10 Rivalries That Killed Video Games
8. Madden NFL 2005 Vs. ESPN NFL 2K5
Video game wars between sport-based franchises have continued - and will continue - to exist for as long as the genre remains in existence. There's only one way to acutely computerise the sport, so a second publisher issuing a video game surrounding the sport will automatically be looked down upon.
Before Madden NFL became the primary issuer of digitised American football, NFL 2K had its hand in the pocket of the genre, too, releasing annually between 1999 and 2004 to mixed responses. Its latest release - July 2004's ESPN NFL 2K5 - was met with universal commendation, so much so that a quote from Game Informer's Matthew Kato which read, "The best football title there is and the only one that's a must-have" was transcribed onto the title's keep case. Costing just $19.99 in comparison to Madden NFL 2005's pricey $49.99, choosing between the two was a no-brainer - until EA gave you no such choice.
Cognizant of the potential breakdown of their NFL franchise, EA signed an exclusivity rights deal with the NFL in December 2004, thus giving them sole use of the treasured American sport in video game form and prematurely concluding the NFL 2K series.
The yearly series, tragically, has been on a downward spiral ever since, such is the case with annual sports titles.