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By
David Jenkins
Gamasutra
November
13, 1998
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 News
Analysis
Eurospeak
EA's
Sweet Spot: Soccer Games
In
a controversial new deal Electronics
Arts revealed that it now has the exclusive rights to Europe’s
Christmas number one spot for the next eight years.
Of course EA haven’t phrased it quite like that but it has revealed that
they’ve signed up the rights to the next two World Cups, Euro 2000, the
German Bundesliga, and an eight-year extension to their existing FIFA
license.
For any Americans that haven’t yet realized, we are of course talking
about soccer games. Before half the population of the US slips into a
coma of disinterest, it may be worth pointing out that EA now considers
soccer to be its single most important category of game.
This is little wonder as soccer games are Europe’s most profitable sector
(at times accounting for over a quarter of all European game sales) and
EA now figures it can secure a huge 80% of the market, one it already
dominates, although to a lesser degree.
More controversially EA announced that it intends to produce three major
soccer titles per year. The release of two this year (FIFA World Cup
and the upcoming FIFA 99) has met with rather mixed success; the
World Cup game performed much less spectacularly than EA expected.
Many put this down to the fact that an almost identical game was released
less than six months earlier. Nevertheless, EA is of the opinion that
the two games attracted an identifiably different audience from each other
and so plans to push forward toward the release a regular national league
title (which can now be tailored to each country, as EA just signed up
all the big leagues).
The traditional FIFA product (‘99 is due at Christmas and
its a safe bet that 2000 will be ringing up the tills the same
time next year), and an event-base product such as the World Cup
or Euro 2000 (although every other year neither occurs so its not
clear if EA intends to promote more obscure tournaments, such as the Cup
America to "event" status).
Whatever happens, it looks like EA has a quarter of the European market
sewn up before it even releases a product, and the Christmas number one
as well. Which is kind of scary if you remember that only two years ago
the FIFA games were of an astoundingly low quality. There seems little
any one can do about this state of affairs, with surely the only chance
of breaking EA’s dominance coming from Eidos’
court - if it decides to produce a Tomb Raider football game, which
considering it also has the Micheal Owen license, sounds a better idea
than ever.
Awards, awards, awards
As the nights draw in you can’t move for video game awards. The BAFTA
Interactive Awards have come and gone, and no one in the mainstream media
seems to have paid them the slightest attention, which isn’t surprising
considering the ordinary film BAFTAs (allegedly Britain’s equivalent to
the Oscars) are about as prestigious as a chocolate medal.
As usual though those organising the event seemed completely oblivious
to the fact that nobody was paying attention. Games companies are never
likely to win again as only two games actually won in any of the eleven
categories. GoldenEye narrowly (?!) beat Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus
(which isn’t actually released in the UK yet) and V2000 for the
imaginatively titled Games Award.
While Gran Turismo had a similarly tough time beating Motorhead
for the Computer Programming Award, with Unreal dragging its
heels in third place. The Moving Image Award went to Ceremony of Innocence
(the only game nominated in the category being Riven). Ceremony
of Innocence also won the Sound Award, and without anyone in the games
industry having the slightest clue what it is.
The ridiculous Comedy Award went to MindGym (its obscurity presumably
never bothered one of the judges, as it was made by his company). Runners-up
were Starship Titanic and You Don’t Know Jack. Grim Fandago
apparently doesn’t count because it’s not out yet. Unlike, say, Abe’s
Exoddus.
Perhaps the most amusing winner was in the Interactive Treatment Award
- bestowed upon the "the most successful and engaging use of interactivity".
Apparently out of all the multimedia and video games awards released last
year, the BAFTA committee was able to narrow the nominees down to Starship
Titanic, Microsoft’s Interactive Barney and StageStruck.
The winner, StageStruck, is published by the National Institute
of Dramatic Art. No doubt the PlayStation version of this hot piece of
interactive entertainment will be released any day soon. Just as soon
as Beelzebub gets his winter woollies in.
Have a Holly, Jolly, Croft-y Christmas
Clearly being too cool for the BAFTAs, Lara Croft has been earning her
own more meaningful trophies. The increasingly old looking, in terms of
CGI technology, Lara has picked up two Millennium Product gongs. Such
gongs are given out by the CBI to ground breaking British products, of
whatever kind, and are the direct result of Tony Blair’s quest to find
the country’s "most innovative and creative products." Innovative? Clearly
Mr. Blair was more impressed with the last sequel than the rest of us.
Lara’s other coup involves a rather peculiar merchandise tie in with Marks
& Spencers (a national clothes chain in the UK beloved by the over 30s
set, and which thinks of itself as a cut above the normal cut-price riff-raff).
Marks & Sparks will be selling a range of socks, mugs, ties, mouse mats,
underwear, T-shirts and pajamas, all adorned by Lara Croft and here ample
bosom. Mini-shorts and extra capacity sweat tops will not be a part of
the range. This move precedes the appearance of another range of Lara
wear from the rather more trendy Animal clothes label.
Insult to Injury
In an obvious attempt to prove that all Britons are whinging poms, the
Australia’s Office of Film and Literature Classification has awarded the
"full blood pedestrian" version of CARMAGEDDON II a measly 15 certificate.
This is the same game that the British BBFC is still reticent to give
an 18 certificate, the highest possible age category. Clearly the average
Aussie stomach is made of sterner stuff.
David Jenkins (david.jenkins@dial.pipex.com)
is a freelance writer working in England. He has previously been the editor
of the Develop newsletter, worked on British Telecom’s Wireplay
news service, and contributed to CTW, PlayStation Plus and many
other video game publications. He has also been involved in the organisation
of the Develop! and Online conferences in London.
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