NFL Blitz Arriving With a Whimper – Lack of NBA Jam Support Partially Responsible

Based on the results of the poll posted last week regarding purchase plans for NFL Blitz – which releases tomorrow on XBLA and PSN for $15 – enthusiasm has dropped considerably since the original announcement of the game. Only 13% plan to buy Blitz and 59% are dead set against it. The remaining chunk is in wait and see mode and may base a decision on the trial version. Considering the only unedited gameplay video generated pure indifference it might be tough to hook those people who are on the fence with a few minutes of game time.

There are a number of reasons why Blitz isn’t drawing much excitement from consumers. The removal of late hits as dictated by the league was the first big blow and that was then followed up by outdated rosters. The latest factor though seems to be a lack of confidence in EA Sports relating to their second-tier titles following the handling of NBA Jam: On Fire Edition. That game, which promised roster updates, still has not delivered one and the company still hasn’t even commented on the subject. That is probably telling – the only reason to ignore inquires would be to try and avoid any backlash that would come with a negative response.

Blitz hasn’t promised any roster updates (notably avoiding the topic completely along the way) but the lack of support towards Jam – which is produced out of the same studio and has similar relevance and publisher backing – has to be a consideration when setting expectations. The blunders made with Jam, from the console version to the direct-download version, are certainly influencing some level of trepidation in how Blitz is being viewed.