Why ea stopped cricket
For years, enthusiasts and lovers of the sport cricket have been in anticipation for a video game that would allow them to partake in this fantastic sport virtually. Electronic Arts (EA) had taken it upon themselves to bring just that under the banner ‘EA Sports Cricket.’ The game franchise was successful and highly popular amongst cricket fans globally, especially from regions where the sport is heavily considered as pastime – like Australia, India, Pakistan, South Africa and England. But since 2007, EA has stopped producing further installments of their cricket videogames much to many individual’s discontentment. So what made EA discontinue their production? Let us deep dive into the reasons behind such decision.
Reasons Why EA Stopped Producing Cricket Games
Economic Feasibility
The answer essentially boils down to economics. As commonly known, designing, developing and distributing a video game requires considerable investment. Besides development costs, EA also has to spend a hefty amount on acquiring licenses from respective cricket boards worldwide. Unfortunately, the returns were not commensurate with these expenditures given that the primary market –South Asia – isn’t exactly flush with people willing to buy original games at full price. This economic feasibility issue resulted as one of the prime factors that led EA to halt its production of cricket series.
Limited Global Appeal
Cricket is mostly followed by countries belonging to the Commonwealth Nations which limits global appeal significantly. Whereas sports like Soccer and American Football are played and watched almost worldwide resulting in higher sales for franchises like FIFA or Madden NFL developed by EA respectively. Given fewer audiences interested in buying cricket video games outside of commonwealth countries mainly due to lack of popularity compared to other sports meant lesser revenue projections for EA.
Competition From Other Franchises
Internally within EA’s diverse portfolio of sporting titles; Cricket struggled to match the sales and popularity of certain counterparts. FIFA, Madden NFL and NBA Live became powerhouses raking high profits while cricket titles paled in terms of both numbers and interest.
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Quality Concerns
Another probable reason for EA distancing itself from further cricket games could be related to quality issues that were raised by their community for previous installments. Fans criticized Ea’s Cricket series for its repetitive gameplay mechanics, lack of realistic player models and movements. Technical limitations led to poor AI, animation systems which resulted in consumer disappointment over time.
The Possibility of a Comeback
The current market conditions seem to favor a possible comeback given rise of other cricketing titles like Big Ant Studios’ ‘Cricket 19’. However, it ultimately depends on EA’s reading of the market dynamics.
The Esports Potential
Given the rapidly growing esports scene globally; should there be a potentially successful model around it – we might get lucky with seeing a revamped installment of our beloved series. Imagine grand tournaments being organized where individuals compete against each other virtually on platforms projecting beautiful renditions of our favorite stadiums across the globe.
Huge Untapped Market In South Asia
South Asian countries like India, Pakistan and Bangladesh have cumulative population in billions – people passionate about cricket not just as sport but more than a way of life. These audiences provide huge untapped potential for video gaming industry despite concerns raised previously regarding licensing cost vis-a-vis return on sale revenue.
In conclusion, although there are valid reasons why EA discontinued their cricket franchise, opportunities exist for a revival or even development of new titles capturing magic of this fantastic sport electronically. With advancements in technology offering enhanced graphics and interactive experiences plus growing esport scene worldwide, we might just see another epic release akin to the legend ‘EA Sports Cricket’ was during its days!
