EA adds premium content to Marketplace

360 News | More to come as well.

EA has released some of the first in-game premium content for Madden NFL 07. There are four video strategy guides for the game. Each video costs 160 Marketplace points. Also available are two stadium downloads, the LA Rams Classic Stadium and the Seattle Seahawks Classic Stadium, which will set you back 300 points.

In an interview with Gamespot, EA's Vice President of Online Commerce stated that the "stuff that we're going to be releasing this week is just the start." According to Gamespot, we'll also soon be seeing more stadiums and uniforms for Madden NFL 07, as well as pro-shop items for Tiger Wood's PGA Tour 07. Bear in mind that Madden NFL 07 is available at full recommended retail price, so if you want everything released for it, then you better be willing to pay.

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15 Comments

Jellyfish

5 years ago

Whoa crap! Just like everyone feared.

I expect "Trust EA to be the first to do this" responces.

Cerebral

5 years ago

EA's definition of the term 'premium' is highly suspect.

ugh the boot

5 years ago

nikack wrote

Whoa crap! Just like everyone feared.

I expect "Trust EA to be the first to do this" responces.

You can get strategy videos from the marketplace on Kameo...different combos and moves being done with all the different characters, aswell as getting them for Saint's Row.....videos which show you how to get heaps of cash in the insurance fraud activities and how to get all the hitman missions completed. Also you can purchase extra outfits and stuff with that new download. Also there are heaps of other games e.g PGR3 where you can buy extra content. So i'm not too sure what you mean....as EA aren't the first.....maybe the first to charge for the strategy videos.

LeonJ

5 years ago

I like the idea if it's cheap. I'd actually like to see a online strategy book released online for some games, like you know tutorial type thing. I think they would be worth while.

Chris

5 years ago

ugh the boot wrote

They're all free though.

ugh the boot

5 years ago

^ yea I know that.

ugh the boot wrote

..EA aren't the first.....maybe the first to charge for the strategy videos.

I just don't really find this newsworthy...I don't see the big deal Like it's been done before and for free....why wasn't that a news article (maybe it was and I missed it)....but EA doing it and now all of a sudden it's a newsflash!

I dunno....is the whole point of the article to show us just another way EA are trying to ripoff customers? Cuz if so...then yea....definately the article is newsworthy.

Chris

5 years ago

Sorry, the last sentence was a little confusing

Anyway, the article is just to make people aware of what EA have in planned in terms of premium content. Paying for extras is no big deal for me, but I draw the line at some of the stuff EA are intending to do. For example I hear they will soon be offering to unlock all of Tiger Woods 07 courses - for a price. This is pretty low in my opinion. Unlockable button codes have been in games for as long as I remember, there's not a single justifiable reason to start asking money for them.

ugh the boot

5 years ago

^ yea nah....in that case the article is totally justified.

Yea man I agree.....extra content in games should be free so people continue to play them instead of them sitting gathering dust....am I right?

It's a bummer cuz EA are so big...if they start doing this sort of thing it's easy for other companies to follow suit without feeling guilty....cuz if it's ok for a major company to do it....i'm sure it's perfectly acceptable if a minor one does too.

If it was an expansion pack (like new story based parts)...then I can understand as they are adding to the longevity of the product....but little extras like costumes, stadiums, accessories etc doesn't really change much in gameplay so they should remain free.

Chris

5 years ago

Things like that I can accept, I've bough various car packs on PGR3 for example and they take time and effort to actually make so paying for extras is ok by me.

But what is not ok is basically charging people for cheat codes for content already on the disc. For example, say you get Tiger Woods 07 and you start the game with only 1 of the 9 courses unlocked, EA will offer, for a price, the option to unlock them all for you from the start. Of course you could argue that EA is not forcing us to pay for it, but I still think this is disgusting as there is not a single reason why they can't offer the same thing for free with a simple button code/password like many games have done over the years.

ugh the boot

5 years ago

^ Oh my...no I had no idea the content (graphics, sound, data) was already on the disc you've PAID for?!? That's outrageous!! That can't be real.....seiously?! No one would really do that....right?!

Man EA are bottom of the barrel!!! I'm so glad i'm not remotely even interested in any of their games...so thank god i'm not funding those greedy bastards!

Man that is low! Content that is already on the disc can be unlocked for a charge!! LOL....seriously.....THAT'S LOW EA!! EA SUCK!! THEY SUCK HARD!!!! I don't even want EA games for free now, that's how much they suck!!

Cheat codes you pay for....LOL

I've never heard anything more ridiculous. No thanks EA....I think i'll keep my money and possibly even get some more enjoyment out of those games!

It's like...."Hey you....instead of getting 10 hours playtime...would you like to see it all from the very begining effectively ruining the rest of the game? You would? Oh that's great, it will cost you though! Yes that's right...I can make the game worse for you at a charge! Yes we're running out of ideas to cheat people out of their money."

Spanca

5 years ago

IGN interview wrote

IGN Sports: I read how your strategy for Tiger Woods includes the ability to buy new courses. Does that mean you're holding courses back intentionally from consumer who buy the game in order to force them to purchase courses separately and spend more money?

Chip Lange: The Tiger team is taking a creative approach to it. You can either unlock or buy the courses, depending on your gaming preference. We look at this a lot like other stuff that goes on in the industry. IGN does this with premium subscriptions where there's a subscription service and you can get guides to games. I can pay for a subscription in order to unlock some stuff so I don't have to play the game all the way through, or now I can go this route. It's just another way to allow gamers the choice on how they want to play the game. That's the way the Tiger team is approaching this.

The logic behind is that you can pay for stuff up front rather than having to unlock it. Nice idea, but as Chris said, this stuff has been done in the past through cheat codes for free, so why force us to pay for it now?

Jellyfish

5 years ago

I posted that because they're going to have new stadiums out so soon after release, that's all. I have no problem paying for the PGR3 car packs or some of the other things on Live.

Luke

5 years ago

I will throw a spanner in the works here, how about charging for SAVE games? I think that would be reasonable...

Chris

5 years ago

Luke wrote

I will throw a spanner in the works here, how about charging for SAVE games? I think that would be reasonable...

That's essentially what they are doing and no it's not reasonable. A save file with things unlocked would cost EA nothing to produce so I don't see how it would be fair to charge money for it. As I said, I have no issues with paying for extras like cars, costumes, levels, tracks, etc because time and money has been spent to create this content (even though there's no way to prove that they didn't just hold back this content from the full game so they can charge for it later) but charging for downloadable save files/unlockable files is just not on.

Dave_L

5 years ago

This is very bad.
I just hope people don't pay for this stuff and the idea never really takes off.

Like others, i've no problem with paying for new maps, new cars, new content etc (although it's nice if it's 6months or so after the game has been released - and not just a couple of weeks!!! - so you at least *feel* like you're giving the game a new bit of juice to keep playing - although as Chris said, you don't know that this isn't stuff that was made at the same time as the rest of the game, and just held back for 'extra content') but when it's stuff like extra shirts, or unlocking stuff instantly (stuff that's always been free) - it's an insult to introduce it now for a price (after paying out record prices for games this generation already).
When i heard that they were doing training videos, i thought, well, not a bad idea, i mean people pay out money for those strategy guide/walkthrough books - but then i saw it was all up there individually in order for you to pay more (ie, 160pts for defensive plays, 160pts for catching)