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NBA and 2K announce licensing deal extension
The NBA and Take Two (parent company of 2K Sports) today announced a seven-year extension of their licensing deal which includes the incredibly popular NBA 2K series and now also NBA Playgrounds, NBA 2K Online (China), mobile apps and an esports league. The news is of course no surprise at all, the partnership has been exceedingly successful for both parties, but some of the details are interesting to examine.
Not only have the sales of NBA 2K risen considerably since the terms of the last deal were struck in 2011 but digital revenue has become an even bigger driver of profitability. Putting consumer discontent towards the practice aside, the method of implementing VC has helped generate hundreds of millions of dollars for Take Two.
That success for 2K means they’ll now be paying a lot more for the license – reportedly over twice as much as they were in the previous deal. The cost is now $1.1 billion which breaks down to $157 million a year. Though the deal is not for exclusivity they’re paying at a rate that is effectively just that. Since 2010 there has been no true competition for NBA 2K which in a sense created their own exclusivity through market domination.
Seven years will take 2K and the publisher’s other properties through much of the next console generation. It’s difficult to even guess what the gaming landscape will look like at that point, and NBA 2K may have hit its peak already in terms of sales growth, but the partnership between them will likely lead to yet another reassessment and extension when the time comes.
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Rocket League becomes the second game to have full cross-platform play
After being resistant for years Sony has finally relented and activated cross-platform play capability with Rocket League. Along with Fortnite they are the only games that offer cross-platform play linking owners on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC. Players can now be part of a massive pool of competitors (over 40 million have played Rocket League) and join up with friends that have the game on other systems.
Back in 2016 cross-platform play went live with Rocket League for the Xbox One, Switch, and PC. Because Sony has been the sales leader this generation they had no obvious incentive to allow the users of other systems to play with/against their larger userbase. However it seems that consumer pressure finally got to them and they realized that they can benefit as well by letting their fans enjoy such an experience.
This development continues to shine a light on the way that cross-platform play could also be well utilized by the major sports game publishers. Allowing for the revenue-driven modes like Ultimate Team and other online modes to be used across platforms would not only increase their competitive nature but also rescue those that are struggling with lower engagement which has proven to be a considerable concern with the Switch.
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The Line Drive for January 13
The Line Drive is a weekly collection of news, links, deal alerts, and updates that didn’t necessarily warrant their own postings.
♦Vote for Sports Game of the Year and other categories in the annual PCAs!
♦Details on the ratings changes following Wild Card round in Madden NFL 19.
♦Super Mega Baseball 2 was the most played indie game on XB1 in 2018.
♦Complete a survey regarding OOTP Baseball and get a chance to win OOTP 20.
♦EA Sports revealed the players for Team of the Year in FIFA 19 Ultimate Team.
♦NBA Live 19 is still on sale for $10 with XBL Gold or PlayStation Plus subscriptions.
♦Complete details on all rating changes made in the latest NBA 2K19 roster update.
♦Details on the latest gameplay tuner that has gone out for EA Sports UFC 3.
♦Steep is currently being offered for free on PS4 to all PS+ subscribers.
♦Disc Jam is currently on sale for just $6 for the PC version through Steam.
♦The first Press Row Podcast episode of the new year went live last week.
♦Don’t miss the Sports Game of the Year episode of the Press Row Podcast!
♦The Press Row Podcast can now be found among the featured podcasts on Spotify.
♦Blu-ray releases this week headlined by Halloween and Once Upon a Deadpool. -
James Harden gets a big ratings bump from latest NBA 2K19 roster update
The first roster update of the new year for NBA 2K19 has delivered a big shift at the top of the player ratings. James Harden has been on fire for the last month and has been rewarded with a two point boost taking him up to 96 Overall. That’s good enough for the second-highest rating in the league (tied with Kevin Durant in that spot) only trailing LeBron James.
The 96 Overall for Harden is actually the rating that he had at the start of the season, which was followed by a drop down to 94 in November. He currently leads the league in scoring with nearly 34 points per game along with 9 assists and 6 rebounds. It’s the last month though where he has been near unstoppable. Since December 13 he has averaged 40 points and hasn’t scored less than 32 in any game.
Other notable players being adjusted in the latest update include Kevin Durant (-1 to 96), Steph Curry (-1 to 95), Joel Embiid (+1 to 92), Nikola Jokic (+1 to 92), Paul George (+1 to 91), Russell Westbrook (-1 to 91), Damian Lillard (-1 to 91), Karl-Anthony Towns (+1 to 90), Victor Oladipo (-1 to 87), Andre Drummond (-1 to 87), Kyle Lowry (-1 to 87), Luka Doncic (+2 to 86), LaMarcus Aldridge (+1 to 86), Jusuf Nurkic (+2 to 85), Jayson Tatum (-1 to 85), Draymond Green (-1 to 85), Buddy Hield (+2 to 82), Domantas Sabonis (+2 to 82), Dennis Schroder (-2 to 78), Thomas Bryant (+3 to 76), and Derrick White (+5 to 75).
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End of Year Community Awards: Best Sports Game of 2018
With 2018 having come to a close it’s time to start looking back on the developments that have taken place in sports gaming and acknowledge the various efforts that have been made in the genre with the 10th Annual Pastapadre Community Awards. You can check out all of the PCA winners from previous years here.
The categories will include Sports Game of the Year, Best New or Non-Yearly Sports Game, Best Mobile Game, Best Racing Game, Best Gameplay, Best Online Play, Best Presentation, Best Franchise Mode, Best Career Mode, Best Post-Release Support, Best New Feature, and Best Team-Building Mode. All winners will be announced in mid-January!
Next up is the big one for Best Sports Game. This year what was a relatively weak field has been narrowed to three instead of the traditional five. The genre has been well represented by a variety of winners from NBA 2K (4), MLB The Show (3), FIFA (1), Madden (1), and NCAA Football (1). From 2018 it’ll be NBA 2K19 looking to win for the first time since 2015 up against a winner from further back in FIFA 19 and one nominated for the very first time with NHL 19.
Categories now OPEN:
Best Story/Career Mode – Best Gameplay – Best Franchise Mode – Best Team-Building Mode – Best Online Play – Best Racing Game – Best Sports Game Newcomer – Best Post-Release Support – Best Sports Game
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End of Year Community Awards: Best Post-Release Support of 2018
With 2018 coming to a close it’s time to start looking back on the developments that have taken place in sports gaming and acknowledge the various efforts that have been made in the genre with the 10th Annual Pastapadre Community Awards. You can check out all of the PCA winners from previous years here.
The categories will include Sports Game of the Year, Best New or Non-Yearly Sports Game, Best Mobile Game, Best Racing Game, Best Gameplay, Best Online Play, Best Presentation, Best Franchise Mode, Best Career Mode, Best Post-Release Support, Best New Feature, and Best Team-Building Mode. All winners will be announced in mid-January!
Next up for 2018 is Best Post-Release Support where Madden NFL 19 will go for a fourth straight victory for the franchise. EA Sports UFC 3 gets its only nomination here in this category with the series having been the last non-Madden winner back in 2014. Rocket League in its fourth year continued to deliver new compelling updates and gets yet another nomination in the category.
Categories now OPEN:
Best Story/Career Mode – Best Gameplay – Best Franchise Mode – Best Team-Building Mode – Best Online Play – Best Racing Game – Best New or Non-Yearly Sports Game – Best Post-Release Support
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The Line Drive for January 6
The Line Drive is a weekly collection of news, links, deal alerts, and updates that didn’t necessarily warrant their own postings.
♦Cast your votes for categories currently open in the annual PCAs!
♦Details on the Playoffs Program for Ultimate Team in Madden NFL 19.
♦EA Sports opened the first of several planned consumer surveys regarding Madden.
♦It’ll likely be another month before getting first feature details/trailer for MLB The Show 19.
♦NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 remains on sale having dropped even further to just $15.
♦It’s not Black Friday pricing but NBA 2K19 is currently on sale all systems for $30.
♦NBA Live 19 is still on sale for $10 with XBL Gold or PlayStation Plus subscriptions.
♦FIFA 19 is currently on sale for $23 digitally but only for the Xbox One.
♦EA Sports is making some big changes to gameplay tuners with NHL 19.
♦NHL 19 is currently on sale for $30 digitally but only for the Xbox One.
♦A new volleyball game with its reveal trailer out is set to release for $40 in February.
♦Steep is currently being offered for free on PS4 to all PS+ subscribers.
♦Don’t miss the Sports Game of the Year episode of the Press Row Podcast!
♦The Press Row Podcast can now be found among the featured podcasts on Spotify.
♦Blu-ray this week headlined by Mid90s and for digital it’s First Man. -
Madden NFL 19 roster update details heading into Wild Card round
The roster update for Madden NFL 19 featuring ratings changes based on regular season performance through all 17 weeks has gone live to download on all systems just in time for the playoffs to begin. Cover athlete Antonio Brown has not been altered despite skipping out on the Steelers’ must-win season finale. There is some big movement however as corrections are made on some players that have over or underperformed over the course of the season.
Notables on the move in ratings this week include Zack Martin (+1 to 97), Fletcher Cox (+1 to 96), Jalen Ramsey (-2 to 95), Patrick Mahomes (+2 to 94), Christian McCaffrey (+1 to 94), Andrew Whitworth (+2 to 94), Myles Garrett (+1 to 93), Geno Atkins (+1 to 93), Le’Veon Bell (-1 to 93), Stephon Gilmore (+1 to 92), Eddie Jackson (+3 to 91), George Kittle (+2 to 91), Joey Bosa (+1 to 91), Trent Williams (-3 to 91), Ndamukong Suh (-4 to 89), Devin McCourty (-2 to 88), Gerald McCoy (-2 to 88), Dee Ford (+2 to 87), Sean Lee (-2 to 87), Darius Leonard (+2 to 86), Quenton Nelson (+2 to 86), Eddie Goldman (+3 to 85), and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix (-2 to 83).
Check out full details on current ratings and any changes in this week’s update through the form on the official Madden NFL 19 website.
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