / xbox quality and not the next gen quality we console players enjoy today.

IMHO EA should dump the whole sports on PC and focus those resources to making next gen console EA sports games the best possible.  Leave the PC to the Command and Conquers and World of Warcraft type games.

Mags said:

"why does anyone want PC sports anyway. "

Customizability. Applications. Editors. Online Franchises. The PC community has done so much to extend the life of Madden (Football-Freaks.com), NBA Live (several), MVP Baseball (mvpmods.com), NHL (several)...

I've been running a true, 32 team online franchise for over 20 seasons spanning several version of Madden on the PC. Console guys are clamoring b/c they have a lobotomized 12 team version for NCAA only... Community sites have done wonders expanding graphics, fixing errors, keeping rosters updated, etc... at a faster pace than EA could ever hope to due to EA's need to have QC cycles, controlled releases, and agreements with MS/Sony.

This has all been hashed out over and over. It seems like every time Mr. Moore puts up a blog, the responses are 75%+ regarding the PC, regardless of the topic.

I hope EA reevaluates support the PC as they claim. If not, I hope they could deliver a console gaming platform equivalent to what we have had on the PC for nearly a decade now. To this point, they haven't.

Akash S. said:

To sum: There isn't much money to be made in the PC market on many of the traditional gaming genres. Piracy has become easier and in many ways better than owning a retail copy (no cd/dvd required in-tray, getting the game earlier than the street date, etc.).

So how to monetize this user base, which eclipses the console base in terms of both size and appetite for content. It'll be interesting to see what models pop up and suceed. Clearly, Blizzard has a few ideas and there are the new instant-on websites that allow you to play AAA titles through your browser window.

PC gaming certainly isn' t dead, just evolving....and for the better, I think.

Former EA Supporter said:

"why does anyone want PC sports anyway. "

Timothy, Just as you enjoy playing games on your console I enjoy playing Madden on my pc. Since my pc is my investment and I use it for other things besides games, I like to have the ability to play Madden every so often.

That's all. Just to be able to enjoy my game. Which is what I'm doing with Madden 08. Could it be better? Yes. Are there things I would like to see changed/improved? Yes. But since my gameplay is not affected I can live with it. If Peter and EA decide to introduce a new Madden for pc? Great! I'll get it. But if 08 is what I'm left with then I have no problem with that.

Mags: I agree, the customization and modding that can be done can really extend the life of a game and produce some truly amazing results.

Peter moore couldn't run a lemonade stand said:

This is exactly why ea is such a crappy company. Instead of trying to find out why their ports are not selling well they abandon the pc market. This will bite them in the ass. None of the games they release will have the reach that they previously did. People will not get as hyped up for a console only game. Madden is not GTA III or Halo. It does not have a fan base that will buy a console to play madden. Most pc gamers(while considerably fewer then years past) will abandon the madden franchise altogether.

Sami said:

Many interesting points. Personally, "That does not mean that we aren’t coming back next year with new, innovative, maybe even less-expensive ways to play all of our franchises on the PC" is most interesting, because it makes me think of something like Wii Sports. Motion controls are not everything, presentation is also key.

Timothy Daley said:

Former EA Supporter said:

July 1, 2008 12:00 PM

"why does anyone want PC sports anyway. "

Timothy, Just as you enjoy playing games on your console I enjoy playing Madden on my pc. Since my pc is my investment and I use it for other things besides games, I like to have the ability to play Madden every so often.

Of course you like playing your Madden on the PC but you are a minority and that is why PC sports gaming is dead.  Do you honestly think thats not true?  If it weren't true then you would have 2k sports, and Midway, and Konami all jumping to develop games for the PC but the truth is that PC sports gaming is dead.

You should be thankful that EA has supported the PC for as long as they have.  I think Peter Moore is far more qualified to assess the state of the industry then us mere gamers.  No one is asking you to like the decision but the decision makes alot of sense to those who aren't so close to the situation at hand.

Anyway, alot of your reasoning for liking the PC as a format is rapidly being assimilated by consoles.  You have to bear in mind that online and consoles is just in its infancy and there are many milestones that are yet to be met.  

PC's will always be viable and they certainly have there niche genres......MMORPG's, FPS, RTS.

Sports just isn't it.  If you are a true hard core gamer then you should already own a next gen console.  Otherwise your just a stubborn old dinosaur that refuses to acknowledge the times.

Its time to get with the times PC owners.  You need to be flexible and diverse.

Paul said:

Thanks for giving us a detailed answer, Peter. What I hope EA learns from this is that PC gamers are interested in innovation and experience. You just can't get away with selling us the same game with the same unfixed bugs year after year. The rosters were sloppy and the updates were laughable. You guys didn't even bother to get the team uniforms right while we asked them to be fixed every year. Color issues literally take minutes to fix.

We also want to be treated fairly. So many times we got the shaft while the console versions got the extra features.

I hope EA Sports realizes and acknowledges its part in driving away PC gamers because this is not one sided.

Good luck with your sales of NHL 02 er 09.

Timothy Daley said:

A common theme held by most PC sports gamers is the phrase "Extending the life of the Game".

That is a very interesting statement about a genre that is designed to renew itself each year.  The object is to get you to buy the game each year, not to extend the life of the previous years game.

This is the mind set of the PC gamer.  Why buy a new madden when i still have life left in madden 05.  Hell, people are still playing MVP baseball 05 on the PC.  This in no way benefits EA and it makes sense that they would dump the sports line.

Sports games arent like MMO's or FPS's where you expect the life expectancy of the game to be around 4yrs or more with frequent updates and such.  This is sports gaming where the object is to get you to buy the same exact game every year.

I really don't understand why people want to play EA sports PC games anyway.  They are not next gen by any stretch of the imagination and are essentially a PS2/xbox game.  With EA trying to raise the bar for sports gaming why should they want to waste time toiling in yesteryear.

Its time to move forward.  EA has still yet to realize the full potential of the PS3 and thus EA sports games are being held back by the confines of the 360.   I reckon that this will change very soon as EA becomes more familiar with the PS3.  The first sign is already evident with the announcement that FIFA 09 will have an exclusive game mode for the PS3 only.  I know, its FIFA, but its a start.  Once EA taps into the depths of Bluray Ps3 will be a beast.  Til then we have to run on the 360's restrictor plates> ( sorry for the Nascar ref.)

AVG JOE said:

Im gonna make this short and sweet. As a business owner I play madden pc with a xbox 360 controller on my hdtv. This is the new way of pc gaming you just need to market it. But anyways, PORT PORT PORT PORT MADDEN 2009 who cares about the others. Im American and i love football and the pittsburgh steelers. Please let me play madden 09 and trash my 2008 copy. I want the good stuff. PORT PORT PORT Madden 2009

BobCat said:

How can you expect it to not to face serious business challenges with 6 year old ps2 graphics. No one cares about tiger woods,nhl or fifa in america just Madden. Why do you have to wreck the hard working americans dream of playing madden 2008 on their hdtv via the pc.

Cpu geek said:

I only play madden on pc because a cheap computer at walmart would cost me $500 and a console another $300 So im looking at $800 i can buy a 9600 gt 512 mb and 4 gigs of ram in a pc for that price and a quad core to boot. Computers are a all in one and the prices on video cards are great right now 9800gtx $210.

joe Jack log company said:

JoeJack here dad dont know im on the computer but please port madden 2009 to pc.

Mags said:

Tim Daley,

You have a very shallow view on things.  "The object is to get you to buy the game each year, not to extend the life of the previous years game."

We have bought the game... for the most part the same game in fact, for several years. PC Gamers extend the life of the game b/c the game has been taken away (in the case of MVP). We tend to play year round whereas the console guys die off when the NFL season is over. Either way, EA makes it's sale, but with our communtiy, they could be making those year round subscription costs. The initial sale only lasts so long, it's how you capture money afterward during your next development cycle. Look at Warcraft, that generates over $100 mil a month. That's a blockbuster movie haul, each month. You don't think EA would like a slice of that?

You really don't have any idea what the 'mindset of a PC gamer' is. The user community makes the product better. We can react faster to chance and put out updates quicker because we aren't tied down by production cycles, QA/Testing, and validation with MS/Sony. You think just because we can mod a game doesn't mean we won't buy it every year? You are SERIOUSLY mistaken. We look forward to the bells and whistles added each year. We look forward to getting that default roster... and then we look forward to making it better.

As for why we want to play the games... Next Gen to us means flashy graphics with very little substance (up to now). We have the FREEDOM to edit the game, to update things as we see fit, to share files online, to run online franchises with friends. We see the console guys complaining that they can't make simple little changes or edit things they way they want to see them. We have built communities with the sole purpose of making the experience better. The Next Gen crowd, the console crowd to us is what you see on the ESPN show, guys running around with Vick and bombing.

EA's object is to earn money and satisfy its shareholders, period. PC games such as WoW (and I'm not an RPG'er by any stretch) generate huge amounts of cash MONTHLY. Other models (such as games in Asia) have shown that microtransactions can create a steady revenue stream. The future of gaming (unfortunately) is subscription or micro-transaction based, and you can see a lot of companies shifting towards that paradigm.

Reply if you'd like, but this is, and has been our chance to voice our opinion to Mr. Moore. As you have seen in nearly every blog he has put out, we have taken the opportunity. We're not hear to ask where the hand towels are (like my friend DeeJay at MM says every year). We are here to voice our displeasure at a decision made in the EA business model that directly impacts us.  I would like to thank him, as well, for addressing the issue and for the EA producers in general who seem to be opening up more to the community. Time will tell.

SO LONG EASPORTS said:

I HAVE BEEN PC GAMER OF EASPORTS FOR YEARS.  ITS WERE I CAN PLAY WITHOUT THE KIDS BUGGING ME.  THEY HAVE THE CONSOLE I HAVE MY PC.  

THANKS FOR NOTHING PETE MOORE!  I WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO MADDEN 09

I HOPE THEY FIRE YOU SOON.

PC guys don't get it....... said:

You PC guys make me laugh. EA is a business, they need to make money. Now explain to me why they should spend millions of dollars catering to a small, niche market they will sell very few copies to compared to the consoles? That's if they get bought at all...re: Piracy.

It's time to join the 21st century guys, PC's aren't for games anymore. But then you are all still smarting from buying BETA instead of VHS back in the day and need to get your anger out on something.......

Former EA Supporter said:

Timothy Daley said,

Of course you like playing your Madden on the PC but you are a minority and that is why PC sports gaming is dead.

If I'm a minority than I have no problem with that. Peter and EA must feel that PC sports still has some viability otherwise he wouldn't have made his comments about re-assessing and re-defining thier options about their pc titles. If they decide that it is not to be than I can live with that.

You should be thankful that EA has supported the PC for as long as they have.  I think Peter Moore is far more qualified to assess the state of the industry then us mere gamers.  No one is asking you to like the decision but the decision makes alot of sense to those who aren't so close to the situation at hand.

I was thankful, I bought from them each year. I never questioned Peter's qualifiactions, I was just looking for a better explanantion than the first one he gave when they first annouced the cancellations. While I wasn't happy about it, I understood the decision and Peter has made an excellent effort in explaining his reasoning in his recent posts.

Anyway, alot of your reasoning for liking the PC as a format is rapidly being assimilated by consoles.  You have to bear in mind that online and consoles is just in its infancy and there are many milestones that are yet to be met.

Great! I hope the the consoles are fully taken advantage of you see some really excellent upcoming titles.

Sports just isn't it.  If you are a true hard core gamer then you should already own a next gen console.  Otherwise your just a stubborn old dinosaur that refuses to acknowledge the times.

I am not a hard core gamer nor have I claimed to be one. I am a casual gamer with a PC who enjoys playing games often but not to the extent that I need a console. So if I am a stubborn dinosaur than so be it.

I have respect for consoles and console gamers. Enjoy your games.

Big Joke said:

No Pc gaming is not dead. It is just starting.

www.ibuypower.com

www.cyberpowerpc.com

www.phlypc.com

Get a job and get into the game. The funny part is i buy the same horrible madden pc game for the last 5 years so Im like oh man no way they are gonna dog us this year we have to get next gen graphics. Oh wait we are gonna cancel pc games becuz we dont spend alot of time making them and no one buys them. No Wonder???

Consoles suck go play with your little brothers and sisters.

I guess pc gaming is dead thats what gta iv is coming out in august for pc just a rumor though haha haha.

Timothy Daley said:

Former EA Supporter said:

I have respect for consoles and console gamers. Enjoy your games.

This was never a respect issue.  Like Ive said before i am a high end PC user and console user.  My contention is that stubborn old PC gamers are the equivalent to the guy who wont buy CD's b/c he loves his cassette tape collection.

The landscape of gaming has changed dramatically over the past 3 years and the PC has been affected tremendously.  Consoles are finally on par with PC's and they don't cost as much as a PC.  My two video cards in my PC cost more than my PS3 but I would still rather play COD4 on my PS3.

PC games are riddled with problems and compatibility issues.  Console games don't suffer from these do to the fact that everyone has the same hardware.

PC gaming has become less and less viable due to this.  There are just too many different processors, moboards, soundcards, vid card etc to make it a smart business choice.

Having played BF2 for a number of years I can tell you how the community whined about all the issues with that game.  Even to this day there are still some peeps who can't get that game to run right.

Now dice has made Battlefield: Bad Company for the consoles and they have a monumental hit that doesn't have all the problems the PC games suffer from.

PC gaming just isn't a smart choice anymore just like cassettes and 8 track tapes, and beta aren't smart choices anymore.

Timothy Daley said:

Big Joke said:

July 2, 2008 9:19 AM

No Pc gaming is not dead. It is just starting.

www.ibuypower.com

www.cyberpowerpc.com

www.phlypc.com

Get a job and get into the game. The funny part is i buy the same horrible madden pc game for the last 5 years so Im like oh man no way they are gonna dog us this year we have to get next gen graphics. Oh wait we are gonna cancel pc games becuz we dont spend alot of time making them and no one buys them. No Wonder???

Consoles suck go play with your little brothers and sisters.

I guess pc gaming is dead thats what gta iv is coming out in august for pc just a rumor though haha haha.

PC gaming is dead.  The only games that people are playing on the PC are games that are 4 years old ( WOW).  There are no monumental PC games anymore.  Basically MMO's and RTS litter the PC gaming landscape.  You played 1 RTS you played them all and as far as WOW goes (liquid crack).  Wow is destroying the PC gaming industry since those who play it will likely never play another game again.

Timothy Daley said:

A8N32-SLI DELUXE

2 EACH ( PNY GEFORCE 8800 GTS  320MB)

XFI FATAL1TY SOUND CARD

4GB PC 3500 CORSAIR MEMORY

AMD 64 FX 60 CPU  (DUAL CORE)

Now that I established my credentials, now I will tell you PC gaming is DEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PC GAMING IS FOR OLD FOSSILS, who are either too stubborn or too dense to understand the gaming landscape.  The PC is for MMO players who have been playing the same game for the past 4 years..............(World of Warcraft).

Any decent game that even comes out for the PC is just a mere port from the consoles. ( Gotta Love the irony there).  If it weren't for Microsoft and Xbox you PC owners wouldn't see games like Bioshock and possibley GTA 4.

The mere fact that Microsoft makes a game console should be clue enough that PC gaming isn't viable anymore.  If you dinosaurs didn't get that memo perhaps the fact that microsofts revamping of there game packaging (Games for Windows), to make them look more like console games, should clue you in that console gaming is where its at.

You stubborn PC gamers talk all this trash but my guess is that you will break down an buy a next gen console.  Its OK though.  I know it makes you mad that you spent all that money on a UBER rig to play a PS2 comparable Madden on your PC.   What a waste of money.  Money that could have been spent on a 360 or PS3.

Timothy Delay is a douche said:

Yea and if it wasent for pc you guys wouldent see games like crysis and starcraft 2 oh wait you wont anyway ahahah

But, anyways on phlypc.com i can buy a rig for $898 with a athlong x2 4600,+ 4 gigs ddr2 800, 9600gt 512mb,250gb hdd, So What is that I spend $300 more than the best ps3 out, But i have a computer for the extra $300? Gee yea i guess that sucks big time, And you can use the 360 controller on all games now pc will be the new console you douche.

Timothy Daley said:

Crysis was an OK game but hardly a game that needs a PC.  Crysis easily could have been done on the PS3 and Xbox and if it had, it would have seen better sales.  As far as starcraft, who cares?  Its an RTS and belongs on a PC.  

You really should pay attention.  PC gaming is dead my friend.  You can thank Blizzard and there juggernaut World of Warcraft for single handedly destroying the PC gaming landscape.  With millions of subscribers, WOW is a modern day pied piper enslaving the wouldbe PC gamer to life of servitude and finanacial loss.

Face facts, Wow is an addiction and those who play are addicted.  They don't buy other games and they certainly don't have the time to play other games.  Therefore, my statement that WOW has damaged the PC gaming landscape.  The PC is lucky if they have 5 quality titles a year.  Consoles are where it is at and even the PC devs are making the switch.  Battlefield is the most popular FPS of all time since counterstrike and even they saw the writing on the wall.  The president of Valve (half life) hates consoles but knew enough to release HL2 for the consoles.

Dude, open you eyes.  Just walk in to your local gamestop or best buy and you will see the dwindling inventory of PC games.  What used to take up half the store now is relagated to a few racks in the center of the store.

PC games are a waste of money.  You can't trade them in and you spend the majority of your time patching the hell out of them and crying on message boards about how the game sucks and the company who made it sucks.

Oh btw using an xbox controller doesnt make your pc game better.  Its just tricking you into thinking your PC is as good as a console.  Todays games are far better on the consoles b/c the PC will never design the game to utilize all that hardware.

You can still run these games using a Pentium 3.............LOL

But i forgive your childish remarks.  You are young and inexperienced.  You think with your heart and not your head.  The writing is on the wall, you just need to open your eyes.

Til then enjoy those magical PC titles like ( endless sims expansions, 800 variations of the same RTS game, and 4 year old MMO's.    ROTFLMAO

Timothy Daley said:

OH i left something out.    The 2 biggest PC game titles of 2008 were Mass Effect and Bioshock..........................uh um   Xbox 360 titles.

I rest my case.

Former EA Supporter said:

Timothy,

Understandable and very valid points. I'm fully aware of the changing landscape of gaming and its effect on PC's. I've had my share of issues as well.

Is pc gaming dead? Truthfully, right now I have to say no, I don't think it is. I still see games coming out on PC. These companys that are producing them must still see some viablity in releasing them, ported or not. Will this change? Time and technology will tell.

I agree about WOW. I saw a story about a guy who got so into it that he did nothing but play it 24/7. He played so much he fell in love with his avatar. He was found dead after he shot himself. There was a show on tv about it. Pretty scary stuff.

You said:

PC gaming just isn't a smart choice anymore just like cassettes and 8 track tapes, and beta aren't smart choices anymore.

Right or wrong, dumb or smart, good or bad, it's still a choice made by some. I respect that and also those who use consoles.  Regardless of what they're played on we should all be able to enjoy our games.

Michael Moore said:

It's me Michael Moore, Peter Moore's more cool half brother and im here to say Madden 2008 yes MADDEN 2008 will be released as of today July 4, 2012

Vikram said:

Piracy exists yes but in just as succint terms as this blog Peter, when EA Sports stops releasing essentially the same games year in year out (The last EA sports game which made a genuine leap in terms of graphics and gameplay for me was Fight Night 3) then maybe you might sell more games on the PC? As a multi platform gamer for over 10 years now I find PC gamers are much more discerning at game buying. I find this post quite odd though considering EA's biggest success since 2000 has been The Sims, its various expansions and the sequel and its expansions on the PC. And EA has Spore comign out soon which potentially could surpass The Sims.

To quote from another website: "PC Gamers in "not stupid enough to buy the same game every year" shock." :p

Señor Citizen said:

Peter, if you had spent a little more time on the PC versions over the last several years, they may have been more successful from a business perspective.

Tight online integration and features for example -- which could also lead to better piracy containment, give gamers a good reason to take their games online -- there's alot of potential here. Take advantage of the hardware available on the PC, what was up with all the PS2/XBox engine port efforts? I know I personally was holding off (silly me) on buying any futher EA Sports games until the engines were updated for the PC versions.

The PC isn't going anywhere in terms of being a viable and relevant gaming platform overall. There's a hands-on, customizable, etc. appeal that just doesn't exist with consoles, which are relatively shrink-wrapped, proprietary, non-upgradeable (i.e. boring) hardware devices. In addition, the PC delivers can deliver an immersive (superior graphics, etc) and customizable (numerous control options, etc) gaming experience absolutely unparalleled by consoles.

I do own consoles as well (PS3 and Wii), however, when I'm ready to fully enjoy my gaming experience, I always turn to the PC, multi-platform games for example are always purchased for the PC.

The concession has to be made that for "party" style games, and yes, sports games in which immersion is not a primary gameplay factor, but rather social gaming together at a local location is, the console is the best choice for most people. At least until PCs as media center systems becomes more prevalent than there are today.

Conclusion? I'm disappointed but I do understand the core issues. However, I do think sports games on the PC can still be viable, especially if you can take advantage of the potential and strengths of the platform. Look into it will ya, and get back to us PC gamers....soon.

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B said:

Mr. Moore,

I have a question regarding the release date of NFL Head Coach.  Will it be released on August 12th with Madden or at a different time?  EB Games is showing the release date to be September 3rd.  If I get the Madden Collector's Edition, do I get Head Coach at the same time?  EB Games has a long history of lying to their customers about release dates so I don't shop there or believe anything that they have to say.

Larry said:

Dear Peter,

Bite me. Gas is 4 dollars a gallon and soon to be 5. Groceries are out the roof and our sorry assed polititions ( both parties ) are screwing us right and left.

I can hardly afford to buy the PC version as it is. Who do you intend to sell the TW09 game to - the richest people in the world. They are the only ones who can shell out 4 or 5 hundred dollars for xbox. You really might want to rethink the NO PC version in a recession...

EA Fan said:

Right on, Peter. The traditional PC market is dying, and it's just a great opportunity to push the reset button as you say. I hope you guys will come up with an even better PC game... Cheers!

joe pineapples said:

When was a decent boxing game last produced for the pc - the only one i can remember was 4D sports boxing, which was back in 1991!!!.  If EA cannot see that bringing the fight night series (yes, even a straight 360 port)) would be worthwhile, well it just beggers belief..  This is not a game that only suits consoles - we also have 360 gamepads and large HDTV's.  PC owning boxing fan's are waiting.

no longer a fam said:

You know I have to say to ceo's and game devs that say pc is dying is nothing more than garbage. the things songy and microsoft have lost more money investing into concoles...........how much did sony lose much did microsoft lose hahahaha I hate game devs like you. You turn your backs on fans. picary has always been a problem on pc and pc this does better than concoles eough said. By the way there is picary on concoles too.

here is a link that prove pc gaming is better than concoles

www.gamesindustry.biz/.../industry-revenue-57-billion-in-2009-says-dfc

concole gaming is nothing more than watered dwon garbage. I guess that is why sony and micro soft aways have to look to pc to get the best games and game devs.

EA Games Suck on Both PC and Console said:

Really, alot of the blame should be placed on Microsoft's pathetic Games for Windows marketing and support campaign.

The only reset button EA knows is the "Lock out the competition with exclusives" button. Anyone tried the NASCAR crap they've put out for the past 4 years?

Ugh, Timothy Daley is exactly the reason why I choose to play TeamFortress 2 on my PC as opposed on my xbox.

David Mac said:

Peter - Get your company to put more cash into the EA Sports Rugby series - they've come a long way, but could still use some improvements.

David Mac

ben said:

i hope 2k takes over the pc market

Joe said:

Peter-  I recently did search and found out that you guys were suspending the NCAA MVP Baseball series of games.  I was disappointed.  I hope you will reconsider and bring it back '09.  I am one person who really loves the college atomsphere in reality and in games over the professional version.   Thanks for producing great entertainment.

Scurvy Dog said:

Say anything you want about piracy, but one thing it does as a benefit to users is keeping the ever growing game prices in check. Without piracy the gaming industry could set the pricetag anywhere they want to.

In some european countries game costs ~$100 which i think is not a good development of the industry. You actually have to take CREDIT to be able to buy a game. not food, not necessities, not household goods but BLOODY GAMES.

no longer a fan said:

take a good look at your loved concole gaming

www.videogamesblogger.com/.../microsoft-lost-126-billion-launching-the-xbox-360.htm

www.hunterstrat.com/.../microsoft-takes-1-billion-charge-over-xbox-360-defect-fix

looks like xbox 360 not doing too hot

kotaku.com/.../sony-lost-over-3-billion-to-ps3-cost-pricing-imbalance

funny part is pc still does better LOL, after this statment I am never going to buy yours games  agin. Good to know pc fans are treated like dirt....E# is garbage too!!!

James said:

I have to agree, Piracy is an issue, But so is remaking the same game every year the only difference being new name rosters and a few other little bits thrown in.

Is it any wonder that sports games are in decline on the PC when you do not update the game in any significant way. Besides that, EA have a reputation that makes most PC gamers avoid their products. In the end I would have to place more blame on EA for putting out substandard games than on piracy for the decline in sales.

Pencil said:

真正有用心在做的遊戲不會倒

PIC said:

放弃PC平台?..你不做PC平台别人会会..EA  又不是世界上唯一能做游戏的公司.

孢子的创意是很好的..我想说我喜欢..

Miles Deighton said:

Mr. Peter Moore,

I have never denied piracy is an issue, nor have many PC gamers. You are defeating a straw man as the majority of us realize how business works.

It is obvious however that you are quickly using this to undermine people who have been carefully watching the quality of PC games and the markets that power PC gaming become more and more unsuitable for the masses, beginning  - of course - with the developers.

The company you work for now has been releasing terrible ports of not just sports titles, but most games, from movie games, to long running franchies. PC versions have been missing features since the last console generation. Not only EA, but many companies did this. Why? I don't know. But it wasn't unnoticed by the general public. Many people I know bluntly said to me, "miles, I don't play PC games because they always suck comapred to the console versions!". I couldn't disagree with him in 2002 when I played Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 on the PC which failed all of my expectations and promises the game made me, which EA had agreed to make PS2 exclusive. And it still very often happens. Games with clunky controls are released and often have better content on the consoles for no technically sound reason at all.

steve said:

ati, nvidia   more and more new graphic cards

amd,  intel  no sell console

Microsoft: windows vista games foe windows dx10?

The question of conflict of previous job

mr. moore

Jessie said:

Dear mr. Moore,

Thank you very much. I am very happy to see that you finally decided to scrap EA sports series comming out every year. Of course not because of piracy but because they are utterly crap anyway and noone wants to buy it.

FIFA soccer is one example of crap, controls are not optimised for PC-users but a direct port from XBOX/PS. Not userfriendly, sp no I wont be missing your games and if you do come back to the PC then make it for the PC and not just port from the consoles.

Best of luck

Chris said:

So basically it boils down to "we're too lazy to port our PC games over to the next-gen engine", "you pc gamers are thieves", and "how dare you expect unique games and not a roster update every year"?  The piracy argument is BS, look at Steam you can see how easy it is to lock down a game.

Honestly, the reason sports games (PC and otherwise) are on the decline is the lack of competition in many sports.  Exclusive licenses should be banned, because right now EA (and 2k in their exclusives) have no reason to innovate when they are the only game in town...

Petri said:

Maybe EA can't make good business like Valve and Blizzard. EA should go to other business areas. You can always blame something else if real problem is your own incompetence.

S.H said:

TELL ME THE FACT

no longer a fan said:

Oh by the way I forgot to say this but another game dev and comapny  will just take your place like the mmos or should I say mmsport games like this for exmaple

buttonmashing.com/.../mmorpg-sports

there is a baseaball one too. They should get popular enough to under mind the concole market games ;) so by by by

Katz said:

Timothy Daley said it best.

PC gaming is slowly dying. And it will stay half-dead for a very long time. Maybe even forever. Only MMORPGs and FPSs keep it alive and a lot of FPSs are moving to the console front. We all heard Crytek complain how fed-up they are with PC games not selling and that they will never again make a PC-exclusive title.

That's the game company's point of view on why PC gaming is not worth it. The gamer's point of view is that it is too *** expensive having to replace your rig every two years (since new faster memory and processor slots are incompatible with the old motherboard). I've been a PC pirate a long time and choosing to move to PS3 gave me a new perspective. I was fed-up with having to upgrade just to play at minimum graphic specs and then there's always the next one that doesn't run on the 12 month old hardware.

With consoles the same hardware configuration lets programmers learn it better and make better use of it. To make as much use of a certain PC's hardware as you use of a console you'd have to make it work on exactly one specific configuration.

James said:

I love the idea that some console people have that you 'constantly' need to upgrade your pc or you cant play the latest games. sure, if you do upgrade often you get the best graphics possible all the time, but what do people think is happening to their consoles? the same nasty blurry aliased images remain the same, while the pc gets better and better. And if you dont wish to upgrade your pc much you can simply buy one around the same time as the new gen of consoles come out and it will last you till the new consoles come out again. (albeit with the same graphics, excepting crysis style games which need a high end pc)

theres also the cost debate, really quite funny also. you add the cost of a tv which can run this 1080p you always talk about and you will be double the price of a pc, a pc which can take your console to school :)

and the guy with two 8800 320s. they are bad cards mate. two of them is still slow. but i have a feeling you dont have a pc at all given your ranting. oh and that cpu is junk too.

regarding this debate however i must say that sport games with your friends would be better on a console where you can sit around. thats the only time i see a benefit in owning a 'toy pc'

the pc already beats the consoles in graphics capability, imagine what its going to be like next year. and 5.1 sound? i have 7.1 on my pc

Well done pirates said:

Well done pirates, screwed over the people who would pay for the games again. Can't say i'm really surpised

no longer a fan said:

Go to youtube look up pc games vs concole games

here is a link

www.youtube.com/results

Take a game like crysis now lets say a game dev was to max out the phisic and graphics for race car game for  plus made it on line like need for speed..with let say chop shops, cust cars......

the pc will own all the concoles games hands down!!!!  You need to find some real game devs

just for the people that say pc dying

take a look at the facts

www.gamesindustry.biz/.../industry-revenue-57-billion-in-2009-says-dfc

can't see any concole fanboys giving up facts!!!!

The truth is mr moore you need to fire your game devs because they porduce medicore games sure it's fun but they are not doing their best. If you want to be with the best you need to be one of the best!!!

FuKuy said:

PC gamers are more demanding than console gamers. We are GOOD games. Games adapted to our concerns, to our platform and its possibilities.

EA Sports should adress some aspects of their PC games:

- Properly suppor for 4:3, 16:9 and 16:10 monitors... even for Dual monitors.

- Activate/Deactivate Fitlers (AA/AF) in-game options.

- Graphics nextgen (PC has more powerful than any console) and well optimized (NOT LIMIT FPS).

- MODs support.

- QUALITY ONLINE (dedicated servers)

- Frequent updates.

- Gamepad support (and not only 360 gamepad, ALL gamepads on PC).

etc, etc.

Just see what Blizzard or VALVe are doing on PC. They sell well because they care about PC games and gamers.

Jason said:

I can understand why EA isn't releasing a pc version of madden.  The piracy is an issue, and the music industry had been trying to prevent mp3s for years before they finally embraced it, but they still estimate their loses in nine and ten figure numbers.  My issue is that if this were purely a sales thing (losing money to piracy and a slow PC gaming market) then okay, that's fine, but then why release "Head Coach 09" on the two least popular platforms in the country?

Last I read, PS3 and Xbox 360, though I don't have the exact numbers, have undersold compared to the Wii by more than twice as many consoles, combined.  It seems to me that the Wii is a perfect solution for selling sports games to the masses, and I love the new "All Play" idea for the controls (as long as the rest of the game is still intact for those who are long time hard core players), but you're missing an opportunity to sell the "special anniversary edition" to the majority of console owners, and only giving this chance to those who have PS3s and XBox 360s.  

It's bad enough to exclude PC gamers, though if the market is drying up (and only you would know so I believe you when you say it is) then your reasoning makes perfect sense (put your resources where they're most valued).  But to then cut your sales possibilities to less than a quarter of the country by releasing Head Coach 09 on the least popular platforms doesn't really justify the reasoning.  It seems you'd want to include the most popular console (since piracy isn't a Wii issue) to at least see how popular this game will be with the masses by selling it exclusively with Madden 09, as was initially the plan for the PS3 and XBox 360.  

There are "hardcore" gamers who only have a PC and a Wii, apparently most of the gaming community in the United States only have a PC and a Wii.  I admit to being one of those.  It's not justifiable to buy a $1,200 computer (which is a necessity for most), then a $600 dollar system just for games.  My wife and I decided on the Wii because our whole family can play it, (my 5 year old included) and enjoy spending time together, but for some reason game makers seem to think there's not a market for serious gamers on the Wii.  Strange since most gamers, serious or not, have bought a Wii, or are looking for one.  If you checked pricing for sports games on the Wii, there is demand.  

I'm an avid sports gamer, I've bought Madden almost every year, and NCAA football almost every year.  When I bought a Wii, I didn't buy Madden 08 because it was about 4 months too late and didn't really offer anything new.  I looked for some sports titles not regularly available on PC (college football and basketball) and I found that the most recent copy of a college basketball game you could get for the Wii came on the Game Cube, NCAA College Basketball 2K3 by Sega.  Suprisingly (since supposedly there isn't a market for sports games with “casual” Wii gamers) a brand new copy on Amazon.com (as I'm writing this) is still $400.00.  Yes, I said $400.00.....FOUR HUNDRED DOLLARS, for a game that's five years old and completely out of date!  The good news is that you can get a used copy of the same for $90, or if you want instructions $100.  So, excuse me when I don't believe the "experts" who say there's no market for serious gamers on the Wii.  When I can find a game being resold for twice its original value used, and ten times its original value new, I believe that's a pretty good sign that the experts are just guessing and don't know what they're talking about.  

By not selling Madden on the PC you've alienated the largest gaming market (though perhaps not for sports games) and by not releasing Head Coach on the Wii (even if only for a limited release with Madden 09), you've cut your sales opportunity by eliminating the largest console market.  That just doesn't make any business sense.  In Head Coach 09, you might have a gem, but no one will know it.  

Giblets said:

Peter,

I won't deny you on the Piracy, but, look at Sins of a Solar Empire.  A game that shipped without copy protection and it still sold over 1million copies.  So, what does that tell you?  People will pay for games if the games are good.  Unfortunately, your EA Sports on the PC have been so dire and awful that people are not willing to pay for a game which is a copy/paste job without and modifications to the PC format.  You should go and take a look at Bioware/Demiurge Studios and the PC version of Mass Effect.  You could learn a lesson or a hundred from them.

As to your quote about graphics and sound.  I'm sorry, but I've been playing in Above HD resolutions with 7.1 surround sound for over 5 years.  PC's are, and always will be, at the forefront of graphic technology.  No console can keep up with the PC graphics wise because they are stuck at their current generation whilst the PC keeps on advancing.

I think you need to go and read what the likes of Gabe Newell of Valve and Mike Morhaime of Blizzard have to say about PC gaming.  Again, maybe you could learn a lesson from them.

The way forward, for PC gaming, is online.  No one doubts this.  This is the biggest strength of the PC.  No console can, or will, come close to online gaming like the PC.  If you moved, say, Madden to an online state with tournaments, you would get a hell of a lot more people buying your software.  Maybe you should look into your own game distribution site for inspiration. it's similar to steam, it's there, use it.  

Stuart White said:

No Fifa on the PC? It doesn't really bother me too much. Each year since PES came to the PC i've played both Demos and chosen the one i preferred most - Konami's product came out on top each time.

I suppose this is reflected in the falling scores awarded to FIFA (as i've seen in PC Gamer UK anyhow). It is a bit of a shame that the only place this will be recognised is in Konami's growing coffers whilst EA make excuses like the above.

Paul Moloney said:

Disclaimer: I don't play sports games so I'm not Peter's market.

Of course, piracy is an issue. But it's an issue on consoles too. A young nephew of mine has a chipped console and the only original games he has are the ones I bought for him! (Luckily, I've shown him the error of his ways and have lured him into original PC titles.)

I'm sure Peter doesn't want to acknowledge this, but the fact is that judging by Metacritic scores, EA sports titles have been declining in quality for years. And on top of that, because the PC versions are simply bad ports, they score far less than the equivalent console versions. And on top of _that_, there's a limited market for people who will buy virtually the same game every year. I mean, that might have _something_ to do with it?

Stuart White said:

Correction "no Fifa on the PC *wouldn't* bother me too much". Of course, it is still being published there atm :)

Another former EA fan said:

You're saying Piracy is a big issue for the PC version of games? For real? Last time I checked, you could download CONSOLE games off of the internet, burn them onto a CD, and like magic, pop it into your console system, and look - you've just got yourself a free game! Piracy aside, there are still millions of PC gamers that would stand in line for the release of Madden 09! Also, let's not forget that the PC is STILL the top money-making platform.

Ah yes, let's not forget about another reason, that people won't buy Madden 09 because their PC isn't high-end enough to run it. That's a joke. The Maddens from the previous years, (06', 07', 08') have had little no no graphical improvement, so why is this one so special, is it SO graphically enhanced, that it's going to be like Crysis? I highly doubt it. So, your logic in excluding the PC, the highest-income producing platform, from the release of Madden 09.

Regards, Seth.

Core said:

www.rockpapershotgun.com/.../peter-moore-hates-your-pc

Peregrine said:

I can agree on piracy having some effect on game sales(though oftentimes its overblown over how much of an effect it has), and I do disagree with most people that think there shouldnt be ANY form of anti-piracy with games.  I think companies like Valve have it figured out.  Of course, with a game like Madden it should be easier, because it does have an online component people should(key word) want to play.

I also wholeheartedly agree that it should be a financial decision.  If it doesnt make money, why make it?

With all that said, I think EA is full of bull.  First, enough of the "lean in" vs "lean back".  Its not about that, its about how much it sells, you said so yourself.  Are NHL and FIFA games less lean in?  How come they are still selling well enough?

"The PC as a platform for authentic, fully-licensed, simulation sports games has declined radically in the past three years as the next generation consoles, with their high definition graphics and 5.1 sound capabilities have attracted millions of consumers"  Because PCs dont have high definition graphics, or 5.1 sound capabilities...Oy.  Really, the benefit to consoles is the ability to get in front of a TV and play with friends.  However, even this has been taken away by EA on even console versions of Madden.  Which brings me to the most important point of all(not that you will see this...):

The #1 reason for the fall of Madden as being viable on the PC is EA.  Its that simple.  Try and put the blame elsewhere, but as someone who USED to buy Madden every single year, and has only bought one out of the last 3-4 years, I should know.  Instead of innovating, instead of putting forth new features, for years the PC version of Madden has systematically been nerfed compared to its console counterparts.  The PC version is a mere shadow of the console versions.  Why in the world would I buy the PC version if I can get a far superior version?  Of course sales are going to drop for the PC.  Years ago I saw the end of Madden coming for the PC, because of this.  I knew the excuse would be "well, not enough sales!".  If Madden had bothered to port over the upgraded console versions of the game for the past several years, sales would have been much improved.  But they didnt, and they arent.

Regardless of all of this, I still think Madden for the PC sold enough to make money.  If you want to convince your critics otherwise, I highly suggest just releasing the total sales figure for Madden 2007 for the PC.  But you wont, because it most likely did sell enough units to turn a profit.  The costs of developing a bad Madden port(which is what the PC version was), over the period of 1 year only, is drastically lower than developing a full fledged game.  So if you sell 250k copies, at $40 a piece, thats 10 mill, what should be easily enough to turn a profit on a game developed under those circumstances.  Likely, instead EA wanted to develop other versions on other platforms, and its not that the PC version didnt produce a profit, but that the other versions produced MORE of a profit, and thus a better return.

Of course getting a straight answer out of EA, as notorious as they are, is probably never going to happen.  But then again, what do you really expect out of EA?

Ali said:

I don't play typical sport games but do play games like NFS. From what I've learned of EA they are TOO business minded. If a game isn't up to standards they'll bang it out on target anyway and charge full price. With their yearly games they reuse engines and don't even fix bugs. When they do try a new engine (for example need for speed pro street) it is often worse, suffering from frame rate issues and crashing bugs. EA also seem to think investment in a new engine is an excuse to reduce content and if a difficult port is required then performance should suffer rather than trying harder.

PC gamers expect better than console graphics as PCs are more powerful. They expect new content on a grander scale then something they could mod/hack in themselves. Console gamers on the other hand can't do this so wish to buy the new game. Consoles also appeal to the impulse buyers, which EA seem to love taking advantage of.

Regarding illegal games, the 360 is just as open to hacking as the PC currently but the user base isn't as skilled at applying this. I have a PS3 for games such as MGS and FF but mostly it's for watching blurays and collecting dust. I preffer the PC.

PCs are good because they allow users of all budgets to enjoy the same game to the fullest of their investment. Online PC gaming is infact much more popular than console gaming and I expect this to be the case for a good while yet. If EA wish to appeal to the PC market they can't use their old bag of marketing tricks on users. They must provide new content equivalent to the cost they are asking for (asking users to subsidise illegal downloads is not ethical, sorry!). They must fix bugs that users have taken the effort to inform them of. They must provide games that are going to refelect the users investment in hardare, if the graphics are poor then the people with good PCs and probiably a lot of money (that's good for you rightt EA?) aren't going to want the game. Admitting when you've done a poor job is also good because it allows people trust you. This was done for Pro Evo 08 where they've said, sorry, it was poor this year, we're doing it from the ground up now.

No Problem Baby said:

its no problem for pc gamers,we wont current gen fifa for pc!!!

i want pes 2009 for pc,better than fifa!!in the History

and Pc gaming never dead,but seem you dead

Vibropod said:

While some of these comments are truly excellent, some are also pretty amusing and not rooted in reality.

There are more PC gamers than all of the consoles combined. It depends on your definition of a game - i.e. if you include games like Tetris and downloadable Flash games or just hardcore games like Crysis. The potential market for an accessible PC game is staggering - take World of Warcraft with over 10 million subscribers. That's nearly how many Xbox 360s were sold in the U.S.

PC gaming is not dead or dying. The current generation of consoles have approached PCs in power (PS3 may exceed many, we'll have to see what the Cell can really do in the years to come). This means many folks are switching to consoles instead of upgrading PCs because they feel they can have the latest and greatest for less. Therefore PC gaming is in a temporary slump. What do you think will happen in 2-3 years when mid-range PC tech can blow the doors off the consoles? They'll migrate back. The next gen is 7-10 years away folks, in 5 years my PC will make the consoles look like kids toys.

Many pundits also proclaim PC gaming dying because they are looking at retail sales charts which do not include online sales. Add in Steam sales, MMO subscriptions, and sites like Gametap and Direct2Drive and you will see the PC market is larger than the consoles.

EA Sports games blew chunks on PC. EA never put the money into making quality releases. Not making a profit was a self-fulfilling prophecy. I don't think anyone can say one way or the other with any conviction if the platform is profitable for sports or not. I do agree that sports feel like a group activity however, and despite having a top of the line PC, I only buy sports games for my PS3.

Piracy is badly hurting EVERY media that currently exists - music, movies, gaming. I used to work in a call center where 50+ people didn't buy a *** thing. They all had modded consoles, CD binders full of games and movies, etc. They bought DVD 100 packs. I even had one guy actually thank me for being the guy who buys everything so that the companies can keep producing stuff for him to steal. Are those all lost sales as clueless organizations like RIAA claim? No. The 5 billion dollars or whatever will not magically appear in their pockets. They would buy a few games, sure, but realistically maybe 10-20% of what is stolen would be purchased if there was no way to pirate. Significant, yes, but not armageddon as some claim.

Companies such as EA are shooting themselves in the foot. I did not buy Bioshock, nor will I buy Mass Effect or Spore, due to your draconian copy protection. I don't mind online activation, but limiting the number of installs? Are you KIDDING me? I can only think of one response to that: ,,|,,

True copy protection lies in hardware. Develop a high-capacity disc for the PC that will only run in special drives, and most importantly, do not manufacture hardware for the average user to write to the discs, nor sell the discs on the open market. Check out the Gamecube discs for an excellent example. Keep the drives affordable (game companies can subsidize the expense with royalties just like the consoles have) and the media low-cost.

Myros said:

Not like we will be losing much, EA sports games has been going downhill for years. Personaly I stopped buying them because they were bad ports, with poor control and just re-hashes of the same game charged at full price. Im suprised anyone was buying them at all, but yeah that's all our fault ;p

I just hope that the franchise owners are now smart enough to see the need to allow other companies access to games in the PC market. It seems to me EA just refuses to adapt and makes a deliberate attempt to try and kill of the PC market in order to solidify any advantage they have, or at least create the perception of a dying market (The sky is falling!). Thankfully there are plenty of other people and other companies who know how to adapt instead of whine and give up.

Bye Bye.

EA sucks said:

It's so funny what console gamers have to say about the PC games, when most of it is not true.

Peter, the reason your sports games fail on the PC market is because you can't sell us the same game each year with a full price tag on it when that "new game" could come in a simple patch.

I stopped supporting EA long ago, I get all my EA games from Piratebay.  Valve or Relic I will always support because they make quality, long lasting products.

Due to EAs lack of motivation or quality games, instead of competing in a heavy market, they just buy out the competition.  It's really sad.  When will people open their eyes and realize that EA is attempting to monopolize the industry.  

Electronic ASS corp. said:

CHEERS! NO EA SPORTS THIS YEAR ! FOR PC!!! ***

EF said:

I think this blog should be renamed the PC gamer's *** blog.  NCAA 09 is less than 2 weeks away from launching and this hasn't been mentioned on this site in a while.  We are disappointed with the lack of PC games from EA Sports but let's move forward and talk about the upcoming that EA Sports has coming out.  I personally have a console so I will not miss out on the gaming.  Top of the line graphics card will run 400 dollars plus other parts for a PC.  I can buy a 360 for 300 dollars.  I will go with the cheaper option.

yesrushdt said:

Peter:

You claim the next gen games as so superior with their high definition graphics.  Well one game in particular, Tiger Woods 2008, actually had a GRAPHIC DOWNGRADE on the Xbox 360 when compared to the previous years version.  Some of the environments in the game,  most notably the trees, bushes and the panoramic background (TPC Boston) look horrible in the demo when compared to the TW 07 demo for the Xbox 360.  Heck TW08 for PC has better graphics in that department than its Xbox 360 counterpart for 08.  EA Sports should be embarrased to release such a graphically inferior game on the Xbox 360.  Typical EA seasonal release that offers nothing more than meaningless extra features.

All this talk of the "living room couch experience" being limited to console gamers is a joke.  Why do you think most High Defintion displays have PC inputs?  There have to be tons of gamers like myself that  hook up a computer to the living room flat panel and experience PC games like Crysis, Tomb Raider and Tiger Woods 08.

Also, everyone doesn't need to have a high end PC to enjoy this kind of experience.  Many developers these days (like Crystal Dynamics) have standard and next gen graphics options in their games.  Users have this option depending upon their PC specs so everyone isn't left out.  If EA Sports would of actually been willing to spend some decent time and money on Tiger Woods PC over the last 3 years, we could have seen graphics that blew away the Xbox 360 version.  That kind of quality game would have translated into much higher sales, but heaven forbid they take away sales from the Xbox 360.  EA Sports is all about the all mighty dollar (instead of the quality of the game) and decides just to go with the flow and the notion that PC gaming is dead.  They would rather have you spend $60 on TW09 Xbox 360 and $15-$20 more for each add on course versus a superior PC version for $40-$50 that enables users to create hundreds of courses that are on par with the EA Sports stock courses.

The cop out about the piracy issue is ridiculous.  Do what the makers of games like Bioshock do and require online activation.  Heck I would think a good majority of the EA Sports PC users play on EASO anyway.  How hard would it be to add some kind of additional online protection like the other big gaming developers do?

I hope 2K Sports releases a  golf game in the future and entices Tiger to jump ship and be on  their cover.  Lord knows it would be a much higher quality product than anything EA has released in the last 4-5 years.

copeknight said:

I would feel sad about this decision if EA's sports games on the PC weren't crappy ports, and hadn't been in such a state for (at least) the better part of a decade.  (Considering that NHL 08 won't play on my 360 for more than 10 minutes without freezing indicates that said lack of quality isn't confined to the PC, of course.)  For my money, the last great computer sports game EA released was Earl Weaver Baseball...on the Amiga.  Having seen EA shun the Atari ST and then abandon the Amiga back when they made great games ticked me off; EA today can do whatever the heck it wants.  It's just a shame it's taken down Origin, Maxis, Westwood, Batteries Included, Bullfrog, etc.

PC GAMER said:

PC gaming is not dying... far from it.

You Americans are living in a bubble. How about you idiots go out and see the rest of the world? PC gaming is no doubt THE dominant platform in Europe and in most Asian parts.

Every computer store around where I live sells PC titles that take up the majority of the showcase shelves. Console titles are the minority there.

Not to mention consoles here sell as much as a good gaming PC, and console titles go for about +100% of what PC titles are usually sold for.

This way, I get to play most of the console games ported over to PC for half the price, and have them look and run better. I can use any type of contols I like... If it's an FPS, I have the KB/M. If it's a platformer, I got all my controllers. If it's a racer, I got my wheels. If I feel I like to lay back and relax, I just hook my PC to my TV and sit on the couch and play with the controller.

The PC is still the strongest and most flexible platform around, and will always be whether you console fanboys like it or not.

The fact that there still are games ported from consoles to PCs means that there is extra profit to be made. Is it the same as consoles? Perhaps not (in your part of the world), but considering a porting job from a 360 to PC rarely needs a lot of resources to get done (due to the similarity of the X360's architecture to PC), and that makes it something worthwhile for developers even if they only end up profiting a fraction of their profits on consoles. It's still money, isn't it? And money is what decides things here. I'm not saying develop exclusively for the PC.. just include the PC as a viable platform. Take the other markets into consideration and not just North America and Japan.

In any case, this has always been the case with PCs and consoles. New consoles get released, everyone starts crying out the VERY OLD "PC is dying" crap, three years or so later consoles are outdated, the PC is leaps and bounds ahead, and it becomes the platform to develop for once again. It's a cycle that just repeats itself over and over... always has.

As for EA not wanting to port these sports games, I have to wonder what they're motivation is behind this. It certainly is not lack of resources, or the fear of not profiting since porting from the 360 to the PC is fairly easy and barely needs any resources to get the job done in comparison to the development of the whole game. This would only mean that EA can only profit from porting their games to PC and not lose anything. People buy it, great! People don't buy enough.. well, whatever profit they made is still better than nothing.

But whatever, I'll stick to my PC, play my games maxed out at resolutions no current gen console can even dream of reaching and just immerse myself in the experience.

Oh, and I don't play WoW or any other MMO, nor do I play or like RTSs.

How's that for a PC gamer? ;)

As a final note, Peter, wake up and open your eyes, bud.

PIRACY EXISTS ON ALL PLATFORMS.

CK said:

Is it really so surprising that EA have turned their backs on the PC market? EA have always courted a policy of inducing zero consumer loyalty, instead relying on the existing loyalty of the 'brands' they buy up. Your average PC gamer is generally more mature and, at the risk of sounding patronzing here, more intelligent than those of the console 'Mainstream'. In the words of people who have posted before me, 'PC gamers will play the same game for years'; when we love a game we'll form a community around it and yes while we still enjoy it we will play it, but we're certainly not going to be fooled into buying the same game with a higher number slapped against the name.

That PC gaming is in decline is a myth, it is still the best platform for online games and will always be due to the online communities formed around the web and chat networks like mIRC, that are always right at your finger tips while you're playing and unless you live in a hole or are a 'dinosaur' im sure everyone can admit online gaming has been fully realised as the future of the industry.

Left4Dead is looking to be one of the best games released this winter; now if people tell me that, given a choice, they would rather buy the 360 version than the PC version then world has gone seriously wonky.

PC_FORGOOD said:

Tiger woods 09 won't be released for PC... Thanks God! I'm a PC gamer and a tiger woods PGA tour game fan. When TWPGATOUR06 was released the game was great. But the 07 PC version was trash if you compare it with 360 and PS3 version.

So... The truth is that EA started to stop investing on ports to PC since 2006. They started to port Pc versions from PS2 versions... very sad because since 2003 the PS2 plataform is obsolete.

So, I'm happy with the lack of TWPGATOUR09 on PC... I would hate to buy it and see another PS2 careless port.

Peter... you should tell the truth: EA is pretty satisfied with console profits... they do not care about PC profits and do not want to invest in it anymore.

Common Sense said:

PC GAMER: You're the idiot. I dont care if the entire world is on PC. That's why FIFA and NHL are still on PC...but the FACT of the matter is Madden, Tiger Woods, NASCAR and NBA Live do NOT sell worldwide on ANY platform. Last time i checked, Madden isnt exactly on the rage in Europe and Asia so youre entire 10 paragraph diatribe is completely irrelevant. The REAL argument is not whether PC Gaming in general is dying...its if PC SPORTS (keyword SPORTS) gaming is dying. And trust us Americans...it is.

EA is not ignoring the PC market. EA is just making smart financial decisions which should be expected. As a shareholder, the last thing I want is for EA to waste money because of a sense of loyalty. I want EA to do whatever is best for profits. PC SPORTS (keyword: SPORTS) games just do NOT sell in the United States. Period. EA doesnt make them, 2k doesnt make them...no one does. Why?! Because THEY DONT SELL!!!! It doesnt matter how good they are, SPORTS games (keyword again is SPORTS) will always outsell PC by a substantial margin.

Peter's eyes are very open...it is the PC gamers who live in their own bubble thinking they deserve something that they just flat out dont. If you were a true GAMER you'd play PC games and Consoles. But no...youre all a bunch of stubborn close-minded creatures who just dont understand how business works.

Rjinswand said:

"There's a few in the camp that says 'alright, I get it', and then there's the haters – it may be the same person with 10 different handles.":

uk.xbox360.ign.com/.../886333p3.html

Interesting and telling way of perceiving critique. There's some deranged cognition of the above comments and the development of the own products over the years in it.

RC-1290'Dreadnought' said:

The time I decide to switch to a console, is the time when the console has a keyboard and a mouse, when I don't have to pay twice to play over the internet, and when I can make mods for 80% of the console games as well.

Besides, a lot of people seem to forget that there is also piracy on the console market. It might not be as much as the PC version, but that is only a matter of time, because in a few years, it's just as easy to download a cracked game for a console as it is on the pc right now. And by the way, everyone seems to forget STEAM.

STEAM does not eliminate the 'piracy issue' completely, but it does quite a good job at it. I recommend you to read the speech from Valve about day one piracy and STEAM.

I find it very funny to read that I'm apparently in the group of "bunch of stubborn close-minded creatures who just dont understand how business works", according to 'Common Sense', because he is actually pointing to a group of people that still have money, and still want to play games on the pc; a market. There is a lot of money to be made, still. And the best example is in fact, the Valve way.

To use one of their products as an example, Team Fortress. They have managed to make a product that is still selling a lot. That is because they are continuing to upgrade the game and they are not charging the existing player any more money. In fact, they actually allow new people to play for free, every time there is a big update. They continue getting more customers, which they convince to buy their upcoming products, just by listening very well and by treating them fairly (compared to some other developers you could say Valve their customers like royalties. A good thing... because those are the people that are giving money).

Piracy is not even a problem, for Team Fortress 2, because if you want to play online against thousands of people, you are going to have to connect via steam and if you have an illegal version of the game, using steam is going to be a problem for you. Unless you have a legal copy of the game, you are not really getting the full product. Furthermore, you don't even WANT to pirate a Valve (/steam) game, because you risk losing your existing STEAM games.

And yes, I am aware that Team Fortress 2 is also available on the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3. But is it selling as well as on the pc?

The good part of developers thinking that the pc market is dead, is that it generates room for people that are smart enough to see the money that can be made in the market, people that can make games that are so good, that people from all around come and have a look.

The PC market is far from dead, and don't worry, it will easily  survive a few more generations of consoles.

- RC-1290'Dreadnought'

RC-1290'Dreadnought' said:

I forgot to mention that I don't really think that making a sports game in which only the graphics(and I also mean models, texture and all that kind of art) and the roster are upgraded, is a very smart, economical decision. In stead, try doing something new, like that upcoming Am. football game, in which the euphoria engine allows new and unique tackles each time you attempt one. And I don't say you should do that in all the games either, in stead, please do something NEW!

RC-1290'Dreadnought' said:

P.S.S.: Spore FTW!

The Guy over there said:

What I think is funny is the pointlessness of arguing between people who support PC vs people who support Consoles.

My PERSONAL pick is PC, this goes far beyond something like sports titles for me. I can build a good PC and have myself something to game on, write on (part of my job), photosohp, troll the net, store music and movies, etc etc. While consoles are evolving to do more I doubt they hit one of my favorite things, modding and mapping. My biggest complaint with consoles is which to buy, with PS3 and X360 you get very little difference. 360 has better online capabilities and PS3 has better third party support, a few exclusives here and there to seperate them. Then there is the Wii which I did own at one point (was forced to sell it not by choice) which is a good "alterantive" form of gaming that I truly enjoy.

So would I chosse to buy a 350 and have Ninja Gaiden II + better online, or go with PS3 and get MGS4 and the FF series, and better back catalog as well.

For me that is part of the reason I can't bring myself to be a dedicated console gamer.

One good PC is all I need to play any PC title, while piracy is a bigger issue for PC than it is for consoles (yes there are ways to pirate console games, always have been), there are effective means to help combat that and with sports titles I think subscriptions for roster updates and such would be a huge step forward, instead of a new PC title every year they could update the database, add new features and such on a regular basis.

While I am a PC gamer I can see why EA would be weary of taking more risks on the PC but what boggles my mind is EA has pretty good PC support otherwise why not go ahead and make a (decent) port to PC, it doesn't really make sense in the large scheme of things in my eyes.

The arguement I find amusing about PC gaming dying is that it is followed by "well there is only an abundance of MMOs, FPS and RTS games".....these are 3 big genres, and ones I think that only PC can capture right. Again only my opinon. Then again if Consoles had better support for mouse and keyboard they'd be more viable for those. To a point.

MMOs need the keyboard mostly for chat and while voice chat is very nice, I use ventrilo all the time, general chat channels deftinaly would nto benefit from being all voice.

RTS the amount of micromanagement you need to do is just not very well handled with a contorller.

FPS now I know people are going to be like what about Halo, Bad Company, Orange Box. Yes Consoles are getting better at pulling FPS games out, however the big issues for me are Modding/Mappying these games ARE meant to have replay value and adding to them with mods and maps is only an advantage. The other one is the mouse/kb setup of course. Orange box btw on any platform is a superb buy.

Another high selling genre is the sim games (both "The Sims" and other games like Civilizationa nd the upcoming Spore)

PC Gaming isn't dying, it just isn't the same as Console gaming and it shouldn't be. As far as the sports titles go, I hope for PC Sports gaming fans that EA learns to do what they need to do to make it profitable for them to put out titles on PC again and make them at least as good as the console versions. Quality products WILL sell.

NBA Live Fan said:

Why not make NBA Live 09 for the wii better? it looks the same as PS2 version years ago. Sure you have difference in control, but what's with the graphics? NBA Live on the ORIGINAL xbox looked better.

if the goal was to be more casual-friendly to wii owners, then why not make the models a bit more caricature-like? rather than have it looked like a dumbed down version of NBA Live 09 for PS3.

Paul said:

Guys, he didn't say pc gaming is dying. He said that the sports game side has fallen off, which I would have to agree. Between sports games on the console or on the pc, the console has always been the winner there. A standardized controller makes more sense for sports games.

PC gaming isn't dying. Console gaming has just taken off to a whole new level. So, relax. This is just like all those arguments about Indie movies and music. They're still around, you know. There's room for everything, even if the average consumer doesn't see it.

@Paul said:

I don't think the "pc isn't dying" remarks are necessarily directed toward's Peter, but rather for the benefit of *some* gamers (be it either uninformed, spiteful...most likely the former) whose comments may reflect a belief otherwise.

Jason said:

I honestly think this abandoning of the PC version of Madden might end up being a great thing.  It leaves the door wide open for another company, say 2KSports, to create a superior football simulation, with better graphics, less bugs, and the ability to create your own league from scratch.  When that happens, within the first week of release, I guarantee there will be a downloadable mod for an exact version of the NFL for that game and no one will ever miss Madden on PC ever again.  Sorry to say it, since I am a Madden fan, but this may be the best thing that's happenned to PC Football since Sierra's Front Page Sports first began coming out.

Common Sense said:

RC1290- Team Fortress isnt a sports game, neither is Sims and neither is Spore...so once again, like others, you wasted multiple paragraphs on an irrelevant issue. Way to go. Does no one notice that Peter Moore is the President of EA SPORTS and not the other EA brands?

And quality sports games WONT sell. They have proven NOT to sell when they all started declining in the early part of the decade even when the titles were still under heavy development. THats why 2k has never made them...if they thought it was a good idea then MLB2k and NBA2k games would be on PC. But they arent. I wonder why.

FOR THE LAST TIME EVERYONE!!! THE ISSUE IS NOT PC GAMING! IT IS PC SPORTS (KEYWORD: SPORTS) GAMING!!!!!!!!

MrBoBo said:

Console gamers generally have lower standers than pc gamers, this is probably why Peter is aiming for them, so they should eat up EA's sport's game, which for the most part, are the same game as last year, with different skins.

An example would be "I am Legand" with Will Smith, this was a ok movie at best, yet it sold millions at the box office  because it had the tag "Will Smith" as the main lead. An Arthouse movie like The Seventh Seal, didn't make as much money, however, it is a much better movie with more thought and intelligence, pc games like System Shock 2, Baldur's Gate, they are Ingmar Bergman, console games, like EA's sports games, Halo and Metal Gear solid, they are mass marketed movies with the tag "Will Smith" when a pc game becomes multiplat, it turns form Ingmar Bergman into Michael Bay.

MrBoBo said:

"Gone are the days of PC dominance.  The PC is no longer the pinnacle of graphical excellence and therefore gaming excellence.  Gone are the days of stripped down PC ports to the consoles. Consoles have finally equaled there PC brother in terms of game quality and performance."

How's Crysis on the console? Pretty good.

How about The Orange Box on the 360 or Quake 4 on the xbox360?

Consoles will never be as powerful as pc's, do your research.

TomHanks said:

"Crysis was an OK game but hardly a game that needs a PC.  Crysis easily could have been done on the PS3 and Xbox "

An unrecognizable watered down version with snipped levels, sure.

Other than that, keep dreaming.

Bryan Matherly said:

There is an entire Tiger Woods forum, that is IGNORED by EA and the Tiger Woods game developers. To us gamers that take the time to invest OUR money in the games, just to be ignored with OUR issues, it is insane to expect any understanding from us.

Piracy is a problem for EA? GOOD!!! I hope you lose millions after millions after millions....considering the robbery EA commits by selling games that only function half as good as they should, and ignore the people that buy them and keep them in business at all. I don't care if your investors lose their money due to piracy......your investors shouldn't be out for just a "quick buck", helping you rob people blind. $60 per person that buys the game adds up to a LOT of UNdeserved profit.

As to you thinking your development team deserving to get paid? No they don't. They are the center of the problem with our unhappiness with EVERY year's version of the game. They ignore the forums and our cries for improvement the same as the rest of EA......so let them starve too!

PC Paul said:

I see a lot of dialogue here.  People are making good points which spares me the necessity of making one of my own.  Peter... I just wanted to let you know that if you were on fire, I wouldn't piss on you to put you out.

Pandemonium_BR said:

Simples, com a saida de cena da EA da plataforma PC, vamos nos juntar e incentivar outra empresa a fazer jogos de esportes para o pc, e quando os consoles estagnarem e a EA voltar ao pc, vamos fazer um boicote a ela.

Frankie said:

Looks like this forum is hijacked by PC gamers ... It seems these guys stay in their parents basement and play "World of Warcraft" and all those PC games. People who play EA Sports titles are mostly casual gamers and they dont give a S*** about PC games. Its simple, those who want to play Madden will buy a console, after all when you play PC games you need those fancy Video cards that cost 300 to 700$. It makes sense to buy an Xbox for 299$. If there is a big financial crisis and parents are not willing to pay money to buy a next gen console then these PC gamers can always buy a 100$ PS2 or even a DS (179$). While I will be enjoying  Madden 09 on my PS3 all these PC gamers will be crying in their dark basements !!!

Parker999 said:

People stop mentioning about other games ... Peter Moore is the president of EA Sports and he has no authority to decide what game should EA bring on PC except EA Sports titles. He has nothing to do with Crysis or Team fortress etc.

Tony123 said:

In between Peter I read your interview on IGN and it seems you are only working on NHL and FIFA for PC. What about Cricket ? When are you planning to release next gen Cricket and on what platforms? Thx

mva5580 said:

I chuckle at all the people who scream from the mountain tops "PC Gaming is Dead!"   Oh REALLY?  Hey geniuses, take a look at the PS3 and Xbox 360.  CONSOLES ARE BECOMING PC'S.   Mandatory installs.  Hard drives which can be upgraded.  Massive online community.  Downloadable content.  Some games are now shipping with small modding tools.   Patches.  Firmware updates.  

I find it hilarious how you all yell and scream that PC's are "outdated," "fossils," and that the medium is dying, yet PC Gaming has laid the groundwork for what console gaming has now become.   But yet PC Gaming still has the best hardware, still has the largest amount of customization options, and still has the best version of multi-platform games when developers actually put ANY kind of effort into the PC version.  

But you people complain and moan about things that you clearly aren't educated about.  "It costs $2,000 to have a good gaming PC."  FALSE.   You can easily spend below $1,000 on a great gaming PC.  It's not even difficult.  

And then we have Mr. Moore himself, who calls PC Gaming "lean in" and console gaming "lean back."    Sounds to me like someone is TOTALLY unaware of how easy it is to hook up a PC to a TV.  Especially now when you consider that most any HDTV made now has either a DVI or VGA port.   And not to mention that 5.1 surround sound is very easy to attain on a PC.   I get so irritated when people choose to make uneducated remarks to back up their argument.   If you truly want to have a gaming PC, it is very easy to do.   Some of you just choose not to educate yourselves.

But that's all right, you people just think whatever the hell you want.   I do not argue at all that piracy is a huge issue on PC's, and THAT is the real reason why people can make idiotic comments about PC Gaming "dying," and not any of these other ignorant reasons that mask the real problem.    You people would be talking about console gaming dying if it was as easy to pirate Xbox 360/PS3/Wii games as it is to pirate PC Games.   It's sad to say but I almost hope for the day that people figure out how to easily pirate games on consoles, so you can all realize how much STEALING truly impacts an industry.   You all just shrug it off almost like it's justified with PC Gaming, let's see how you all would react when you could do the same *** thing with console games.   We'd be having these same freaking conversations, because you all know *** well that piracy on consoles would be terrible, everyone would be doing it.   And then we'd hear the EA Sports' of the world talking about console piracy in the same way as they discuss PC piracy now.  

You people and your immature, narrow-minded, naive remarks.   Grow the hell up.

distressed ea fan said:

i had to laugh when i saw this..... but it so true  i for one am not rich just trying to make it too.

Larry said:

July 3, 2008 9:10 AM

Dear Peter,

Bite me. Gas is 4 dollars a gallon and soon to be 5. Groceries are out the roof and our sorry assed polititions ( both parties ) are screwing us right and left.

I cant hardly afford to buy the PC version as it is. Who do you intend to sell the TW09 game to - the richest people in the world. They are the only ones who can shell out 4 or 5 hundred dollars for xbox. You really might want to rethink the NO PC version in a recession...

but i was very disappointed when i heard all this about the pc sports from ea , at first i thought my buddy was just joking but i did my research and saw it.  WELL IT DO KINDA SEEM LIKE EA IS CATERING TO THE RICH FROM THE LOOKS OF IT. i mean to invest in a console is a big desion ,because each console has there own signature game, (that why i bought the playstation in the past to play grand turrismo series). then after a few years ,probaly 3 years the console is obsolete. while with the pc (a)companies can branch out and create a game on it easily ,and (b) the pc will never bee obsolete.

true it does cost to up grade your pc but not as much as you think , ram ranges from $20-$60

video cards .. you can get a good geforce 8 series for 150 bucks . i mean come on and it displays the same graphics like the 360 or the ps3  if the game is properly made.

finally i really hope what you say about remaking the pc games later on is true. am looking forward to them. oh and trust me ALL GAME PLATFORMS ARE PIRATED ,NOT JUST THE PC.there are even manuals online that teach you what too do .unfortunately this will never stop

this should not be your reason as to leaving the pc out the picture.

please revisit pc sport games or i will be forced to play my current series for a very long time . i am already distressed thinking about it..........

EA has only itself to blame said:

The thing I dont get is, why would you release Madden 09 on DS but not the PC?  It seems to me that you would make more money with the PC version than you would with the DS version.  Why not exclude them from getting this game?

Oh thats, right, too much effort into making a game for PC.  As everyone has already stated, the reason for a decline in people buying PC sports games is due to the lack of attention to upgrade value with each coming year.  Would Madden 09 have made a lot more money than the previous years due to the fact that it would have used next gen graphics?  I definitely think so.  But to just drop the whole product line and to cut people off from the experience of playing Madden, since you guys have the only license for it, is shameful.  Make a better game, and we will buy it.  

Its not our fault you guys don't know how to make your game appealing to your customers, I always buy Need for Speed for the PC.  Did I buy Need for Speed ProStreet?  No...that game sucked and got crappy reviews all over the place.  Why did it?  It was thrown together and went backwards in terms of gameplay, graphics, and overall imagination, nothing new was brought to the table.  So you cant blame PC games for not liking sports, you guys did it to yourselves.  

EA can only blame themselves with the lack of support and declining game sales.  PC games will always be around, and are ever growing, its just too bad you guys dont know how to tap into the monster of opportunity and appeal to us customers.  

Sorry, you lose on this one.

I'm very sorry said:

I'm not going to insult PC gamers or say PC gaming is dead.  I will say that games have a hard time making their money back or making nice sized profits as PC-exclusives.  Crytek themselves said that new IPs they develop will not be PC-exclusives, Cliffy B stated that piracy is cutting into Epic's bottom line.  People who are raging over PC games being console ports or not coming to the PC at all should stop typing long-winded useless posts ranting at a man who runs a company and do something.  Raise awareness about piracy, investigate and tell law enforcement about pirate websites, start a grass roots movement against PC piracy.  Companies care about money and as long as games are selling better on consoles then their quality focus will be on consoles.  PC gaming isn't dead but you can not deny that it doesn't have the sales it once did.  Fight against piracy, get people to buy games and maybe the companies will come back.

Frenillo said:

Sad to read this in a moment I am expecting so desperately the FIFA 09 for PC and reading that it might be the last one on my shelves. Years and years playing this game, and in the line when FIFa is going to become next-gen, it dissappears.

The PC Sports gamming might be decreassing because while the next-gen works wonderful, we still play games which work on a platform 10 years old, the PS2. And we see the evolution of FIFA in PC and it does not really make sense with the real evolution of PC's. Bored of no innovation, the hardcore players HAVE to move to consoles, because if not they are not able to compete in official events.

Companies like this are to blame for this decrease in the expectation of a good game. Spending 300$ in a good graphic card and play a PS2 look like game for almost 3 years, is not grateful at all.

Raiderblaze said:

Every system has its niche, I got my an XBOX 360 on launch which was great but has lost out to my PS3, but I keep it for exclusives like lost oddysey, and for when the ps3 version of a game doesn't measure up, like madden 08 and the orange box.

I use my wii for virtual console and gimmick/party games, and because it creates a level playing field for me and my girlfriend TO HAVE FUN as there is no way she could learn the controls and beat me on next gen consoles, and its fun to lose sometimes, if you catch my drift.

DS is terrible for anyone over the age of 10 or not casual gamers,but some games are fun, such as kirby.

The only games I play on PC are sims such as civilisation. I don't know how someone would play a game like madden on a pc, without a console shaped control, as keyboard and mouse combo is only really suited to FPS. (be honest).

The point of all this is that the decision to stop pc sports games doesn't effect me in the slightest, if anything it just means that now EA has that extra bit of money to spend on making sure that the ps3 version runs at a high frame rate and that the o-line in madden has the AI to block effectively. I whole-heartedly support the decision, it should have been made 5 years ago, why did it take peter moore to make it? Because he has the balls to. like a bad pet that ate the roast, put it down. One bullet, bang bang. PC dead. (No one weeps, Cheers from the living room)

Patrick W said:

The PC NBA Live community has offered to develop the graphics and rosters, and more, for the upcoming release several times in the past, and for free.  Where is the business challenge in that?  As long as we were to abide by the licensing rights that EA has, why waste your own resources when plenty of talented people are willing to do it out of their love for the game?  It's not like you would have to publicly release trade secrets or source code, you have trust worthy people here.  A couple tools given to the community, and all of a sudden, you've got a downloadable new version of NBA Live.  

Be innovative, surprise the industry with something that has never been done.

EZ Mack said:

I used to be a PC person, but the expense of updating my hardware became too much.  Still, while I played PC I never once picked up a sports title.  Neither did any of my PC buddies.  Sports games are one genre that definitely work better with a controller. Mouse and keyboard never felt right for Madden or NHL.  My dad had Madden and NHL 97, and they just didnt play as tightly.  I would rather play sports games with an SNES controller than Mouse and Keyboard, its just not a good fit.

For FPS, no comparison, PC all the way.  I play most of my shooters on XBOX 360 now, because this poopy laptop can't handle anything.  I don't see the sports franchise's Exodus as a big deal at all, the PC will always dominate the FPS and Strategy genre, and those games are definitely more than enough to make up for no sports.

Pandemonium_BR said:

Queime no inferno Peter!!!

mva5580 said:

How freaking stupid are some of you people?!

YOU CAN USE AN XBOX 360 CONTROLLER, AND A PS3 CONTROLLER ON THE PC.  EASILY.  I swear to God, just stop talking.

PT said:

According to DFC estimates, the PlayStation 3 is expected to equal the Wii in annual software sales by 2012, with the Xbox 360 remaining a leading player in some of the top markets - most notably the US and UK.

The top platform for games in 2007 was the PC, with online game revenue alone eclipsing USD 7 billion last year, not including retail sales. Total PC game revenue is expected to reach USD 19 billion by 2013

www.gamesindustry.biz/.../industry-revenue-57-billion-in-2009-says-dfc

Rob Potchak said:

Hey Peter...

I think EA Sports under your leadership is taking the same turns Microsoft did.  Not all good, not all bad, but as long as you stand behind your decisions and beliefs on matters in an honest and forthright manner, I'll stick by you.

Are you planning on being at the Gamestop Conference this year?  Your rep team is normally good, but your presence two years ago was definitely the hit of the show.

Thanks

Rob

Lame Excuses said:

To say a console is more capable graphically is just absurd.  Sure when they first came out they had better specs than a PC....but not even 6 months after release of the consoles they became "LAST GEN TECH" in the pc world standard.  Last i checked the console was designed for GAMEING ONLY...these consoles are NOT a media center with full internet capabilities.  Last i checked (and i own a console as well as a top end PC) my PC could do more for me which by the way i can lean back or sit up to play....i sit up more when i play a console game lol.  I think the real reason behind this all is that EA simply do not want to patch their buggy games and dont like users showing them up and fixing their mistakes on their games graphically wise.

As far as PC vs Consoles for online...the consoles arent even in the same league....check that they arent even the same SPORT as a PC.  You have to know people and meet people at random and are more likelly to run into some loser that doesnt understand the concept of football...sometimes you would think there are only 2 plays, the QB scrammble or the deep bomb.  As far as community feel goes the consoles arent even close...where do you access communities from?  Thats right the PC...atleast i dont have to come to my PC arange something or post something then go run off to the other room where the console is and hope to find the same person i was just chatting to on my pc.  As far as voice chat goes...the codecs used on consoles are crap.  

The absurd thing is that Mr Moore comes from the xbox team to EA and rips away the sports titles....to this i say SHAME ON YOU MR MOORE FOR YOUR POOR EXCUSES AND TRYING TO PUSH CONSOLES ON PEOPLE THAT SIMPLY DONT WANT NOR NEED THEM.

Common Sense said:

PETER DOESNT CARE WHAT PLATFORM IS MORE 'CAPABLE.' HE CARES WHAT PEOPLE BUY!!!!

PEOPLE DO NOT BUY PC SPORTS GAMES!!!

And as Peter mentioned in a recent interview with IGN: He has a right to not lose money.

PC Sports Development = Lose Money. PERIOD.

Untouchable2K said:

WOW, Heywood Jablowme is one foolish gamer. ANd if anyone agrees with him, you are foolish too.

pc gaming is dying?

GTFO

Rational Gamer said:

The blog comments here are laced with emotional, knee-jerk reactions from PC gamers who for some reason can't see that their objectivity is being destroyed by their passion for the PC platform.  I can't believe how many have deluded themselves into thinking that Peter Moore has it in for the PC platform!?  Peter is making a thoroughly researched, carefully deliberated economic decision in pulling the plug on this year's PC sports games.... there's nothing more to it than that!

You guys are doing yourself a disservice if you think there's anything more to this than basic economics!

PCrules!!!!!!!! said:

The top platform for games in 2007 was the PC, with online game revenue alone eclipsing USD 7 billion last year, not including retail sales. Total PC game revenue is expected to reach USD 19 billion by 2013  NOT SELLING ANY GAMES??? I think some of you console queers need to come back to reality.  THATS 19 BILLION FOLKS!!    www.gamesindustry.biz/.../industry-revenue-57-billion-in-2009-says-dfc

Lame Excuses said:

@ Rational Gamer.....maybe you should change your name to IRRATIONAL Gamer.  A thorough research would take more than a half a year to conduct (which is pretty much what Peter did, the news was out before an official PR came out.  Sorry but every one of his claims are rebuffed by the facs of various forcast like ones at gameindustries.biz lol.  Ill believe unbias numbers over any head of company any day.  As far as piracy dont think it doesnt happen on consoles cause it does lol.

Common Sense said:

SPORTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All of you PC defenders throwing PC Gaming numbers out...PLEASE PROVIDE SPORTS PC GAMING STATS!!!!!!!!!! Until you do, you are all naive and shallow-minded and do not understand what this whole discussion is even about.

Realist said:

The difference between quality titles and run of the mill rubbish is huge, I would put the last few years of PC based EA sports titles into the latter category. In terms of sales - a quality title will be purchased by a far higher percentage of potential pirates - I say potential pirates because many of us use them as "Fully featured trial versions" and discard titles that we do not consider worth 20% of the average weekly wage, in that repsect a poor title will have a far higher percentage of pirated units when compared with retail/online sales.

It's been quite some time since I considered an EA title worthy of my money, doesn't mean I haven't tried them and in that respect I guess you could consider me a pirate, but there is no way you were getting my money anyway and the downloads have long since disappeared from my systems, I can't say I'm that disappointed with the decision, save me wasting my time grabbing iso's of 2nd rate titles anyway.

Bryan Matherly said:

My former post got buried....so I'll make another.

Pirate the hell out of the EA games, on whatever platform you can!!! EA doesn't deserve our hard earned money, if they are just going to ignore us and what we want out of our games!!!

Let them go broke. Then they won't have the monopoly on all the sports games!!!

Paul said:

@Common Sense

What PC sports are you talking about? Aside from Arcade racing games and Konami's soccer game there isn't a sports scene on the PC except for EA Sports' games.

Since there isn't much competition out there it’s a perfect opportunity to make a good profit. Unfortunately, EA has failed to capitalize on this. EA continues to try to sell us the same games that we've already bought. Without making significant improvements to your product it's very hard to sell it to your customers when they already own one of equal value. In addition, these customers are unfairly being sold products with second class production while other customers are getting better value. With this approach to business you're setting yourself up for failure right from the start.

The decline in their sales is deserving of their effort. EA should point the finger at themselves.

Jason said:

Why does EA region-lock their games for XBOX 360 but not for the playstation 3? I own a xbox360 and I'm a big sports game fan now working overseas in Asia but I cannot play NHL 08 and probably NHL 09 when its released. Doesn't make any sense to me. Please change this so some of us who work outside NA can still buy the games we love.

Rane said:

I also think its all based on economy and "the quick buck" when it comes to PC sports games.  The past few years of Tiger Woods, NHL and Fifa games have shown that the difference between versions are very limited. Take Tiger Woods 2006 to 2008. Same commentators...same lines. Same gameplay. Same bugs. Extremely limited addition and lack of innovation. Of course PC gamers wont buy your games when EA Sports try to make a quick buck by releasing a ServicePack for the games instead of entirely new games.

I think that the PC development teams simply lacks innovation, ideas and skills to create new sports gaming experiences. I basically think they're done!  If thats the case, shutting down PC sportsgaming is fine with me. I'll go buy sports games from other developers then and EA wont get anymore money from me.

Regarding PC vs. Consoles...perhaps console gaming is more popular in the States than here in Europe. I think it depends on the sports genre, whether its more suitable for consoles or for PCs. Football/Soccer for example...might be better with a controller on a console. But Tiger Woods golfing...will for me at least...always be better on the PC because it simply works better with a mouse and a keyboard. Its about precision. Consoles arent good at precision (just look at FPS games).  So IMHO, its a huge mistake to drop Tiger Woods 2009 for the PC as i think majority of Europeans are playing golf on their PC.   But then, we'll have to switch to CustomPlay Golf....which already are working pretty good and soon will become the new King of Golf games.

Rational Gamer said:

@ Lame Excuses, EA's market research didn't start with Peter Moore's arrival.  He knew what the numbers were before he took the position.  Furthermore, you're basing your argument on the PC gaming industry in general, where MMO's and FPS'ers reign supreme.  We are talking *SPORTS* games here!  I've seen figures that show the XBox 360 version of Madden 07 sold 12 times the volume of the PC, for example.  Another EA source intimated to me that they sold 10 times as many copies of Tiger Woods 07 for the XBox 360 as the for the PC.    

The point I'm trying to make is this... gamers simply don't have all of the facts in front of them from which to fully understand why gaming industry executives make the decisions they do.  I'm convinced Peter Moore was being straight up in his blog with why the decision was made.  

I don't believe you.... said:

You are the devil incarnate.  At least you know yourself.  You are trying to fix the PC "problems" like you did the RROD on the 360.....smoke and mirrors, while spewing a load a BS.   Maybe people don't want a $350 console that DIES within weeks of purchase.   Maybe people want to use the PC for their gaming because of the more mature demographic.   Maybe some of us want play games on the road (business travel) without LUGGING around a PS3 or 360.  Maybe many of us like to customize the game to make it better...more realistic.   Hate to tell you, console games are Pirated too.   Most Madden players on the PC do NOT pirate games....we actually encourage everyone to buy the game.  

The BS you are spewing about cost IS a load of crap.  You piggy back the development of the PC onto a console by using the same engine.   The development cost is much less.   Since 2001, the PC football has been the same engine as the PS2.   You can do that again with the next-gen consoles.    

Tony said:

I can't friggin' wait to see the carnage when the gaming industry finally caves in on itself. I mean - how long can they keep this (seemingly endless) stream of unbelievably crappy titles flowing? It's not about creativity anymore - it's just grind, grind, grind, grind, money, money, money... But yeah - piracy is to blame. The fact that they're swamping the universe with unplayable garbage obviously have nothing to do with it.

Meh... whatever.

PC Dev said:

I laugh at the people that don't understand the development cycle for games.  People that say "couldn't you do this" or "it should be that" and then throw in "it wouldn't be that hard."  HAHA  Maybe you should spend some time in a development house.

I laugh at PC Gamers that whine they get the same Madden year after year.  Console Gamers say the exact same thing.  Only now they have prettier graphics and some slightly refined gameplay on console.

I laugh that PC Gamers want EA to take an even bigger financial hit by making a PC version with uber graphics and limit their already-limited fanbase even further by catering to the high-end PC.

I laugh at the PC users that say EA has angered them by this decision and that they will boycot next years title (if one is made presumably) and want others to follow suit.  Yes, that decision would totally teach EA not to mess with PC gamers.  I doubt EA would want to lose all those PC gamers because even with them right now they still can't make a profit on PC Sports.

I love PC games and development, for FPS'ers and the like.  PC support and the community are the reason many games have the staying power that they do.  This will stay true until PC gaming truly dies (hopefully not for a long time or I'll be jobless).  Piracy is, and always will be, an issue.  And to the people that say they don't, and their friends don't, and that their community of users for Madden or whatever don't.   WAKE UP!!!  I've witnessed people playing a pirated copy of a game bashing others for having a pirated copy and telling them they should buy it.

Rational Gamer said:

@ PC Dev, thanks for your input on this... your words are a sobering dose of reality - a reality that PC sports gamers are going to have to come to grips with!  And you are right, piracy is rampant in every PC game category I've seen, Madden and sports are no exceptions.

PC Dev said:

I'd also like to add the fact that coming out with a game every year is not an easy task.  Most games that are released don't see their true potential until a year or two after it is released.  Sure you buy the next-best thing since sliced bread when it comes out, but PC gamers generally revert back to their tried and true game after the flash has worn off.  Why?  Because the community support/mods/improvements have made the game more enjoyable in the long run.  This very nature cantradicts annual release sports titles.  I'd rather see a PC Sports game released every other year, but thats me personally.

At the end of the day, the gaming industry is a business.  And like any other business in the world you want to earn revenue.  If something isn't working, you either rethink what you are doing or you stop doing it alltogether.  We do listen to fans and try to cater to them, afterall they are the ones buying our product.  But when 9 million want item A, and 1 million want item B, you have to go with item A even though you upset the other 10% of people.  And if you're a PC sports gamer, right now unfortunately you are Item B.

Timothy Daley said:

PCrules!!!!!!!! said:

July 6, 2008 5:56 PM

The top platform for games in 2007 was the PC, with online game revenue alone eclipsing USD 7 billion last year, not including retail sales. Total PC game revenue is expected to reach USD 19 billion by 2013  NOT SELLING ANY GAMES??? I think some of you console queers need to come back to reality.  THATS 19 BILLION FOLKS!!    www.gamesindustry.biz/.../industry-revenue-57-billion-in-2009-says-dfc

Perhaps you should do YOUR research.  The overwhelming reason for the success of the PC in 2007 was from ONLINE REVENUE.  WTF do you think that means?   It means that WOW subscribers and EQ subscribers are the reason for this.

This goes back to my original statement that PC's are for MMO's and RTS only and some FPS's, but the consoles are slowly taking a chunk out of the FPS crowd.

Also as I stated before with its millions of subscribers World of Warcraft is single handedly killing PC gaming.  It doesn't matter how good the PC is or how good it will be.  The vast majority of PC GAMERS are playing WOW and that means they aren't playing anything else which means that game devs can't get a foothold in the PC market.  

If you want to cast blame for this decline, you can thank blizzard.  With games like Diablo and Warcraft and now WOW they have cornered the market on PC games.  They are the Evil Empire Microsoft of the game development industry.  There is no room for anyone else.

Basically you only have a small handful of games that dominate the PC landscape.  You have WOW, the Sims, Battlefield2/Cod4, RTS ( pick one, they are all the same).

PC gaming is stale, unoriginal and basically a rehash of every other PC game out there.  The two biggest and original PC titles of 2007, Bioshock and Mass effect were 360 ports.

The only viable use for the PC is for playing WOW and until that game is destroyed PC gaming will be useless for any other market.

PC Gamer who plays WoW said:

I am so glad people think that all I play is WoW on the PC anymore.  Believe it or not- I play WoW, Crysis, Witcher, Diablo, Diablo II, Hellgate: London, Unreal Tournament, Half-Life, Call of Duty, and whatever else I feel like playing on my PC.  

I am sick of hearing that PC Gaming is supposedly dead.  PC games have their market, and People bash on WoW all the time.  Cry a river.  I play what I want.  On my PC.  I have a PS3 (based on 2 year old GFx technology) and I had an XB360 (also based on 2 year old tech).  My PS3 does True HD, displaying games in 1080p.  My PC can do even better Displaying games in Resolutions that can double that of the PS3...  XB360 is a joke when it comes to HD- upscales the DVD maximum resolution of 575p to fit that nice HD Display of yours.

If anything is the death knell for PC, it's the fact that M$ promised so much with Vista... And Tripped at the starting gun... corrupting drivers, rotting operating systems, and problems displaying anything for long with out a driver tripping a BSOD.  They themselves are trying to save their XB360 by forcing gamers to the 360 first, then the PC later.

To me a PC is better to game on.  That doesn't mean I won't game on Console, as a matter of fact, I am buying NCAA 09 for the PS3.  Hopefully NCAA doesn't suck this year- unlike last year where I could play for an hour and never complete a pass.

But certain genres have their place.  Sports, can be played wherever as that is the accessablity of sports.  PC gaming is not dead however, that's like saying that soon we will only have a one console system war... when that happens... it will be a PC, in some form or another.  if you don't believe me, look at the PS3... you can install Vista on it and run it as a PC- you can surf, game, and do nearly everythign you can do with a PC... cept spreadsheets.

XB360 is similar- just don't go to websites, but it has the same set up as a PC in that there is a Hard Drive, and you can game on it watch moves and whatever esle- cept go to websites.

PC will never die as it is too ingrained in society, in that everyone can use one when they need too, its more available than the Wii, and people have been using it for years.

Artur Gomes said:

Peter,

I´m a player but i understand what you said. I have some ideas for a game, if you are interested in my ideas i will give you my email, artur_gomes@msn.com.

Thanks for listening me

Artur Gomes

Former EA Supporter said:

Peter,

With all due respect to your business decision and explanations, of which I fully understand, I would like to ask you a question:

With regards to Madden PC why did you choose to drop it on the 20th anniversary of Madden?

In my opinon, When we pc er's who have bought and enjoyed Madden along with everyone else year after year are excluded from enjoying a 20th anniversary Madden it's hard not to take  it a little personal.

Since I do not own a console I'll live with it and yes I know its about money, but I was just curious about your timing of all this. If you have any further insight to this I would be interested to hear.    

Rational Gamer said:

PC Gamer who plays WOW said: "I am sick of hearing that PC Gaming is supposedly dead."

The point of this blog and most of the responses isn't that PC gaming is dead, it's that PC Sports gaming - at least for the time being - is dead! I don't know how Peter, or anyone else responding could have made that any clearer!!

PC Dev said:

PC Sports advocates are complaining and whining that year after year Madden for PC is the same recycled stuff.  Peter Moore comes along and realizes the rut that EA Sports is in with rehashed stuff and is trying to change it.  One of his strategies/decisions was to drop several PC Sports games for this year and re-evaluate what they are trying to do.  A very logical choice.  Now those same PC Sports advocates are calling for his head.  WHY?!?!?  He took away your "it's always the same" game and wants to create a new perception of EA Sports?!?!?  If you really are that upset that your sport franchise is cancelled for this year, send me your game/package and I will rename it to <insertnamehere> 2009 and send it back.  You can pretend its a new version just like you have for the last few years (or so you say).

What is truly amazing is that all these PC gamers act like a deer in headlights.  How could you not see this coming.  If you know anything about games, when you have a period like Madden has had on PC, it is usually a prelude of what has now happened.

Stop whining and be THANKFUL that someone like Peter Moore has stepped in and is trying to create some accountability for the Sports games and produce quality over quantity.  Afterall, I bet over 90% of PC Sport gamers vowed to "not buy the same crap as last year", and now you don't have to.

Crowb@r said:

You console gamers are tards ... I can pirate an xbox or PS disc just as easy as a PC. Do a Google search and you will find the tools.

They make games on PC's not consoles - Your console cant make anything ... cant run Photoshop or Maya ... or anything but a dumbed down game to fit to the consoles small CPU and crappy GPU's.

I can tell you my PC as it sits is more advanced than the console of 2yrs from now ... so suck on that console fans.

EA doesn't support PC gamers ...PC gamers shouldn't by ANYTHING thats EA ...even games like Crysis (is that on console yet? ... NO.. and it wont be because consoles couldnt handle it)

They can stick their Madden straight up their ***.

PC Dev said:

@Crowb@r

Excellent attempt at fueling the console/PC fire.  I understand that it goes both ways, fanboys bash other systems.  But telling console fans to suck it because you have an uber PC?  Congratulations, I am a console fan but I also own an uber PC.  Does that mean I only have to suck it halfway?

"They make games on PC's not consoles - Your console cant make anything "

-Also glad that you enlighten us by clearing up this fact.

"EA doesn't support PC gamers ...PC gamers shouldn't by ANYTHING thats EA"

-You neglect to mention anything about EA Sports on PC (the point of this) but somehow tie it into EA not supporting PC Gamers overall?  I'm pretty sure they have very successful PC games with plenty of support and fanbase.  Limit your statement to the PC Sports aspect and it may then become valid.

Just do us PC gamers (and console fan) a favor and don't argue for our cause.  You give others the impression that we are narrowminded and a recluse.

Steely Dan said:

There is a sucker born every minute and they all own consoles.

Didn't EA & Bioware say the same thing about Mass Effect?

Sited piracy and a dying platform and then turned around and made a PC version that is far better than either of the consoles .. and it went GOLD before it was even released.

Pretty *** lively for a "dead" platform.

The problem is most PC gamers are not as stupid as most console gamers and actually expect a good game for 50.00 or 60.00 bucks ... they dont buy every turd game you release just because you run a few commercials and buy off some critics.

Just keep regurgitating that PC gaming is dead, maybe someday somebody might actually believe this load of crap. I bet you have said it enough you almost believe it yourself.

You should stop trying to re-create reality through your own wishful thinking.

Not to mention quit taking the payoffs from Microsoft and SONY to NOT make popular title PC games so they can sell more consoles.

Consoles suck! - PC's Rule

its like comparing a water gun to a Howitzer.

PC Gamers boycott EA!

mdh said:

Peter's sarcastic responses on IGN obviously show that he has a lot of respect for PC gamers, and that he has the ability to see past the obvious emotionalism in their responses, and therefore recognize that in fact they really care about games.

...Not.

PC Dev said:

@Steely Dan

Obviously you don't own a console, otherwise you just bashed yourself (a new forum breed?).  So how can you say console's suck?  Do you own a Lamborghini?  No?  Then it must suck also.

"The problem is most PC gamers are not as stupid as most console gamers and actually expect a good game for 50.00 or 60.00 bucks ... they dont buy every turd game you release just because you run a few commercials and buy off some critics."

- This is classic.  Almost every PC Gamer on here is complaining that the Sports (the point of this blog) games are the same year after year.....but they keep buying them.  Interesting.  Overestimating your fellow PC gamers?

An intelligent thought would be:  Those that think PC Gaming (as a whole) is dead are wrong.  There is evidence that contradicts this (yet some that supports it).  PC Sports games however, aren't exactly in abundance.  Hence, EA not making them removes the major player currently.  This could be construed as PC Sports gaming being dead, but not PC as a whole.

No, a sucker is someone whole pigeonholes himself into a single platform.  I personally am no sucker and enjoy great games regardless who makes them or what they are on.

P.S.  I'd take an entire army over your PC Howitzer anyday.

Timothy Daley said:

PC Gamer who plays WoW said:

July 7, 2008 11:08 AM

I am so glad people think that all I play is WoW on the PC anymore.  Believe it or not- I play WoW, Crysis, Witcher, Diablo, Diablo II, Hellgate: London, Unreal Tournament, Half-Life, Call of Duty, and whatever else I feel like playing on my PC.

Sorry but if you play all that, you don't play WOW.  You may infact own WOW and perhaps dabble in it but you don't even come close to playing it.  I know far too many people who play WOW and I mean PLAY.  There is no time for any other game let alone the laundry list of games you provided.

Sorry but I don't buy it.  You either dabble in WOW or you Dabble in the other games you listed.  No way you play all those games seriously unless you have no job and no life.

Timothy Daley said:

Being a high end PC user, I have got to laugh at all you fools who talk about how good the PC is and how good your rig is.  What you fools fail to realize is that the power of your rig is meaningless since all the software being made is developed to accomodate lesser rigs.  Who cares if your running a quad sli rig when you are playing a four year old game like WOW or a PS2 equivalent of Madden 08.

Who wants to play a 1920 x 1280 resolution of a PS2 quality game.  The only example you drones use to support your argument is Crysis.  I have crysis and I hate to tell you, but the game doesn't look any better than some well produced games on the PS3, namely Drakes fortune and Metal gear solid 4.   COD 4 is exactly the same on the PC as the Console.

You clown have no argumnet.  You are a bitter lot who can't face the reality of the changing gaming landscape.  Even the makers of crysis stated that they will never make another PC exclusive game again.

I suppose all you die hard PC lovers still listen to 8 track tapes and talk to friends on your brick mobile phones and listen to your sony walkmans.  Get with the times fools.

Sports games have NEVER EVER EVER EVER been viable on the PC.  That is why no one make them.  Just because a few of you liked it doesn't make it viable.

The smartest thing EA could do was to dump that crap.  When they reaccess the sports landscape you can look forward to geek like games like football manager 2009  and MLB manger 2009 etc.  That has always been the concensus when it comes to the PC gamer anyway: Stat junkie geeks who can't play the game they just want to manage it like an RTS or RPG.

Get a clue, buy a friggin console you cheap *** bastards, and STFU and play the game.  PC sports aren't even next gen so why are you belly aching about EA 2009.   It still would only be the equivalent to a PS2 game.

Common Sense said:

PC Dev-

You're awesome and you've hit it right on the head.

I find it great that those of us with actual knowledge of this industry (such as how dev teams and dev cycles work) agree with Peter and those who are just blind fanboys keep defending using false logic.

What it all comes down to is Peter and co. have a large amount of actual data and real numbers to research through. PC guys like Crowbar (or whatever) are just trying to use weak and poor assumptions.

Trust me PC Gamers, if there is a profitable way for EA SPORTS to come back to the PC platform...they will find it before you do and they will be back.

plagus said:

a lot of people would have bought ea sports games if it didn't look and played like last gen games...all of the ea sports game lineups released last year were PS2 ports...why the heck would people want to buy a game that plays and looks last gen while having the most advanced gaming hardware available? oh and crytek by the way is still going to make the crysis game (crysis warhead) EXCLUSIVELY for the PC...nuff siad

ka said:

Timothy daley you obviously haven't played crysis at the highest detail. To even compare drakes fortune and metal gear solid 4 graphics to crysis is just funny. I agree though with sports games on pc, it just doesn't work on the platform. But in regards to popular games like crysis and call of duty 4, what a lot of people don't understand that a lot of PC gamers play games (not just shooters mind you) on PC's because of the keyboard and mouse control scheme and not just the graphics. So please stop saying that we PC gamers only care about how good a game looks.

Paul said:

The bottom line is EA Sports hasn't created enough value with their iterations to warrant new purchases in the eyes of most PC customers. Their products would be better received if they fixed the bugs that have been around for years and addressed their customers' issues and concerns. It hasn't gone unnoticed that the PC versions were treated as afterthoughts since 2001. This has contributed to the negative view towards this company that has continued to grow through the years. EA Sports deserved to have sales decline and fail in the PC market. This outcome is in line with the decisions they've made.

David said:

Dear Peter

this is not the solution. And you know that

PC gaming is not dead. And you know that

Persons like you not deserve that role on the company.

Make crap ports for PC is not the solution and you know that....

by the way... you know what are you doing...

Sorry for my poor english

Leo said:

EA did it because It's easier to "Cut" PC out of the EA Sports Plans. It's the Easy Path!

It's easier than try to UNDERSTAND what's the diference between PC gamers and console gamers.

It's easier than give more atention to the PC Controls, And not just Clone it from the console games and let us do the "dirt job".

If u guys from EA could see that PC Games need a diferent Attention and a diferent gameplay,  U'd never cut it off the "plans".

And PPL choose Piracy because U guys let it happen. People don't want to spend their money on Crappy games, Cheap copies of Console version, with AWFUL gameplay. Almost a BETA version. People want nice decent games to their favorite plataform.

But that would be the Hard Path, and there are few (or NONE) that walk that way...

Robb said:

-You neglect to mention anything about EA Sports on PC (the point of this) but somehow tie it into EA not supporting PC Gamers overall?  I'm pretty sure they have very successful PC games with plenty of support and fanbase.  Limit your statement to the PC Sports aspect and it may then become valid.

big fanbase and support yeah thats great but its the same *** games i was playing on my Sega mega drive back in the day,

are they so afraid of loosing money they cant come up with something new

ps NFS was a great game but not its just suck  cmon!

ronny said:

pirating xbox360 games is way easier then pc games, one firmware flash and youre done

on pc mounting,cracking,getting update,crack for update etc.. is way harder then for xbox/wii and soon ps3 so dont understand this argument at all, besides the fact that all pc version of ea sport games was inferior to the console games is imho the main reason they dont sell well

just my 2 cents

Señor Citizen said:

Wow, the posts on this blog have a taken a turn for the worse :(

Even if I don't agree or don't like the subject, and if I personally believe there are still other potential opportunities with sports games on the PC, I have to thank Peter for sharing some of his thoughts on this particular subject (we'll see if he ever decides do so again).

I see a post, a number above this one, calling PC gamers, oh let's see...fools, drones, clowns, bitter lot, geeks, bastards. Nice. Looks like someone has some serious issues, and it's not the PC gamers -- to whom the hostility is directed towards.

Sorry, I do already own consoles (PS3 and Wii, hooked up to a big-screen plasma TV in my home theater configuration) and I still think gaming on my PC is a vastly more satisfactory experience. I could hook my PC up to my TV and game from the couch as well, but instead I prefer gaming in my leather chair and with my 24" monitor.

Better graphics, higher detail w/higher res, assortment of control device options which all yields a more intense and immersive gaming...for me (try to understand, it's a "to each their own" philosophy). In addition, I personally enjoy working with the hardware aspect of PC gaming as well which includes upgrading, customizing, tweaking, etc. The lengthy console generation is virtually stagnant in comparison, and consoles offers little in terms of a hands-on experience and hardware customization.

Other than games from EA Sports, the PC is rockin' with plenty of excellent titles, I already have so far and still see myself continuing to spend ALOT of money on PC titles this year.

For the best possible experience (best graphics, control options, etc), I choose game primarily on the PC which also means buying mult-plats on the PC! Looking forward to Crysis Warhead. STALKER Clear Sky, Left4Dead, plus many, many more, as well as some ports such as Burnout Paradise and multi-plats like Street Fighter 4, Resident Evil 5 (unannouced yet the PC is the lead dev platform) -- hmm, some of these are interesting to see on the PC -- no? Viable platform? I'd definitely say yes. At least at this moment in time, PC gamers have nothing to worry about, things are looking terrific, and there's no need for hostility towards gamers because they have a platform of choice.

Kritiker said:

Would be very interessting how much millions of $$$ EA wasted over the time from Fifa 98 until now. And then let´s talk again.

PC Dev said:

Are people really this naive?  Peter Moore is new to EA.  Peter Moore wasn't responsible for rehashed Madden games from 2001 to present.  Peter Moore didn't ruin PC sports.

EA dropped the ball, yes.  They had declining sales due to their strategy of weak ports for sports games.  This results in less money for the next year to put into developing a quality game.  This loop continues until we're at our current position.

Peter Moore isn't dumb, and he knows this.  Instead of slapping a new cover on last years game and losing money, he wants to NOT lose money and look at re-evaluating the situation next year.  This is what you PC sports gamers should want.  Someone who realizes EA's failure and is trying to right it.  If he would have given the go ahead to releasing Madden (or other sports) this year you would be crucifying him for NOT trying to change something.  Saying he doesn't bring proper leadership and quality control to EA and should be fired.

It's not Peter Moore's fault PC sports is where its at right now.  It's not really even EA's fault sports on PC is where its at right now.  It IS EA's fault the EA Sports for the PC is where its at.  The true culprit is the PC itself.  It just isn't as popular for sports titles period.  Remember, if EA hadn't been churning out rehashed last-gen games for the PC, you wouldn't have anything to play and complain about right now.

PC Dev said:

@Kritiker

If you are going to make an argument, don't use FIFA sales as it contradicts the point you are trying to make.  FIFA sells globally, and extremely well I might add, whereas many other EA Sports titles don't.  A little in-depth research shows this (and no, googling for FIFA sales isn't in-depth).

A disappointed pc gamer said:

FIFA 08 for pc is terrible game, and hopes to sell a product so bad. Make good games and sales increase.

Blaming piracy by the few sales is the worst excuse for the incompetence of a product such as EA Sport

PC Dev said:

@disappointed pc gamer

Did he blame piracy for poor sales?  I don't see that in his statements.  He said "Piracy is a problem", not just EA Sports, but generally speaking.  That is one of the concerns they have, and is a known fact in the industry.  If you think creating a great game will decrease piracy.......wow.  Yes it'll increase sales, no doubt minimizing losses due to piracy.  But great games receive more attention and in turn increased piracy.

It's easy to sit on the outside and say "Just make a good game".  It takes a lot of money, time, and devotion to create a great game.  Peter realizes they weren't meeting those requirements, so they decided to "hit the reset button" to figure out how to get back on track.

My god people, it takes some studios years to create a game.  ONE GAME.  And half of those turn out to not even be that good.  EA has annual releases of several (not just one) games and on a plethora of platforms.  Yet a vast majority of those games garner above average reviews consistently.  With that short of development time do you think you can start from scratch every year and make a high-quality game?  Naive.

yonsito said:

No more PS2-ports? Ah, man!

Good riddance to  that junk.

mdh said:

PC Dev, you can't really deny that a lot of people have been using piracy very nakedly as a scapegoat lately.

Common Sense said:

mdh..

the numbers back up piracy. its not a scapegoat. its a very real problem.

Bryan Matherly said:

Piracy is a richly deserved consequence. We pay full price for games that are only HALF (at best) functioning properly. The people using pirated copies of the games are the smart ones. EA and their developers ignore us.....so let em go broke!

Tigers Agent said:

I have played the Tiger Woods series for years on the PC.  I guess I would  have to share in the blame for the fall of the game itself.  Each year, I would buy the game when it first came out.  Then I would return the game at least 10 times to Wal Mart, just so I could get another online code.  This let me have many names online and I could constantly break EA's TOS.  So, myself, along with a few friends of mine who have done this are a big part of the problem.  Once I opened up a game, got the online code, then returned it to Wal Mart (10 times), those returned games were never sold for original price......so it was taken as a loss to EA.

Gamer said:

Great, i'll check xbox360 section in torrentleech.

1-900-Hustler said:

Thanks for addressing this Peter.  I think you'd agree, the response has been overall supportive here.

PC gaming is not dead and it does need an influx of games, but I don't believe EA should be held to task for pioneering this effort.  Frankly, I dont think the great EA is willing to do so and there's nothing wrong with that.

PC gaming needs a champion to have a comeback.  Where Live for Windows failed, Steam and PopCap games are succeeding.  

Idea:  as development tools for console games improve so that developers can compile simultaneously for consoles and PCs, PC gaming will see more, albeit non-exclusive, games.

Couple this with a better delivery method and smarter DRM and you can have your cake and eat it too.

But no EA will not come up with the answer.  It will be a different participant.

Stellarlight said:

OMG all you guys taking Moore's side must be put in jail or an asylum for the bullshit that comes out of your mouths. I'm a big fan of the NHL franchise up until the 360 and PS3 came out! And Why ??? Moore says sports game have declined in the past 3 years... It's odd for the last 3 fu***ng years PC had to settle with PS2 ports !!! The last hockey game i have is NHL08 er NHL 06.2 i mean. That's why the PC crowd is pirating your stupid yearly update of a game. And to everyone saying PC lacks controller ... hell i have 4 Logitech Dual Action controller (oddly in the form of A CONSOLE CONTROLLER u know the Playstation controller ???) You can now buy a 360 controller, have the steering wheel also. And i can hook my my pc on my tv set so whats the difference with a console?? People saying no one wants to play sports game on a pc they are dead wrong. Madden have the biggest online community which don't exist on console. And the only reason why pc gamers wouldn't want to play sports game is because we have fu**ing PS2 PORTS.

To all you console loverboys out there, PC is and will always be the best gaming rig period... Oh do you have MODS for your games (you know COD4, UT3, CounterStrike, team Fortress 2) ??? Do you have community support that adds WAY MORE to the games than the devs themselves. I don't remember the last time EA SPORTS game A GOOD SUPPORT for their games (in form of patches, roster updates, new content) no wonder why no one buys their ***.

PC Gaming > console gaming ( no community support, you pay for every fu**ing downloadable content, NO MODS, lesser controls)

I guess NHL 09 will still be a crappy NHL 06.3 this time... Oh and every REAL GAMER knows that it's not that expensive to get a good video card (250$ which is cheaper than all consoles) and that graphics are way more advanced. Don't try and make me believe a PS3 video card (designed 3-4 years ago) is still better than the new NVIDIA GTx 260 and 280. I still can't believe you give us those crap ports for PS2 when PC Gamers all round the world have clearly the hardware to support the next-gen graphics ... and I'm sure the NHL graphics engine will still take only half of what the video cards can offer. That's what u get for having ONE SOLE COMPANY having exclusive rights for sports. They put out crap and don't bother with the customers.

So to you Moore all i have to say is die and burn in hell

STORMCROW said:

Stellarlight u are my new hero...well said.

PC's have more power then any console. I dont understand why they cant port the engine into a pc version. If it can be done with Mass Effect why not NHL 09....god I would even cry with joy if they gave us a 08 360 port. I will NOT buy 09(aka nhl 05 v4) if it is not next gen(really current gen) as you would really just be stealing the 30 bucks out of my wallet and saying please enjoy NHL 05. NEVER AGAIN~!

Common Sense said:

The power of the PC has NOTHING (repeat NOTHING) to do with this. Everyone knows top-line PCs can outperform my 360. Whoopdie freaking do.

Heres the fun part though: no one buys PC Sports Games. Good or not.

Blame EA all you want, but (once again mentioning this since PC fanboys ignore it) no other developer makes PC Sports gamers. 2k sports, which all of you anti-EA people love to bring up, do not publish their games on PC including MLB- to which they have an exclusive license. The demand just isnt there and a few naive PC people on here dont prove otherwise.

EA is a company that sells millions upon millions of units of software per year, they are a mass market catering company. PC Sports just doesnt have that. I dont care if you dont like it...i dont care if the PC is more powerful...what matters is what people demand on a MASS scale. Consoles (in this country) is it, not PC. So be stubborn all you want...as a true video gamer i enjoy all platforms and i will continue to enjoy great sports games while some of you continue to be stubborn as if you know better.

Stellarlight said:

Oh and if you guys wanna *** about computer prices lets talk about prices. I admit i put around 2K on my rig (computer, good video card, 22 inch lcd screen) but tell me this console loverboys. WHAT THE F**K ARE YOU GONNA PLAY YOUR XB360/PS3 ON ????? On your 12 y/o 27 inch TV ??? Then why the hell buy a hd gaming console and be an idiot and put it on an old TV ?? I'm 100 sure you guys all plug it in on a 42 inch LCD TV (i think 42' is the most popular size) Oh and last time i checked 42 inch screens ranged from 1500$ to 2200$. I'd rather spend 2k on a computer that lets me do WAY MORE and a tv and a console where i can only pop in the cd and play....

@ TIMOTHY DALEY

And to that freaking idiot Timothy Daley who presents himself as a high end computer gamer you should know that the reason why people don't want to play sports games on the PC is BECAUSE THEY ARE FUC**NG PS2 ports. Might i remind you that sports titles MADE A NAME FOR THEMSELVES in the 90's and the NHL franchise was a major license for EA Sports and the consoles couldn't keep up because the level of graphics.AND THEY WERE VIABLE. Now the games are made for consoles and the PC can surely keep up and beat up the level of graphics you'll have on any console games. Hell everywhere we hear 360 games a coded SIMILARLY TO PC GAMES SO WHY NOT MAKE A FUC**NG PORT OF NHL on the computer. Is that so complicated???

Just to show you how retard you are ... "PC gaming is only for MMO's and RTs's" you said ... SO INSANELY FUC**NG STUPID. Just take a look at this year's E3 pc game list. You'll find

fighting game (Street Fighter IV OH YEAH IF PC GAMING IS DEAD SINCE WHEN IS THERE A FIGHTING COMING TO PC YOU TELL ME!!!!!)

action games (LOTR : Conquest, Left 4 dead, Heavy Duty, This is Vegas, Just Cause 2, Battlestations: Pacific - action simulation-, Tomb Raider Underworld, Velvet Assassin, Saints Row 2, LEGO Batman: The Videogame, Wheelman, Edge of Twilight -action adventure-, Mirror's Edge -action adventure-, Bionic Commando, Dark Void)

simulation games (Jumpgate, Spore, PT Boats: Knights of the Sea, Moscow Racer -racing sim-)

RPG's (Fallout 3 INITIALLY A PC FRANCHISE, Two Worlds: The Temptation)

RTS's (C&C Red alert 3, Empire: Total War, Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization, Disciples III: Renaissance, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II, Plunder)

Action RPG's (Alpha protocol, Borderlands, Numen, Dungeon Hero)

FPS's (Stalker Clear Sky, Far Cry 2, Crysis Warhead, Postal III, Showdown: Scorpion, Dead Space, Legendary, Red Faction: Guerrilla, Project Origin, Operation Flashpoint 2: Dragon Rising, Damnation, Mercenaries 2: World in Flames -Third person-)

MMO's (RuneScape High-Detail, Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, The Agency, Free Realms)

Racing (Pure)

WOW 4 MMO's  within all those action games .... HMM YOU MUST BE RIGHT "This goes back to my original statement that PC's are for MMO's and RTS only and some FPS's," There is the proof that you are the biggest PC GAMING PROBLEM. Stupid dumb fu*ks like you who don't know what the hell they're talking about...  And that E3 list might be half of all the games that are coming out within a year...  I guess by your standards 14 action games vs 4 mmo's means PC IS MMO's only and that PC is dead...  If only your brain was good enough to count

It's all the same in the console world (action games, rpgs, shooters, more sports than you deserve, and racing games ...) so tell me ... what's so different? You laugh about us not getting GTA4 on pc ... WHERE DID THE FUC**NG FRANCHISE STARTED !???? Are you too stupid to know that ??? U must be a little 14 y/o who doesn't know any history of gaming franchises.

and what the hell is that thing about COD4 being better on console ??? You should know that nothing can surpass the level of precision of a mouse and u still play COD4 on your console (NO MODS, NO COMMUNITY MAPS) You must me smoking crack and injecting yourself with heroin to say that or u have a high end computer that mommy/daddy bought you and you don't know *** what to do with it.... So what if Mass Effect is a console game... everyone who played on console and on PC will know that the interface IS WAAAAYYYY BETTER on the PC anyways .... so its ok with me ... you poor console loveboy get the game before... and us pc we'll get the best version a few months after ....

And if you think PC gaming is stale, unoriginal and basically a rehash of every other PC game out there ... i suggest you get your *** on a few gaming sites and put up a list of console games under the score of 6/10 ..... At least US PC gamers don't have Hellboy Science of the Evil (with its nice 5.4 press rating). I am aware that more games are presented on the consoles than pc but hey ... that just means more shitty games are gonna make their way on consoles....

So for ALL THOSE REASONS ABOVE, that is why sports game CAN AND SHOULD BE ON PC AS LONG AS WE GET NEXT-GEN stuff and NOT FUC**NG PS2 PORTS because all the games listed will surely have a more demanding graphics engine than the one used in EA Sports titles. And for ALL THOSE REASONS ABOVE, all who agrees with TIMOTHY DALEY are just plain stupid

Richard C. said:

I believe piracy is a problem, but that being said you took Madden from PC players, now we have NO game to look forward to EA is responisble for that Mr Moore NOT the consumer, and as I have said many times now, until I see the return of the PC version of Madden or even a different NFL football game on the PC ( I.E. 2K sports) I will NOT buy a EA sports title.

Many of your titles are not even rated as the best in their category, but simply have a big fan base therefore it sells but I for one will not give my money to EA because I am not a satisfied consumer and my few dollars will make a difference.

Señor Citizen said:

Stellarlight, awesome -- love your enthusiasm :) It might be worth mentioning though be careful to not tread the same waters as those whose comments you find ill-conceived.

Many console gamers, and most likely the majority of them, do have a good perception of PC gaming and it's in no way viewed inferior even if it's inaccessible (for whatever reasons, and could be completely by choice) to those people.

So yeah, 2007 was a fantastic year in PC gaming. The most (worth repeating -- the MOST) fun I've had gaming on the PC!! Although 2004 was great as well ;) 2008 is looking perhaps even better than last year, which is astounding, with a great volume of interesting titles. That's not even counting some sure-fire Blizz hits like Starcraft 2 and recently announced Diablo 3, which won't be out this year.

My personal tilt (even more opinionated comments hehe) is that the US needs to get with the times. The PC is incredibly popular in other areas of the world, in fact MS recently admitted to multi-platform release delays on the PC in order to entice gamers in Germany to buy 360s. Amazing. In some developing areas of the world, we are seeing gamers jump over consoles directly to the PC, similar to how they jumped over land-line phones directly to mobiles.

The PC is HOT!! So many possibilities, so much flexibility, services such as Steam greatly simplifying gaming on the platform for everyone including those that previously thought the complexity was intimidating or a problem in their past experience.

By the way, you can also mention Dead or Alive Online (PC) as another fighting title coming up (Asian release 2-0-0-8 baby).

Stellarlight said:

- The PC as a platform for authentic, fully-licensed, simulation sports games has declined radically in the past three years as the next generation consoles, with their high definition graphics and 5.1 sound capabilities have attracted millions of consumers to eschew the “lean in” PC sports gaming experience for the “lean back” full room console experience.

Moore are you oblivious to everything that surrounds you ??? the pc platform IS THE NEXT-NEXT-GEN system. I don't understand why you can't see this and only have consoles in your mind. PC HAVE 7.1 SOUND ... i have mine hooked on my home theater system (5.1) PC HAVE GAME CONTROLLERS (you could play a full 5 on 5 NHL game with 10 people, 10 controllers and 2 usb hubs) PC HAVE High def graphics .... NVIDIA GTX 260/280 ring a bell to you ?? or the cheaper ones in the likes of 8800gt/ati HD series ?? And a DVI to HDMI cable should do the work to plug the computer to a HD TV. So really tell us ... what is the difference here between the consoles and the PC ??? The way i see it you want to play in your living room? So by your standards consoles go in a living room and pcs do not ??? THATS ABSURD.

I agree that piracy IS an issue but it is not THE issue. It is as easy to put a mod chip in your 360 and download games (which holds on a dual layer dvd so anyone can download it) as to download the same game on PC but we get the cut and not the console world that's contradictory to blame PC piracy to stop putting games out on the platform. I had a friend of mine who had to buy a new 360 because ita was chipped and his console was blocked from the net and guess which games he bought.... Halo 3 nad NHL 08. Oddly enough you say sales have been awful on the PC market since 3 years ... Well let me tell you this. Since 3 years you made PS3/360 versions of your sports games and gave PS2 versions for the PC market. No wonder your sales crumbled down like a card castle. So when customers see the difference between the same game they just stop caring. Seriously, who would want to spent 40 buck for an updated roster (which you could give as a patch each year) with no updated graphics, no updated control engine. Your NHL franchise HAS BEEN THE EXACT SAME GAME FOR 3 YEARS NOW. So 2 options are offered to people who are frustrated by this 1) they pirate the game or 2) they don't even bother. Hell i bought Devil May Cry 4 2 days ago. Its weird Capcom (who hardly ever release games on PC, with the upcoming Street Fighter 4, and don't fear piracy) they can release next-gen games on pc but you can't ???

And yes i know the business has changed but the vast majority of the games are still single player games, some with online modes, sold in stores in form of a dvd. You focus on micro-transactions, subscriptions and massive tournament (which you clearly aim at Wow and Age Of Conan). MMO's ARE NOT THE ONLY GAMES ON EARTH for the PC. I played WOW and got fed up after 1.5 year and i'm not touching this kinda game anytime soon.

I suggest that next year you release all your sports games, THE SAME EXACT PRODUCT AS THE PS3/360 versions might i remind, and distribute it through STEAM, which proved itself to be a really good platform to eliminate piracy. The fact that STEAM has a much wider installed base than the PS3/360 reunited should be a good reason enough to make a partnership with them. For the hardware, just look up the STEAM's survey results and you'll see people DO HAVE the hardware to run your sports game's graphic engine.

From a reaaaaaaalllllyyyy disappointed fan of the NHL series who can't play with the awesome skill stick controls and have weak graphics.

David said:

The biggest plus for PC gaming for me is customization.  This has been said several times in this thread.  I like being able to mod graphics and customize rosters.  I do have a PS3 and play games, even sports games on it.  For all the glitz and glimmer and hi-res graphics that a next-gen console brings, the PC continues to be the most enjoying gaming experience.  Madden 08 on the PC was hands down the best of any last-gen version, and definitely on par with the PS3 versions.  The next-gen versions of many sports titles are still experimental.  Features that were in last-gen years ago have yet to make it back into next-gen.

I do think that Peter has a point about PCs being less popular and of piracy.  However it seems to me like the time and effort put into the PC games is appallingly lackluster.  If the PC is a dying breed it's because it has been ignored as a platform, not the other way around.  Even the average desktop PC today is capable of playing anything you can find on a PS3.  If developers were to take the PC games to their full potential, it would blow away anything on any next-gen console.

Stellarlight said:

To hell with the piracy excuse... Sins Of Solar Empire has no copy protection whatsoever and it still sold over a million copies .... probably more than EA's title Crysis.

Them companies just have to publish games that are optimized to the max, like the Crysis guy who says in an interview he blames piracy but then he turns 180 and says we could have waited another 6 months to polish the engine and publish the game WELL DUHHHHH, maybe THATS why Crysis didnt sell ?? Of course not the easy way is to blame piracy. Companies, such as EA SPORTS should learn NOT TO PORT PS2 games onto PC.

sportsfan_jones said:

As an owner of both a console (X-Box 360) and a high end PC I feel qualified and obligated to comment on these most unfortunate circumstances.

I have been playing games on consoles since 1982 and joined into the PC game market in 1997.  I have seen the balance shift from one to the other many times.  Any gamer who has been around that long might also agree.

I have purchased hundreds of games both for consoles and the PC.  

Currently my favorite game is MVP 05. (For the PC)

Yes I will admit that all the talented modders in the community breathe new life into an otherwise listless stock game that is almost 5 years old.  

I purchased 2k sports MLB 2009 and was so disappointed I ran back to my PC to fire up the old MVP series and vowed never to return that pitiful example of a very simple game done very poorly.

I purchased Madden 2008 for the PC and immediately noticed the similarities between it and the X-box version of the game.  Nonetheless, I still enjoyed the game and it ran beautifully on my PC.

Now... I enjoy NCAA Football like no other and was always disappointed that it never acquired a fan base for the PC.  So... I finally purchased an X-box 360 and Madden 2008.

What an awful, awful game it is.  

Yes I have the 1080p High TV.  Yes I have the Surround sound... and I just could not enjoy it.  After a few snaps I was just so turned off by this failed attempt at a football gaming experience.  I guess I really felt like EA dropped the ball with Madden '08 for the console and it really turned me off to the whole operation they have going these days.

I once again ran back to my trustworthy PC and "Leaned in"  yes "Leaned In" Peter Moore  (I loved that comment) and enjoyed an intense gaming experience.

EA Sports and Peter Moore have truly alienated the audience and the loyal, loyal customers that put them (EA Sports) in the position they are today.

Exclusive Licensing has really hurt the quality of Football and Baseball games across all platforms.

I am disappointed in EA Sports for alienating me and and many other sports game enthusiasts with this decision.

I guess we know what platform Peter Moore plays because if I was a CEO I would be pacing the development wing at EA eagerly anticipating the arrival of the PC versions.  

So you just "Lean Back" and enjoy a game of Madden with your buddies Peter Moore.  I think your arrogant attitude in this matter is sickening and disrespectful to a loyal fan base that helped pave they way for your company.

I sincerely hope you reconsider your thinking on these matters

Cheers to You Sir

Common Sense said:

Its not just EA and its not just sports games that are pointing towards consoles.

Once again, no one here cares how powerful your PC is. If it helps you sleep better at night then go ahead and brag all you want. What really matters is what sells. And low and behold, its not jsut EA that has gotten smarter with its spending.................. (check out the last paragraph)

From IGN ---->

John Carmack on PC and Console Gaming

No more high-tech PC-exclusive shooters from id Software.

by Charles Onyett

July 11, 2008 - id Software has always been one of the pillars of PC gaming, and co-founder John Carmack (DOOM, Quake, Wolfenstein 3D) is more or less the company's driving force and a standout industry figure. When he says he's not quite sure what to make of the current PC gaming scene, you can't help but take notice.

Traditionally the company has focused on PC development and bringing new technologies to the market through high-end, flashy games such as DOOM 3 and Quake III Arena. Since QuakeCon 2007, however, id made it obvious it was shifting its focus, claiming its new Tech 5 engine technology was designed with multiplatform gaming in mind. Quake Live for PC was also announced, an updated version of Quake III that's free to play and launched from a browser, a departure from the company's traditional type of products.

We recently had the opportunity to talk with Carmack over the phone, and he filled us in on where he sees id's role in the ever-changing console and PC markets. "While a high-end gaming PC is many times more powerful than current generation consoles and you could in theory do significantly greater things on it, the downsides of the platform are having to support multiple generations of different hardware [and] driver interface layers. I've got all sorts of details I could go into about comparative performance on the PC relative to the consoles on current id Tech 5 stuff but it comes down to developing games costs tens of millions of dollars now and the focus just has to be on the consoles where you've got the chance to move more millions of units there. The PC can at least still be profitably supported on there, but it'll be interesting to see if that continues to trend downward."

Carmack believes there's still plenty of opportunities for profit on the PC, but right now it's an issue of identifying exactly where they are. "World of Warcraft obviously showed there's incredibly successful markets available on the PC, they just probably don't look like the traditional shooter games that id Software had made in the past," he said.

During the course of the interview Carmack made an interesting mention of a all-new Quake title, but explained that currently no concrete plans had been set. "At this moment, and nothing's ever set in stone with us, but we have been looking at a Quake Arena follow-on as an id Tech 5-based cross-platform title, but that is currently not slated right now. We have decided to move ahead with a DOOM 4 title cross-platform."

So will we see a PC exclusive shooter from id that showcases an all-new technology like they've produced in the past? "No," said Carmack, "at least not happening in our current development timeline."

big daddy p said:

all i gonna say to you all is that peter moore can $u(!( my balls, i just finished my masters degree in buisness in the university of calgary in canada and all this stuff about buisness aspects involved in the cancellation of several of their franchise is all horse crap. i'm sure people on pc gamers would rather pay 50-60 dollars for a good game on pc than 20-30 dollars for a 5 cent production game. i personally have a 40" 1080p and all 3 game systems but my pc could smoke all of these comsle. i bought my pc for $1000 and when the 360 and ps3 go away in the next 3 years, i won't still have to upgrade my pc to play games. Peter Moore for god sakes there are programs out there that will discourage piracy. try investing some money into better research progams and you say not everyone has a gaming pc. thats true but everyone has a pc. not everyone has a consle. if you would stop feeding yourself all that bull turd, your eyes might be actually opened to see the potential profit in the pc market.  present a good product, properly advertise it and then come talk to me about sales after. up in calgary i havent seen one tv commercial for nhl 09 and i watch a lot of tv. by the way all you people who talk about game systems hooking up to tvs well guess what, computers can do that too and it ain't hard.

Señor Citizen said:

@Common Sense, the point of your post is only providing information that most PC gamers already know. In addition, what do exclusives have to do with the lack (non-existance) of the sports games in question.

When it comes to game development from large studios who are working with tremendous game development costs, games are absolutely trending towards multi-platform development, even amongst consoles exclusivity is something which is typically, either directly only indirectly, paid for (money has been spent) to retain.

Nvidia themselves have acknowledged this for the PC and made a statement...

www.gamesindustry.biz/.../no-future-for-pc-exclusive-games-says-nvidia

Obviously there will still be exclusives, however, the technology pushing games which incur huge development costs, at least from the large and well-established studios, will be in short supply. Fair enough.

Yet, the PC will remain the best platform to play these games on, i.e. the PC will have the best graphics, the most control device options, etc. I agree, "best" can be subjective, for some people maybe best means playing on something they are already familiar with or where their friends are gaming, etc, but in terms of the aforementioned qualities, the PC is the best.

Also, there are a number of people that aren't even interested in these high-technology games, maybe they game on the PC for gameplay complexity.

Another group of people are perhaps attracted to the hardware aspect --- where else can you build and piece together the same machine that you game on, not everyone needs or desires to game on limited, restricted, and "dumbed-down" (not to be offensive, but it fits for the point I'm trying to make) machines. Nvidia for example still sells an awful lot of video cards (facing stiffer competition from ATI at the moment though). The PC is by far the most flexible and customizable system available.

So yeah, I sleep very well at night with the PC being my platform of choice :) Like with everything, it's just personal preference, there are legitimate reasons to prefer consoles as well.

By the way, EA's lineup (with the exception of EA Sports) for the PC looks grrrrreat, in my opinion anyway. Definitely looking forward to many titles :)

www.gamespot.com/.../6193602.html

Dead Space - 360, PS3, PC - EA Redwood Shores

FaceBreaker - 360, PS3, Wii - EA Canada

Hasbro Family Game Night - Wii, PS2 - EA Casual

Littlest Pet Shop - Wii, DS, PC - EA Casual

Madden NFL 09 - 360, Xbox, PS3, PS2, PSP, Wii, DS - EA Tiburon

Mercenaries 2: World in Flames - 360, PS3, PS2, PC - Pandemic

Mirror's Edge - 360, PS3, PC - EA DICE

Scrabble - EA Mobile

Sudoku - EA Mobile

Tetris - EA Mobile

Spore - EA Mobile

Monopoly - EA Mobile

Yahtzee! - EA Mobile

Wolfenstein RPG - EA Mobile

Tetris POP - EA Mobile

Kung Fu Panda - EA Mobile

The Sims 2 Apartment Pets - DS - EA Redwood Shores

Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 09- 360, PS3, PS2, PSP, Wii - EA Tiburon

Zubo - DS - EA Bright Light

MySims - PC - EA Redwood Shores

MySims Kingdom - Wii, DS - EA Redwood Shores

Spore - PC - EA Maxis

Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning - PC - EA Mythic

Command & Conquer Red Alert 3 - 360, PC - EALA

Crysis Warhead - PC - Crytek

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - 360, PS3, PS2, PSP, Wii, DS, PC, Mac, Mobile - EA Bright Light

The Lord of the Rings: Conquest - 360, PS3, PC, DS - Pandemic

SimCity Creator - Wii - EA Redwood Shores

NBA Live 09 - 360, PS3, PS2, PSP, Wii - EA Canada

NCAA Football 09 - 360, PS3, PS2, PSP, Wii - EA Tiburon

Skate It - Wii, DS - EA Black Box and EA Montreal

Rock Band 2 - 360 - Harmonix

Left 4 Dead - 360, PC - Valve

Common Sense said:

No you missed the point.

The point is that even companies who have built themselves on PC have to diversify because the PC market alone is no long as profitable. The trend all around is pointing more and more at console dominance. Sports was already leaning so far in that direction they are starting to pull away entirely.

PC is yes more powerful, no one denies that. But developing for it is not as lucrative. Thats why PC Sports is pulling away and thats why more companies are starting to gain more of a console focus.

Señor Citizen said:

>>The point is that even companies who have built themselves on PC have to diversify because the PC market alone is no long as profitable.<<

Right.

And developing games with enormous production costs which have risen substantially are no long as profitable on a single console either. The trend is multi-platform development, whether you are a console gamer or a PC gamer, get used to it. Exclusives aren't necessarily proving anything in regards to sports games.

>>The trend all around is pointing more and more at console dominance.<<

Dominance? You may need to define this with better clarity. The PC was in fact the top platform for games revenue in 2007. In addition, I'm not sure what your definition is going to be, but "dominance" is likely going to be very regional-market dependent.

>>Thats why PC Sports is pulling away<<

This will also be very regional-market dependent.

However, if more people that you and I talk to prefer to play sports games on consoles than the PC, and piracy is further reduces the appeal of producing those games in the same manner as has been done in the past on the PC, I have no argument against that, I don't completely disagree with Mr. Moore's decision.

tempole said:

Not a real surprise - EA was never able to Patch and now to produce Fifa just for consoles is like saying - HEY we dont care about support and patches but on PC its a musthave, and because we suxx @ patching we will just bring console games where you cant really patch

John Kowalke said:

I am sorely disappointed that you have chosen not to release Madden NFL 09 for the PC.  I have purchased every Madden NFL release since Madden 97.  Sadly, unless you want to send me a free XBOX 360 or Playstation 3, I will not be purchasing Madden NFL 09 nor NFL Head Coach 2009, both games I would have purchased for the PC.  At $50 a game, I have spent over $550 in Madden titles alone in the past 11 years.  They have been well worth the expense.  It is unfortunate I will not be able to enjoy Madden 09.

linkinstreet said:

I am disappointed really. Piracy is not limited just to PC. And it's easy to use system like STEAM that can limit the impact. Altho I do not disagree completely, it's plain wrong to blame just that.

Also why are EA not taking advantage of the more powerful PC now? I mean FIFA are still the shitty PS2 conversion. I have spent a lot to upgrade my PC that I don't need to buy the overrated PS3 or XboX360. But still EA treats the PC like it's an afterthought. Even PES looks better on the PC now.

tommy said:

First of all, I think this is a nice step back by Peter and EA Sports.  I heard and read a lot of complaining from both console and PC gamers about how they were disappointed in past Madden versions...and complaints followed any Madden release.  Not making a PC version enables EA to focus on next gen and hopefully make their owners extremely happy.  From what I've seen, 09 looks to be the best next gen Madden.  

Now here's where I'm coming from Peter/readers...I'm a PC gamer through and through.  Ya I have, or should I say my kids have consoles but I stick with the PC for Madden or any other game.  My kids are not at the age range where Madden is one of their games of choice.  As for me, I like to lean in!  Whether its a FPS, racing or sports, I like the functionality of the PC.  Evidence of this is what the Madden community has done with all the updated roster files, rookie draft classes, art packages, draft programs, roster/franchise editing programs that simply make the PC Madden a lean in game.

Now I'm not going to be abusive and ridicule EA for their decision of no Madden09 for the PC nor will I start a console vs PC debate.  Consoles are convienent and thats what the public wants...plug and play. Downloadable distribution is the way I think PC games will/should be sold.  As for me, I 've already dug out old versions of Madden and looked at saved frannys and replays that were all forgotten because a new Madden forced their retirement.  What year will be my choice to dust off and get to some unfinished business, who knows but it looks like I have at least another year to do so.

PC Dev said:

@big daddy p

"...i just finished my masters degree in buisness in the university of calgary in canada and all this stuff about buisness aspects ... is all horse crap. i'm sure people on pc gamers would rather pay 50-60 dollars for a good game on pc than 20-30 dollars for a 5 cent production game."

-With a Masters Degree in business wouldn't you, of all people, know to trust numbers and data rather than "I'm sure of's"?

"...you say not everyone has a gaming pc. thats true but everyone has a pc."

-Everyone has a PC.  OK.  So EA should focus its effort catering to the Everyone Has a PC but not Everyone Plays Games philosphy?

"if you would stop feeding yourself all that bull turd, your eyes might be actually opened to see the potential profit in the pc market.  present a good product, properly advertise it and then come talk to me about sales after."

-Isn't this kind of what Peter is proposing?  Step back, re-evaluate, and decide where to go from here.  If they didn't see the potential he would have said PC Sports from EA are done forever.

Why is it everyone still aims the gun at Peter (New to EA)?  At least he said something.  He's admitting there is a problem (not created by him. Again, he's new to EA). He's trying to fix the issue.  They know the potential profits available as the only real PC Sports creators in the market.  But Peter Moore realizes those profits won't be reached by 'porting crappy console versions over to the PC' as many of you say.

Don't be hateful, spiteful, vengeful.....be thankful.  He's trying to address what most have been bitching about for the last couple of years on PC.  *** you for not fixing it, and *** you for trying to fix it.  Make up your minds Gamers.

Customer Disservice said:

Thank you for saving me from spending any more money on any EA titles or EA affiliates.  With your decision, you saved me hundreds of dollars every year.  Years and years ago when I was a poor college student, I would occasionally use pirated games.  Now that I am a well-compensated professional, I see no need to go to such extremes and understand that when I buy a title, every dollar I spend helps keep others, like myself, employed and titles flowing and technology advancing.  

You say that the decision is based upon economics, I call bullshit in that I know for a fact that programmers, coders and modellers all work on multiple titles.  While certain titles do not do as well as others, you are cutting off a significant revenue stream that will no longer be there, whether an individual title is profitable or not.  It is a matter of economies-of-scale, and this decision just completely eliminated a revenue stream capable or covering significant development costs.  

A console is nothing more than a dumbed-down PC and you think that those console titles are not pirated?  It is just as easy these days to burn a copy of a game onto those hard-drives as it is your standard home PC.  So what happens now, PS2 and Xbox owners are next?  How many PS2's compared to PS3's are out there?  Same with the Xbox compared to the 360?  

As someone with a significantly overclocked custom-built high-end computer and quite a bit of disposable income, I have been willing to overlook certain graphical glitches that become apparent at 2560x1600 on max settings due to gameplay, something that has been rectified with the help of a very sizeable modding community just ostracized, being some of the best in the business.  

I think my money saved will be much better spent and backed-up by other funds shorting Electronic Arts stock in Q3/Q4 and will provide me at least some enjoyment due to short-sided decisions like releasing a spanish-dubbed version of Madden 09 instead of focusing those resources upon improving a Spanish version of FIFA.  

I find it ironic as well that instead of embracing digital downloads which would significantly reduce overhead, you shun it instead of adopting it.  The serious lack of vision in upper management surprises and appals me.  I wouldn't be too surprised if your "job" is deemed expendable after all this to save their margin when the company does not meet analyst projections.

Common Sense said:

Customer Disservice says:

"You say that the decision is based upon economics, I call bullshit in that I know for a fact that programmers, coders and modellers all work on multiple titles."

-----

Well you need to check your facts. Countless interviews by EA producers pretty much tell the story that they devote teams to single titles. Even further, they commit teams to jsut a single PLATFORM (for instance, the same guys who made Madden for Wii are NOT the same ones who made it for 360).

These projects have become so large and expensive that it is rather impossible for programmers now to work multiple titles. Its just too involved to just do one....and that is how it should be.

Maybe back in the 80s when games were being written in basements and garages buys worked on more than one title - but in todays big business video game industry that isn't the case.

By the way- no one cares what you do personally. The FACT is that piracy is widespread and it is a problem. These developers i just mentioned- who work on one platform of one title every year - deserve to have their games PAID FOR. Period.

Customer Disservice said:

Common Sense said:

Well you need to check your facts. Countless interviews by EA producers pretty much tell the story that they devote teams to single titles. Even further, they commit teams to jsut a single PLATFORM (for instance, the same guys who made Madden for Wii are NOT the same ones who made it for 360).

___

OK, and who do you think those teams are made up of, programmers they just pulled off the street for a single project?  You are confusing multiple projects with mulitple platforms.  Multiple coders teams work multiple projects within a given platform.  Those teams shift depend on the time of the year and project.  

I don't even know why I am even bothering to respond to someone who obviously has his console controller shoved so far up his *** that he fails to realize that sports titles are not even that demanding on a PC to appeal to a broad as market as possible.  Last I heard, there are over one billion PC's out there, how many of the other platforms are out there?

So how about you look to pry your lips of Peter Moore's *** for a few minutes so you can see beyond a dimple, a pimple, and an ***-hair.

Common Sense said:

To The cursing disservice guy who cant form sentences-

Yes. Programmers/Coders/whatever you want to call them work on ONE project. thats EXACTLY what im saying.

Single projects require so much manpower now that teams are used for single projects. Maybe certain projects are distributed to a couple titles (at most....for instance someone might develop an animation used for both NCAA and Madden, both being football titles)...but dev teams are assigned to a single project on a single platform and they work around the clock year-round for that project. Last time i checked, the guys doing the design for football dont carry over their tackling codes to the golf games. Are you naive to think that development of a title only takes a couple months with your little "time of year" example?

Please, you can cut out all the cursing and bad english. The facts are- programmers are assigned to single projects and do not work on madden for 3 months, then NHL for 3 months, then FIFA for another 3 and then Spore for the last 3. Theres a Madden for 360 team, a Madden for Wii team, a Fifa for PS2 team, and NHL for PC team, and so on and so forth. Do you not realize how many employees work for EA?

Rich said:

Stopping development because of piracy isn't stopping it, it's shifting it. The people who were pirating PC will just switch to PS3/360. Pirating consoles is nearly as simple as PCs these days. As the former PC players learn how simple it is, they will tell their console friends, who will tell their friends, etc. making consoles just as bad as PC. Of course, I doubt this could happen in a year over just EA Sports games...

Customer Disservice said:

Re: Common Sense

Pardon me if my complex sentance structure, although still grammatically correct (except for that second to last one, esh proofread!), demasculates you in any way.  As for the insults, I've read enough of your posts and your time is due to get knocked down from your self-elevated perch.

You DO understand that every new edition has it's roots based in older code, correct?  Then why is it so hard to grasp the realization that this is a downward spiral?  One platform now is not "economically viable", which one is next?  I write a few programs myself (mainly basic/SQL, simple stuff) and I never work without a blueprint.  I am looking at the code right now between Madden 04 and 08.  Not much base difference on the user end aside from new features.  

As for switching titles, it happens all the time.  Ever wonder why a designer is listed on several different platforms?  

What Rich said is spot on.  Six years ago, a friend-of-mine's kid brother had a modded PS2 connected up to a hard drive literally stuffed with games.  Now those hard drives are standard on current platforms.  It has been going on for a long, long, time yet PC's seem to take the brunt of it.  It is ironic that they seem to find it odd that GTA 4 had a leaked copy a couple of weeks before release?!  Guess which platform it was for....(hint: not PC, not until Fall).  Consoles are nothing more than underpowered, dumbed-down PC's.  Hell, I have another friend that uses his old Xbox as a linux server.  

Just to ruin one of your examples, Spore is being developed by Maxis studios (bought out by EA), EA is only publishing it along with many other titles.  The problem is that EA produces very little directly in-house.  They use subsidiary companies, now conveniently owned by EA.  EA Tiburon, EA Canada, etc...all were initially individual developers bought out by EA to have more say-so in the final product.  HB studios is likely next.

Those companies do work on multiple projects, EA itself does not work on anything but publishing and advertising.  

Yes, I do realize how many employees they have but you have to be smoking crack to think that the majority of them are coders/developers.  How many people in whatever company you work for work in product development?  Yeah, I thought so.  Next time, do your research.

Uncommon Sense said:

Hey, Common Sense, are you Peter Moore's lackey or something? Moore is clearly off his rocker if he thinks revenue at EA will increase because he is dropping the PC franchise.  For this to happen - several things have to occur:

PC users who pirate decide to actually buy the console versions.

Revenue from PC lost < The cost of porting the games to PC.

Why does the airline and hotel industry sell empty seats and rooms below fixed + variable cost? Because it's a hellofa lot better than leaving it empty and getting ZERO revenue.

I was really pissed that EA decided to drop the PC granchise.  But you know what? Screw you.  EA Sports games on the PC have sucked for the last 3 years anyway.  Good riddance.  I hope 2K8 takes this opportunity to crush your stranglehold on sports video games.

"Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake" - Napoleon

Alan Danze said:

Timothy you are an idiot.Why?Well the first thing i noticed you are an american so by the definition you have a low IQ.Second, how the *** do you compare consoles with PC?PC owns the consoles in every aspect.A console will never be better than a high end PC and as adaptable as it is.Tell me when you can put 1 TB on console, tell me when you can put 3 video cards in a console.The thing is PC can implement what consoles have but consoles can't implement too much.And who the *** cares about madden.Only americans like it.You are lucky you are not near me.

Former EA Supporter said:

Here is link to a recent comment from Peter with regards to Madden and other titles for the pc in case your interested:

pc.ign.com/.../895012p1.html

Should be interesting to see what "retooling" they come up with.

Chest Rockwell said:

I will keep this simple.  I've been a loyal customer for ten years.  This represents a "just business" middle finger from Mr. Peter Moore.  I will not buy new equipment in order to play Madden 09.  Rather, I will return the middle finger buy boycotting EA, as well as those establishments that sell EA products (I do a lot more electronic business than game business).

Too bad if my middle finger offends you Peter--it's "just business."

big daddy p said:

hey peter like i said earlier, i have a buisness degree. my dad has a bachelors, masters and phd in buisness, what do you have, a crap degree from some community college. if i ever saw you anywhere, i would curb stomp you because you are disgrace to what america is all about. doing everything to make as much profit as possible. free enterprise and a free market system. don't you remeber that from your community college course

ricks66gs said:

Peter, I can understand all the business talk about why EA left the market on PC but the reality has been that if you put aside the "eye candy" the engine on PC Madden blew the doors off the consoles.  I own both pc's and a ps3 and the gameplay difference for real game entertainment is better on a PC.  The engine means very little to the pc market, it's about does it play realistically or is it laggy and frame rate limited.  The PC games were much better and I've played them both.  I'd be happy to pay 80 dollars for a PC game if the game plays well than buying 50 dollar console games that lag and are sputtering in their quest to wow me with visuals.  I think your marketing surveys and the customers you serve are missing the target audience.

If you decide to leave pc gaming for madden it doesn't make a lot of business sense that you bought the rights to the NFL.  I think if you don't see value in the pc area, you should not have asked for this in the contract and let other developers make a game.  

The PC game sales decline because the offerings are junk.  Offering gamers a chance to make a mascot is foolish.  Offering us a chance to buy a josten's ring is silly.  We don't need bs gimmicks to buy a game.  We want a game that plays smooth (not choppy) and the realism on the field seems real where when I push a button I get the reaction I was hoping for.  Forget the gimmicks and franchise stuff like hotdog prices, that's not where people spend their time.  You got off the path of doing what the game was about, football.  If you want to make "General manager" games go for it but don't make madden about non field stuff.

Lastly, you would be wise to look at why madden pc gamers still play, what features can you capitalize on better, maybe the gameplay is adequate and needs tweaking.  Maybe you could advance the features of online play or league mode.  Maybe offer a basic game version and then a franchise version that has online franchise modes and the ability to have real leagues that run 24/7.  There are opportunities out there but you have to decide what you want to live with.  

Good luck with EA and your future.  So far I own a ps3 and 4 pc's but at this time the business decision of EA and my purchasing power don't connect with EA's strategy and hence my free discretionary spending will support other companies.  It might explain why EA's stock price is lower than ever because you aren't meeting the needs of customers who are willing and able to buy.  Most likely you get your market research from high school students who steal software and don't have the capital to buy anything.  Maybe talking with real fans and real people with purchasing power you wouldn't be in this predicament.  Good luck in your future, maybe in 2009 you will come to your senses.

David said:

I can understand that piracy is most certainly an issue for EA, and that they do in fact lose money because of it, IGN produced a good article on how many copies of Crysis were indeed pirated compared to the lower amount of legally bought copies. However I cannot comprehend how an extremely successful and wealthy company such as EA suffers financially because of such actions?

Surely if piracy was so bad, EA would in fact be doing a lot worse than now. It has been able to take over divisions such as BioWare and Take 2 (I'm not sure on the last one), and yet it claims that piracy causes it to stop production of only certain titles for the PC? Also, if they did a better job at porting console games and actually spent more time and effort at it, instead of porting over the PS2 version of Madden 08 for the PC why not try to do a port of the 360 version? Shame really.

That kind of lack of effort has nothing to do directly with piracy, just laziness and trying to milk their other titles for as much as possible. For example, EA's sneaky money-making idea of turning Crysis into a trilogy and making Warhead simply an alternate route through the first island is really devious. And you wonder why people feel ripped off? Nowadays it feels as though when any developer is bought by EA, the games produced by those developers seem to have less quality about them and are more driven to make money than provideva solid gaming experience. Kind of like Crysis. Great cinematics, but linear gameplay and split into a trilogy. Nice.

computerdude103 said:

Personally, I really don't think it's a big deal.  Madden sells more copies on the console, so they are obviously going to design it with the console in mind.  REAlly, how fun is it to play Madden on the computer anyway, and really, can't you just get a PS2 for dirt cheap and play the real game anyways?

On the other side, there are some technologies out there that are harder to crack than others... maybe EA should invest in a better anti-piracy system for their games.  And in this day and age, I don't think it would be unreasonable for you to insist that people must have an active internet connection to play.  That combined with serial numbers licensed to one person would just about take care of your piracy problems, if implemented correctly.

Dario Quiroga said:

I Want beta tester for the new game for pc plataform

my email address is: contacto@darioquiroga.com.ar

Jason Pasalis said:

I recently watched an ad that reminded me to preorder my copy of Madden NFL 2009 for the PC like I've done every year through your EA Sports site. But to my surprise there is no PC version and after doing a little more research I find out that the new president of EA Sports Peter Moore has decided not release Madden on PC because of software piracy.

If that's the case why don't you stop making any games for PC? Why is it that Madden, one of the biggest names in PC Sports gaming, is not profitable on PC? How can thousands of other developers, some of which make games exclusively on PC, make a profit?

I will never own a console system, I haven't since the NES when I was a kid. I like the ability to upgrade my computer and still be able to play the same games. It seems to me this is a huge  mistake, Madden was the only EA Sports game I have purchased year in and year out and it will be the last. It's not about "making friends" it's about shutting out a loyal fan base.

Also, people pirate console games as well, and I'm sure now that it's not being offered on PC piracy of Madden on console systems will become a bigger problem. That's a completely ridiculous excuse. I can't believe a company as large as EA would make such a big mistake.

sohbet said:

Thank you, mirc

Thomas Pietrosanto said:

I dont own a game console so most of my gaming is done on my PC. I was very disapointed upon hearing the news that TW2009 would not be available for the PC. I have purchased the game every year since it came out along with about 20 other of my friends and family. Even though we are seperated in different parts of the country we can get online and play golf against each other.  I also travel extensively for buisness and its nice to go online from the hotel and play using my laptop. I am not going to carry aqrouynd a ggame console. Its odd that you would abandon the pc when lots of other game creaters are not. Blizzard is releasing a new version of Diablo soon and they constantly update thier other games. I hope you are seriously rethinking your decision

EAHatter said:

That was a stupid comment related to piracy, Peter. People pirate other platforms as well and this is no excuse for as to why you couldn't extend the copy protection on the PC platform. EA will find that any company you touch such as Sega, Microsoft etc turns to crap in no time. Congratulations on destroying yet another big name. I guess you got to be good at something.

Madden 09 Guy said:

How dare you take credit for the work previous executives have done.

EA Quitter said:

We need to start an online petition to have his executive powers removed or to have him removed from office. In his position it is clear that he does not have the best interest for the company or consumer.

Former Maddenite said:

Madden is the only game I play. There is no way I am buying a console just to play Madden. You just black-balled your most loyal and dedicated consumers. Seriously how hard is it just to make another version for PC?

The_Emperor said:

All I can say is no Madden 09 for PC is a discrace.  EA games is often ridiculed in gamer's circles due to lack of quality control etc, and putting their customer's needs to the back burner at every turn.  Most games that EA comes out with are "beta test" quality at best (case in point each and EVERY one of the Battlefield franchise games), where we as the consumers are basically put to work in the task of finding bugs.  Amazing that a company can neglect QC completely and still be in business, but I guess we are all guilty of liking the games enough to put up with EA's practices of making the whole process BARELY worth all the headaches.  

Now we are all stuck with ONE COMPANY representing the NFL and having an exclusive contract that they begged, bribed, and stole to get,   and then not delivering on the promise to FULLY support all game platforms.  Console systems might appeal to some, but to most PC "people" all console systems are completely inferior to a gaming PC in every single comparison.  Its about time that EA games get with the program of doing WHAT IS RIGHT VERSUS WHAT IS SIMPLY EASY!  Its easy to put out a game before its done and you are behind the release deadline (as always)........its easy to put a new skin on an old game engine to get yet another $50 from the ignorant consumer.........its easy to write a big check to another money hungry monopoly to get exclusinve rights versus just competing in the marketplace and letting consumers decide........and finally, its easy to NOT do the work to release a game on all platforms when there is no fear of losing market share.  Look, anyone with a brain KNOWS that ESPN was a far superior game to ALL EA Madden franchise games, and you just purchased them out of your way (more factually just purchased the exclusive rights & let ESPN shrivel up and die versus competing like a game company should.....with superior games.  Guess we all know where that one is headed).  The real bummer is that all of us sports fans would still buy Madden at any cost, but you have just blown that chance to make your customers happy and most of all LOYAL because its the easy way out.   All I can say.......this Peter Moore clown MUST be a Macintosh lover.  Dolt.........

bernie said:

!this move will probably backfire next year !!!

no madden 09 for PC sucks !!!!  if ea thinks that all the pc user go to the stores and buy consoles, they shoot themselfs in the leg ! maybe some will go and buy consoles but me and many Madden fans around the world who bought the first madden game which was ever released  and every since.guys like us made the madden game what it is !!!!!!!!!!!!!  

now with all the different consoles around we the pc users are not longer good enough 4 ea sports!!!!!!!! to say piracy is the biggest reasons for this move was a stupid comment.

console games have be hacked as well - but has EA skipped their games for this platforms? Answer NO !!!

PC owner make your own desicion how u handle the subject madden 2010 for PC !

i have made mine a couple of weeks ago!

madden 08 was the last game !!!!!!!!!!!  i have bought form EA-Sports!

i heard the rumor that NHL 09 (i bought all original games of this series too) won't be available for PC as well! i think there will be no sport game available for PC this year !!!!!!!!

Kevin said:

Well to say I was mad about no Madden on the PC was an understatment. I dont own a consol and never planned to, even after this news. I have decided to never buy another EA product, but since I have found that by changing the firm ware on an Xbox 360 it will play burnt dvds. Wow did you see what I just said "burnt dvds" wow again! Wanna talk about piracy. Instead of being the stand up person and paying my hard earned money for PC games for the last 13 years, I could buy a Xbox 360 and never pay for a game again. So if I wasnt a stand up person I could be true to my word and still play your games and not pay for them. Did you read my last few sentences? I said for the last 13 years I paid for Madden but now If I wasnt a stand up person I could play for FREE!  You people blow my mind, its 10 times easier to burn a game dvd or download a game and burn it to dvd and use it in a Xbox 360 than pirate mordern day computer games. People I know that used to pirate PC games have went to the Xbox 360 because its eisier to do. So what your saying contradicts whats really happening in the world. I geuss I can start saving about $700 every 2 years by buying a consol instead of a $900 to $1100 computer. My video card cost more than a Xbox 360, and the games would be free or the cost to rent the game to have it. So from where I see things its the Xbox 360 that you should quit making games for instead of the PC.

Khai said:

At this point in time, it makes perfect sense for EA to drop PC sports titles left and right.  After all, they're at least 50% to blame for the dwindling sales of sports titles for the computer.  I'm not dumb enough to blame them completely for the problem, but they did have their fair share of screwups which caused the dwindle (and Moore didn't cause any of it).

"The PC as a platform for authentic, fully-licensed, simulation sports games has declined radically in the past three years as the next generation consoles, with their high definition graphics and 5.1 sound capabilities have attracted millions of consumers to eschew the “lean in” PC sports gaming experience for the “lean back” full room console experience."

- PC sports games have indeed declined radically in the past three years, and while it is due to next generation consoles selling well, the graphic and sound capabilities are either the same or less than what PCs offer.  7.1 sound anyone?  That being said, sports gamers made a choice and were either enticed to console gaming or had been console sports gamers for many years. Part (not all) of what drew PC sports fans to the console market was EA's choice to not offer so-called next-gen gaming experiences to their PC titles, instead opting ports of previous generation console sports titles to PC users.

Admittedly, I only chose to play EA's NHL titles on the PC, as I am not into other sports (yes, I'm well aware that hockey is one of, if not THE, least selling of all sports titles).  Still, if EA did anything to the other sports titles for the PC that it did with it's hockey title (at the very least three consecutive years of near bait-and-switching), then it's no surprise that sales would decline.  The PC can deliver everything that an Xbox 360 or PS3 can in terms of graphics, sound, or gameplay (provided one has a controller, an easy $20 purchase). Instead, EA shipped year after year of less than equal quality in comparison to next-gen titles (I'd like to hear from PC sports enthusiasts who played Madden, TW, etc., to see if you received the same shaft). Before anyone thinks of a retort to the previous sentence, before the brackets, I'll answer some expected questions. Why were we PC sports players 'suckered' into buying the nearly the same thing over and over again?  Two reasons.  We're optimists and hoped that EA would finally deliver. Secondly, EA has a tendency with sports titles over the past few years to keep pretty quiet about what features are or are not included in the PC version.  We don't hear anything in advance from reviewers (unlike console versions) or we get zero details on the title's website about the PC version. So we take the risk.. and find the same stuff all over again.

Another part of the dwindling sales of sports titles on PC is because few if any other developers/publishers are working on competition.  They know EA has the market at least for PC in sports and who really could challenge the fanbase?  It's a risk they aren't willing to take.

Sports as a genre for PC is indeed dying, if not at least comatose.

"The business model for PC games is evolving from packaged goods to a download model. The on-line experience is paramount, and hundreds of companies in this space are experimenting with direct-to-consumer revenue models, incorporating premium downloadable content, sponsored downloads, micro-transactions, subscriptions and massive tournament play."

- Is this something, at least on the PC, that EA is not willing to take a risk at?  Apparently not. Look how much revenue is gained from the download model. Is EA not hungry enough to want to bite into that?

"Piracy is an issue. Sorry, I know many of you disagree with me on this, but the numbers don’t lie. Companies spend millions developing content, and deserve to see a return on investment for their risk. The employees developing the game design, writing code and creating art deserve to get paid for their work. Period."

- Yes, it is an issue, but like so many others in this thread have stated, it is not limited to PCs alone.  I don't disagree with Moore's statement of people needing to be paid for their work, but piracy has been rampant for every genre of game for far longer than the next-gen consoles.  Moore's argument is a fallacy because he's limiting the issue to PC sports games alone.  If EA was truly concerned about piracy of their PC titles (not limited to sports), they would have ceased to develop to the PC market years ago and now would be making efforts to stop piracy of console games.

"Businesses have to make hard trade offs for where to invest for the best return, thus creating capital to make even more games. They have to take expensive risks in our hits and misses industry with new intellectual property to keep the games available to gamers fresh, innovative and pushing the technical boundaries of the hardware platforms. I know this concept touches a nerve with some of you, but our industry is founded on publishers that have driven for financially-successful games and then re-invested the proceeds in development of even more content for gamers to enjoy. It’s a simple financial premise, and an obligation for publically-traded companies who answer to their shareholders. We are not making games in garages or bedrooms any more."

- I can't argue this point at all.  It makes pure sense.  Console titles are making more money for them, so why not stick with it and weed out what is losing money?

"In order to make fundamental shifts in an ecosystem, you  sometimes have to hit the reset button. That’s what we have done this year at EA SPORTS as regards some of our franchises on the PC. That does not mean that we aren’t coming back next year with new, innovative, maybe even less-expensive ways to play all of our franchises on the PC, but for right now we are assessing all of the options open to us to shift the current paradigm for our games on this platform."

- I understand this point as well, and see nothing wrong with what is occuring.  If EA belives sports titles are doomed, so be it. Get out of the burning building and go with what works.  However, if EA plans on returning to make sports titles for PC, they should be aware that PCs can do anything the consoles can at the moment and that previous console generation ports are not the answer.

Chris said:

PC games dont make $$ EA?  Gee then i guess STEAM is losing $ daily..

You want to serve PC Content?  It seems developers are singing up left and right to offer their content on the STEAM network, yet you bunch of B*tches cry and whine waaaaaa we cant make money on the pc..

THE PC MADE Electronic Arts.  And you now have turned on us.

I hope you all burn in HELL.  When the 360 is red ringed, and the ps3 is sitting in the corner on fire.. my PC will be perfectly happy tunneling money to Steam to play TF2, CSS, COD4, soon to be COD5... Gee... Someone is making $.. Just not YOU.

Chris said:

EAMODS.COM - sill making your crappy games playable and FREE..

EA got OWNED.

ToonRaiderz said:

"besides why does anyone want PC sports anyway."

What a question!  Allow me to translate:  "I live in my own little cocoon and have no idea that other people might have very different lifestyles not conducive to being tied down to a console the size of a small PC."

I am a manufacturer's rep and spend over two months out of every year on the road, no family along or anything.  I do most of my gaming on my reasonably powerful laptop to fill the time until I get home to my lovely wife and children.  How the heck am I supposed to lug around an XBox?  Or even a PSP, which is just one more item I have to jam into my carryon with my computer that must travel with me for work.

Wake up and step outside now and then, and you'll find a whole world full of people who live differently than your narrow view allows.

Tim Bateman said:

Peter, I truly do understand why EA made this decision.  It comes down to finances, and the PC is not going to give EA it's maximum return in that department.  Piracy on the PC is rampant, and money and resources sunk into tech support every year because of driver and hardware issues can make the PC version seem like a sinkhole.

However, the way EA went about announcing the death of Madden on the PC was, in a word, cowardly.  It was last-minute, vague, and unprofessional. I own a PS3, a PSP, an Xbox, and a PC.  My preferred Madden platform was the PC because of faster load times, smoother motion and graphics, and customization.  I'm 37 years old, and I guarantee that the majority of the PC users complaining are men in my demographic.  What EA didn't take into account is our demographic.  Sure, there are a bunch of kids pirating software out there to play on their parent's computer, but the majority of the PC gamers are like me.  Adults who grew up in the 80's with the gaming industry.  My generation is the first generation to commit to spending on gaming, and we still do it.  All those console versions out there your company makes money off of?  It's my generation buying all those copies: for our kids.  When we spend on our kids, we buy them $500 consoles, and about $2000 per year in games.  Four ourselves?  We buy $3000 gaming rigs (or build them), and we spend as much as it takes to purchase our favorite games.  EA didn't just lose a small slice of their market when they cut off Madden from the PC.  They just lost the faith of the consumers that have been lining their pockets since they were a fledgling company.

Now I'm not going to sit here and say that I won't buy EA.  But my son (who is a console kid, i.e. future consumer) thought that the way EA handled the whole thing was pretty cowardly, too.  You didn't just lose an old-timer, you potentially lost a future customer, as well.

I'm not sure how many consumers feel this way, but I'm fairly certain that the number of us out there is greater than the number of dumb kids pirating your games (did I mention that the piraters out there are cheapskates that probably weren't going to purchase anything from EA anyway?).

Menlo Parker said:

Peter Moore and EA you disgust me.  You can all go to ****.

Eric said:

Piracy happens just as bad on consoles as it does on the PC. Just do a google or torrent site search for Madden 09 iso. You'll find a ton for XBOX, 360, Ps2, and, Ps3. Your piracy theory for declining sales just got shot in the head. Your best bet to stop Piracy is to lock the CD key to the owners EA account just like you did with SPORE. Using that principle you can block users from even getting to the main screen without logging in. I'd have been more than willing to take that step to play.

" In order to make fundamental shifts in an ecosystem, you  sometimes have to hit the reset button."

Where is the rest button on your brain. Turning your collective backs to a major platform is unacceptable. What caused declining sales was regergitating the same game 3 years in a row with only minor tweaks, roster updates and, poor excuses for new features. Porting the next gen would've resolved this problem.

"- The PC as a platform for authentic, fully-licensed, simulation sports games has declined radically in the past three years as the next generation consoles, with their high definition graphics and 5.1 sound capabilities have attracted millions of consumers to eschew the “lean in” PC sports gaming experience for the “lean back” full room console experience"

UMMMM HELLOOOO!!!!!!!!!! PC has kept up with 5.1 surround and the best high definition video processing around. Without the advancements in PC technology. Your coveted consoles wouldn't have squat in either department. I've examined consoles they are scaled down PC's with no better equipment than the best mid range desktop. Why buy a $300-$500 console that's obsolete 2-5 years after it's release. When I can build a PC for $1000 that can last for 5-10 years.

As for bringing Madden back to PC in 2010. You can forget my hard earned $ for it. I'm done supporting the Madden franchise and EA. The only way I will cooncider changing my mind on that is if the next gen Madden 09 get's released for the PC. Anything less and you've lost a customer for life.

blackdreamhunk said:

Yes i'm back

lets talk about pircay first off. there is pircay on consoles too! why don't game devs talk about that.

www.videogamer.com/.../09-10-2008-9606-1.html

kotaku.com/.../capcom-explain-r4-lawsuit-participation

news.softpedia.com/.../Weekend-Reading-Fighting-Against-Piracy-91313.shtml

www.edge-online.com/.../activision-sues-alleged-cod-pirate

Pc gaming will never die. Sorry there is too meny companies that support pc gaming. Pc is cutting edge gaming. Crysis puts all console games to shame. Small companies and inde game devs are starting to shine

pc.ign.com/.../909584p1.html

www.youtube.com/watch

Here is proff that pc gaming is cutting egde gaming

blogs.intel.com/.../gaming_on_integrated_graphics.php

www.gametrailers.com/.../22926.html

check the future of pc gaming no console can do this it's way too old

technology.timesonline.co.uk/.../article4557935.ece

heck it maybe 20 years before any console gamer will ever get to play something like this

www.gametrailers.com/.../40752.html

www.gametrailers.com/.../38336.html

www.youtube.com/watch

dreamhunk said:

By the way  regarding console I have some news for you and ea should really think about

gamer.blorge.com/.../microsofts-pockets-not-so-deep-for-the-xbox-360-division

here is another link

gametopius.com/.../250-the-death-of-the-video-game-console-market

Robbie said:

I own a high end PC £2,500 worth, a 360 ultimate, a WII and a PS3. Like everyone who has added comments here I love video games.

I currently buy around 2 or 3 full priced games a month for the PC, but ias far as EA Sports are concerned PC owners only use pirated games.

I have bought the pc versions of Tiger Woods and Fifa every year since 99, but I stopped after 2007 because I was sick and tired of paying full price for a game which had very little difference from last year.

EA Sports have ripped off PC owners for years now, well before consoles were this popular, but that still did'nt stop the rubbish emerging every year. (This tactic has made EA the giants they are now)

It is no wonder EA Sports have seen a decline in PC sales because when you buy a game like FIFA and you compare it to the PS3 version, only to realise  "I've been mugged by EA again". It is no different to common thieft.

Peter, give PC owners the same value for money, features and improvements, and see what happens

The TRuth Teller said:

EA is a bunch of sell-outs they won't get a penny form me. They sold out to the console industryfor the money thats it. ANything that will cash them in is what ist all about. THey have no loyalty to the consumer. If they can get a bunch of money for a crappy product they will do it.  You can compare them to a blood sucking  attorney.  TO the morons that say PC is dying, google it idiot . YOu will see that the PC market is growing and PC is a more dynamic cutting edge platform. Consoles I do like for arcade style gaming but reminds me of propiatary hardware that are for slaves.

THe Truth Teller said:

And if you notice the newer consoles like ps3 and Xbox 360 is a PC in its self with a proccesor, an Nvidia video card or Ati video card and a Hard drive where u can download demos ect. YOu starting to get the point?. ITs just a ultra propiatary PC that is controlled by 1 company kinda like Mac. But not nearly as capable as a real PC. PC is pretty much for the smart intelligent people. And  the console attracts the ignorant type person that blood sucking company like EA can suck you dry.  But the good news is there are alot of quality developers like Capcom and Rockstar, ect

Invader said:

Ok explain this to me, there is no madden 09 for the PC, but NHL 09 was released for the pc???  See I find this very hard to believe and to me sounds more like business babble than anything else or just lazyiness of your developers.

First of all are you going to sit here and tell all of us there is no money to be made in the PC market, when about 80% of PC's out there have better graphics than 360 and ps3 games?  Your a mulitibillion dollar company and your worried about piracy and using it as a excuse not to release any of the sports games?  Even though NHL 09 came out on the pc...why don't you go tell Blizzard to stop making PC expansion packs for world of warcraft. Why don't you tell Sony online Entertainment that there is no more money on the PC market since everything is going to the next generation consoles.  Personally Im not sure If I will ever buy another EA game, cause I feel you just spit on your PC users...now we was living ok without NCAA 09 on the pc which would of been nice if it would of been, but I see it as a bad business not to release a game for PC just cause your worried about piracy.  

A world outside US said:

Hi Peter,

First a comment to my fellow gamers: Everybody seems to be Madden focused. May I remind you that outside US nobody cares about American football. Period.

From a ww perspective golf is the world's most dominant sport, watched and exercised by the highest number of people by far.

To Peter/EA: Millions of TGW copies have been sold for the PC alone and not a lot of real evolution to the graphics or game face has taken place on the PC in the last 3 annual editions. It's probably due to one the tech challenges you're facing when developing on the PC. But it is also a reason for declining sales leading to the reasoning this is not a lucrative business for EA. You know this business better than most, yet everybody must learn, adapt and be creative.

I would urge you to explore the business case of suiting needs of niche markets vs. a mass market only approach primarily suited for the lowest common denominator related to PC's. Try to investigate if catering for different graphical strenghts of all the pc's out there would make sense while making online downloads a defaul taking out a lot of heat related to the margin equation in distribution as well as the core logistics of distribution.

Adding to the PC experience and retaining the retail profits could probably make the PC business viable - also for sports.

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Good!

TFFF said:

I want to know can your company lanch ea cricket 2009  on`` Pc/ PS3/ 360``.IF your company lanch it as soon so plz made it more realistic and better than past`s cricket games and included in it new features, game play maodes,envoirnments crowd or any other things which would made it best forever. So plz take attention on my request and made it possible for cricket fans.

Chicago Web Design said:

EA is really bad now...they need to buy up other more talented companies ...and quickly  because they are losing ground fast... when was the last time they had a hit game?

moebius said:

Here's a thought, moore. Make a sport game on the PC that's worth buying. I dare you. I've played every NBA live and Fifa for the last 5 years. This years' FIFA 09 is shameful. It's almost exactly like the last three iterations.

And for all the console twats out there... console games have dumbed down the entire gaming culture. We'll never seen another planetscape... just a bunch more WiiWare. hugs and kisses

icedude34 said:

Pc is still a viable gaming system but the consols now have the same power and having played all sports games by ea on pc and ps3 the consol defently runs a sports game better then the pc

i think that if u like rts and mmorpg and some  shooters but in the times console shooters are starting 2 hit there strides but 4 sports games

consoles have the upper hand

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I-aM-dEcApAtAtOr said:

I was REALY look'n 4ward 2 buy'n FN4 cause I know a thing or 2 about boxing, and let me tell ya' trying 2 throw strategically placed combo's by wiggl'n a  stick!    is the complete opposite of TotalPunchControl!! I mean just think about it   if I"m lean'n back wait'n 4 a lazy *** jab or a DESPERATE Haymaker from a CHEEZE TACTICAL PLAYER    I can light em up with a right and left hook 2 the head followed by the same 2 the body... a 4 punch combo that hardly fails and allows me 2 Win more often than I lose.. THAT"S TPC if ya ask me! when u know exactly what combo ur gonna throw b4 THEY know it! the stupid analog makes ya throw random crap that makes the game feel more Arcade rather than Simulation!!! IN a real life fight r ya gonna throw ur attack's instantly on killer instinct?? or wiggle your toes and scratch ur bum first! that's what that Dumb analog control feel's like.. I mean I understand that theres button mashing players who just bang on it hope'n 4 da best! but theres also people like me who understand the sweet science of boxing who can bob and weave and counter all day making the game look SICK.. knowing exactly where the punches r landing on those cheezy DESPERATE HAYMAK"N RUNN'N FOOLS who USE the so called TotalPunchControl!!!! I'm REALY starting 2 think that 1 of if not ALL of the producers who Made this game' get's Smackdown by people who r good wit buttons and would rather personally enjoy the game THEIR way' rather than putt'n extra money in their pocket" STUPID!!!!!!!! I GARRENTEE ya if ya put all the STICK WIGGLERS against other STICK WIGGLERS    the game is not gonna look half as good as a button against buttonTRUE(TPC)players!!!    Square=jab    Triangle=cross    X=L hook    Circle=R hook    Not 2 mention how easy it is 2 throw uppercuts!!! Isnt THAT TotalPunchControl?? or am I just stupid?? PLZ don't ruin what could be an incredible game!!!