RipTen Videogame Blog » All-Pro-Football-2K8

EA Exclusive NFL License Undone? Sports Antitrust Law Professor Explains American Needle Impact

Chad Lakkis — Sat, 29 May 2010 01:36:08 +0000

We recently had the opportunity to sit down with Marc Edelman, a professor of sports and antitrust law at Barry University’s Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law.

He shared his thoughts with us regarding the recent American Needle vs. The National Football League verdict, and its potential impact on the EA Sports exclusive NFL licencing deal, which currently prevents other video game creators from producing an NFL branded game of their own.

Alright, we’ve wasted enough of your valuable time. Have at the full interview below, and please make sure to share your thoughts on it in our comments section.

Ripten: First and foremost Professor Edelman, thank you for taking some time to talk about the American Needle vs. The National Football League case with Ripten, and share your opinions on it. If you could please tell our readers a little about yourself and your background that would be great.

Professor Edelman: I am a professor of sports and antitrust law at Barry University’s Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law, and am teaching sports law this summer at Fordham Law School, Seton Hall Law School and Rutgers School of Law-Camden. I have written extensively on sports and antitrust law, and my articles have been cited in three briefs to the Supreme Court in the case American Needle v. National Football League.

Ripten: And from what we can see here, your most recent article regarding the case ruling was published on May 24th for an online publication called “Above The Law.”

Professor Edelman: That is correct. I have been asked by several publications to write about the case, including Above the Law, which hits a mainstream legal audience, and Sports Business Journal, which targets a sports business audience.

Ripten: Now, our cursory understanding of the situation, based on the literature we’ve read, is that the ruling (issued in favor of American Needle Inc) will prevent the NFL from acting as a single entity when it comes to the issue of NFL apparel sales. Would that assessment be correct?

Professor Edelman: I would read it more broadly, and say that according to the Court the National Football League is not a single entity, and therefore any decision that is reached by the 32 NFL teams collectively is subject to a full review by the courts on its competitive merits. To limit the ruling simply to apparel sales seems way too narrow based upon the language of the Court.

Extremely enhanced E3 cinematic promoting Madden 2006 shown above.

Ripten: A few years back, Electronic Arts and the National Football League struck an exclusive licensing deal, turning the Madden franchise into the only Officially Licensed NFL video game on the market. This left all other publishers and developers hoping to create an NFL licensed product on the outside looking in. Is that a decision that you feel could possibly be revisited as a result of this ruling being handed down?

Professor Edelman: Maybe. After the American Needle case, a video game maker who has been excluded from the right to purchase the trademark of any individual NFL team by NFL Properties, or all the NFL teams overall, would step into similar shoes as American Needle However, that does not mean that a company that is excluded from the video game market would have the immediate legal right to license these trademarks. Rather, much like American Needle, the Supreme Court’s recent ruling would merely allow them to sue for this right and get beyond the point of the case’s dismissal on single entity grounds, and to the point where the conduct could actually be reviewed on the merits to determine whether it’s more pro-competitive or anti-competitive.

Ripten: There are a handful of video game related websites out there who have already started to concoct theories and possible scenarios as workarounds for the current exclusive licensing deal between the NFL and EA Sports. One of which involves publishers and/or developers approaching each team separately on a case by case basis to secure individual licensing agreements. In fact, I exchanged emails regarding this very topic with a fellow colleague of mine, who writes for another well known gaming site, just last night. He jokingly suggested that a realistic end result, based on the recent ruling, would be something along the lines of an “Indianapolis Colts’ Touchdown Blast!” video game as opposed to the gaming world gaining access to another full-fledged NFL game. What are your thoughts on this, and which scenario seems more likely to you?

Professor Edelman: Well as of today, I don’t think that would happen. All the American Needle case thus far has achieved is that it will allow a potential licensor to argue on the merits that the NFL’s collective licensing of its trademarks is net anti-competitive. If a video game maker were to seek to license say the Colts trademarks for a video game, and nothing else, the Colts would still probably say “no we can’t do it – it’s a league wide issue.” The video game maker would then need to sue each of the individual NFL clubs, arguing that their decision to only allow collective licensing of trademarks for video games through NFL Properties is an illegal restraint to trade. A court would then need to determine whether the league-wide rules with respect to licensing trademarks for video games are more pro-competitive or anti-competitive. That is a question I cannot answer definitively, at least not without all of the facts of the marketplace.

Ripten: Sure.

Professor Edelman: What I can tell you, however, is that such a lawsuit would still be an uphill battle. Of the past 222 antitrust cases to go to final determination by a judge under the Rule of Reason, 221 of those cases have come back in favor of the defendants — upholding the collective conduct. That information is based on a law review article recently written by Professor Michael Carrier of Rutgers School of Law. It was published in George Mason Law Review. Now, the second part of your question is, if you’re able to succeed on that uphill battle, what is more likely? Is it more likely that a court would require a change in the NFL policy to require each team to make their own individual decisions with respect to trademarks for video games, or is it more likely that a compulsory license would be put into place? Clearly, the answer to that is the first. The individual teams, if anything, would be allowed to, or mandated to, make their own independent business decisions. That would be the proper antitrust solution.

Ripten: So, are you saying that some of the “victory rallies”, for lack of a better term, are a bit premature? And that nothing has actually changed yet. Would that be a correct assessment?

Professor Edelman: That is close to right. All that American Needle did is put the law of the Seventh Circuit back in line with most other circuits. At this point, all we know is that a sports league, such as the NFL, will not be treated as a single entity under antitrust law but rather as a joint venture. However, even a joint venture can engage in collective behaviors such as joint licensing when deemed economically reasonable.

Ripten: Okay.

Professor Edelman: Now, the way that collective conduct by joint ventures is reviewed by a court for reasonableness is under a test known as the Rule of Reason. Under this test, a court will only find antitrust liability where the collectively acting parties have market power, engage in net anti-competitive conduct (when you balance the anti-competitive effects and the pro-competitive benefits), and harm consumers. The argument that the 32 NFL teams are going to continue to make, both in the area of apparel licencing and licencing of their trademarks for video games, is that the collective licencing is pro-competitive. American Needle is going to have to argue in the District Courts that it’s not pro-competitive, and that it harms competition. And if a video game maker wants to challenge being denied a license, they would have to do the same thing. They would have to file suit against the 32 individual NFL teams and argue that the collective conduct is net harmful to competition on the merits.

Ripten: If you had to look five years down the road, based on your legal experience and understanding of the recent ruling, do you believe that video game makers interested in gaining access to the NFL license will go the route of American Needle? And if so, do you think we could be looking at a possible return of multiple NFL based or licensed video games?

Professor Edelman: I certainly think a lawsuit is possible, but it is very premature to predict results. As I explained before, one of the elements of a Rule of Reason analysis would involve showing that the parties acting jointly exercise collective market power. So, one important factor would turn upon how a court would define the relevant market in such a lawsuit. Specifically, is there a relevant market for football video games that use NFL club trademarks? Or, do these video games compete against other football games that do not use these logos? Or, even perhaps against baseball and other sports video games? The broader a court defines the relevant market, the less likely a plaintiff video game manufacturer would be able to challenge the EA licensing agreement.

All-Pro Football 2k8 gameplay shown above.

Ripten: Well, that would come down to how one defines the word “compete”. Not long after the exclusive deal between EA Sports and the NFL went into place, 2K Sports (who had a long history of successful NFL branded football games) put out a non NFL licensed football game titled “All-Pro Football 2K8“. The game featured Hall of Fame players like John Elway, Barry Sanders, and Jerry Rice. Despite their best efforts to promote the title, it failed to achieve meaningful enough sales numbers when compared to those of the NFL licensed Madden 2008, and 2K has not published another football game since.

Other non NFL branded releases during that time period included Midway Games’ arcade style “Blitz: The League” (formerly titled “NFL Blitz”), but it too suffered from poor sales numbers and was eventually shelved. There is another non NFL licensed football game due to be released next week called “Backbreaker“, and though it looks and plays very well, many game reviewers believe that it too will unfortunately suffer the same fate as those who came before it without an NFL license. As a whole though, looking at the current selection of football related games on the market, it’s pretty clear that most video game creators have spoken — and they simply aren’t interested in publishing non NFL licensed alternatives.

Backbreaker gameplay shown above.

Professor Edelman: That is all very interesting. Nevertheless, the reality is that, under antitrust law’s Rule of Reason, first impressions by consumers, even by those who are experts in the field, are not necessarily going to be enough to win the day. Both sides, the video game manufacturer who is being excluded and the 32 NFL teams, will certainly turn to the aid of experts economists who will look at the market based on actual purchaser data from over an extended period of time. It will be this economic testimony, and not general market impressions, that will likely determine a court’s outcome.

Ripten: Are saying that this is not as simple as a video game maker walking into a court room and saying “this is a monopoly.” And that they’ve got to present additional information that outlines specifically how their financial interests are being adversely effected?

Professor Edelman: That is exactly right. A plaintiff is going to have to show three things: (1) that the NFL clubs collectively exercise market power in a some relevant market related to video games, (2) that the NFL’s exclusive licensing practices overall are anti-competitive in this market, and (3) that as a result of the NFL’s exclusive licensing practices consumers have been harmed through either higher prices or a reduction of output within that relevant market.

Ripten: Alright. Well, once again, thank you for taking the time to chat with us today Marc. I’m sure our readers will agree when I say that you have provided a wealth of much appreciated insight, and we look forward to speaking with you again.

Professor Edelman: You’re very welcome. It’s always my pleasure. And readers should feel free to contact me with any questions at my personal email, Marc [at] MarcEdelman [dot] com.

Marketing Aside, EA or 2K? Which Game Delivers A Next Gen Football Experience?

Chad Lakkis — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 07:05:43 +0000

The news is in regarding All-Pro Football 2K8′s initial sales, and the numbers don’t look good. From a business standpoint, the numbers are very important to Take-Two and 2K Sports. The company has come out and said that they realize they are in competition with Madden. This caused many individuals to laugh at the remark, however we ask you this, if you thought you had a superior product that you had busted your butt working on, would you not stand up for it?

We know this may be asking a lot, but if you stripped away the John Madden name, and “heck” why not … the icon is barely in the game these days anyway. Then take away the All-Pro angle 2K is using and the NFL license powering Madden. What would you have left? What would you be comparing? The answer is you would be comparing the gameplay.

Gamers like to play dress up and pretend that they are their football hero. While we understand and can relate to that to an extent, there is an excessive amount of weight put on the words “and Tom Brady drops back, he looks, he throws and finds Randy Moss open in the end zone.” The power of the exclusive NFL license alone effects Madden sales enormously, however for the team at EA Sports to breeze by each year essentially selling us a roster update is just wrong.

We are not saying that Madden has not made progress over the years, that would be a lie. What we are saying is that after acquiring the NFL license it appears to us that EA Sports became content for the most part and saw no problem in not only taking their time, but also overlooking the minor details that made them who they are today. That said, it is pathetic to watch mindless fans follow them year in and year out.

A company that once claimed to have every detail in the game could not even answer us directly as to why they left nets and referees out of the game again for the third year in a row. If that wasn’t bad enough they announced recently that they would be shutting down their 2006 game servers soon essentially forcing gamers to buy the next release of the game.

When a person does these sorts of things people refer to them as an individual who is calling out of help. Is EA calling out for help or are they calling our bluff? Think about it. They know they are a Monopoly when it comes to Pro Football, but this year you finally have a choice as a gamer. You don’t owe it to 2K Sports, you owe it to yourself to give All-Pro Football a chance.

Forget the tasteless videos that were created by Gametrailers.com showcasing their version of Mike Vick and then following that up by taking OJ Simpson and putting him on a team called the Assassins. That was poor judgment on their part, beyond that who are we to determine any other motives they may or may not have had. What we do know is that those clips had nothing to do with Take-Two or 2K Sports directly.

At the end of the day you have a choice. EA Sports has had a choice for 3 years now, and each year they have come to the table with an excuse. This year they were too focused on gameplay to throw in a net behind the goalposts. Too focused on gameplay to bring back the referees. To say to us that they focused so much on gameplay this year, leaves us asking “what did you focus on the other years?”

Look, we don’t have it out for EA, in-fact we are big supporters of some of their games on this site. We grew up playing Madden and we would love nothing more than to see EA Sports give us the game we deserve, yet after three years of marketing hype and disappointing gameplay, it is hard to not feel as if the only control we have over that outcome lies in our decision to purchase the game or not. This is not to say that All-Pro Football is anywhere near perfect, as it has its share of flaws as well.

There is a saying that goes, if someone enters your space and knocks you onto the floor, shame on them … but if they come back in an hour, and you are still laying on the floor, shame on you. In other words, complaint without action gives the appearance of foolishness, and a company will not change when they believe that the majority of their customer base is foolish enough to continue to buy their product as is.

Message Board Poster Asks “Can I sue 2K for false advertising?”

Chad Lakkis — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 16:41:22 +0000

The Losers Court is now in session, the Honorable John Elway presiding…

If you own a copy of 2K Sports All-Pro Football 2K8 then you are probably among the many who are happy with the purchase. However, one owner wants to know if he can sue the company for misleading information on the back of the box.

The poster on 2K Sports message board is upset with the game stating…

“The back of the box says game includes over 240 HALL of FAME legends.”

His post is titled “Can I sue 2K for false advertising?” … now, while the game does include over 240 former NFL players, not all of them are Hall of Fame material.

Yes, the list of “all-pros” was announced well before the game hit store shelves, however he could claim that he never saw it, but the fact that he is savvy enough to post on the companies message board wouldn’t do much to help his case, as he obviously knows how to work a computer and browse the internet.

Would our little lawsuit happy poster stand a chance in court? Well, you can sue anyone for pretty much anything these days, so if has the money and the time then he probably does. The rest of us would most likely suck it up, take some responsibility for not doing more research ahead of time, and trade the game in for something else.

RipTen Review: 2K Sports All-Pro Football 2K8 (PS3)

Chad Lakkis — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 05:06:56 +0000

Is APF 2K8 worth it, or are you better off waiting for Madden?

You take the snap and look up. A quick check to your first receiver, a glance at your second, and before you can release the ball you are picking chucks of turf out of your helmet.

Like to drop back, scramble for half a minute, toss one up through the clouds, over the sun, and back down into the hands of your money receiver who always seems to be open? Eh, well then maybe this game isn’t for you, but if you want to learn the game of football and are willing to take your lumps along the way in doing so then read on.

When you first crack open the game, you MAY see a bright light shine down from the heavens … it’s quick though, so pay close attention. Start up the game and you are greeted by the 2k Sports All-Pro Football Logo. Once you press the button to continue you will notice that before you can really do anything at all you must first first create a team.

CREATE TEAM – SELECT ALL PROS
The team create option is loaded with customization and can be a lot of fun. First things first, you need to fill your roster of eleven pros. You will notice that you have three tiers of skill. You are allowed two gold level players, three silver level players, and six bronze for a total of eleven. Take your time here and browse them all thoroughly. If you are careful and do your research you can find some great value in the bronze and silver tiers.

If you don’t want to pick the pros for yourself there is a button that allows the computer to randomly generate them for you. Once your pros are all set the rest of your team will be filled out with random players by position and based on the type of criteria you set. For example you can set your receivers to be balanced, speed, or possession receivers.

We were a little disappointed at first with the limitations set when it came to loading up on all-pros. With so many great gold level players it would have been nice if 2K allowed for a few more on each team, maybe two for each side of the ball? Now, we say “at first” for a reason, and that is because once you start playing with your team and get familiar with what they can and can not do, you get over this pretty quickly. That said, it still would have been nice to have an option that could turn the games “handcuffs” off allowing a bunch of friends to get together and conduct an off line draft to fill out their online league rosters.

One last thing to note here is that there are no numeric ratings for players, instead the game focuses on special abilities called out in the form of icons located in the players bio such as rocket arm, 4th quarter comeback, soft hands, and speed burst. Additionally, only the pro players have bio cards, the computer generated teammates do not.

All of this may sound a bit confusing at first, but step back for a minute and ask yourself this … in real life how do teammates familiarize themselves with each other and get on the “same page”? Thats right Allen, “we are talking about practice”. How effective is my QB’s rocket arm? Can my reciever catch the deep ball? Will my O-line be able to block a killer pass rush? The best, and most realistic way, to get answers to these questions is to hit up practice mode (which we will get into later) early and often.

CREATE TEAM – TEAM DETAILS
Once your team is filled it is time to pick a logo, team name, location, and design your uniform. Pretty much everything from your teams socks and shoes up to their helmet is customizable, and despite what was said by 2K, our group here has been able to create NFL like teams very easily with the resources available in the game.

The Miami Flippers can be transformed into the Dolphins with very little work and after a few minutes of swapping out colors the New England Red Coats will bare a striking resemblance to that team with three Superbowl rings from Foxborough Massachusetts.

All in all though, it is just as fun to create your own team, and once we got the “wow we can make our favorite NFL team” feeling out of our systems that is exactly what we did. When you wield that much power in your hands why stop at pretending to be something when you can create something of your own and show it off instead.

The level of customization in the game is amazing. You may not notice it at first, but outside of the obvious things like the team logo on the field, you will see that the seats in the stadium as well as the fans clothing all update to reflect your new team colors.

GAME MODES
Alright, you have your players and your team is decked out in the city and stadium of your choice … are you ready for some football? Game modes are everything you would expect, as long as you aren’t expecting a franchise mode. There is a pretty in-depth practice mode, head to head, season, and best of all online head to head and league play! If you have always wanted to create a player, throw him on to your custom team, and bring that team online then give yourself a hug because your wait is finally over.

All-Pro Football is about customization online and you are going to love every minute of it. League Mode is truly a gift and will make you forget all about the games lack of a franchise mode. Simply put, once you and your friends are locked in to the weekly grind you will be too busy trash talking to miss ten seasons of computer drafts and lopsided victories.

GAMEPLAY / GRAPHICS & ATTENTION TO DETAIL
The animations are fluid and more importantly are extremely responsive to your command. Want to stop on a dime, spin around and take off towards the end zone like you stole something? Consider it done. How about trucking over defenders like BIG FOOT at a monster truck rally? You can do that too. Defenders need not worry though, 2K has them covered as well. Dive for a player with 2K’s reach tackle system and shatter their dreams of scoring six. Experience gang tackling the way it was meant to be with some of the best gang tackling animations we have seen in a video game thus far. Run out of bounds and your teammates on the sidelines will brace you.

The kicking game requires that you pull back on the right analog to start the kicker in motion and push up quickly as he approaches the ball. This will take some time getting used to for most gamers, but once you get it down, you will find it very satisfying and it will be hard to go back to anything else.

The AI in this game is so unbelievably smart that it will make you sick at first. Best advice we can give you is to forget the plays that worked for you in the past and become a student of the game of football. Watch the defenders on offense and try to anticipate their next move, and when you are on defense pray that Jerry Rice breaks a leg … literally, because we have yet to see a defender stop the man from catching a ball.

Player models are a bit cartoonish in the face, but that is the look they were going for and it totally makes sense for a game that focuses heavily on so many big named athletes. They actually remind us a bit of caricatures which again make sense for a game of this nature. Players come in three body types each with the option of being either ripped, normal, or fat.

And in case you were wondering, yes the game has a net behind the goal posts and referees are on field as well. You will also notice things like players praying together at mid field. The cheesy player voices are back and there is no shame in admitting that you love them. Who can forget the sound of ghetto fabulous Tom Brady uttering the words “Yea yea, I would like to thank my O-Line” after a big victory in 2K5.

We initially thought the stadiums were going to be unrealistic and take away from the football experience but after playing in them all we admit we were wrong. They are works of art, animated, full of character, and very well thought out. Each stadium comes with its own signature celebration dance that members of the team calling it home can perform there.

COMMENTARY / MUSIC
Dan Stevens and Peter O’Keefe are back with a few oldies but goodies. You will notice a lot of the same audio from 2K5 mixed into the game but who cares. These guys are the best in the video game broadcasting business. Dare I say, you can’t coach that.

Music is repetitive and while there are a few tracks that make you want to strap on a helmet and hit someone, most will make you want to press mute and strangle someone. That said, video game soundtracks have become less about original music and more about marketing new bands. So if it’s music you want, load up your own and avoid subjecting your ear drums to the video game worlds equivalent of MTV.

REPLAY VALUE
If you like franchise mode then you are going to be a little let down, but if you are willing to give online league play a try then this game will keep you entertained for a very long time. The ability to create multiple teams and select the one you think matches up best with your opponent adds variety to the game as well.

CLOSING COMMENTS
If you long for authentic football simulation and consider yourself a gamer then All-Pro Football 2K8 should definitely be in your collection. It gives its all on the field, and leaves nothing out.

All-Pro Football 2K8 Video #2 – Montana, Rice, Payton, Butkus, & The Fridge!

Chad Lakkis — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 06:04:35 +0000

This is the second All-Pro Football video from 2K Sports and it features highlights of Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Walter Payton, Dick Butkus, and The Fridge. We definitely feel this one looks better then the first video so check it out.

[flv width="440" height="247"]http://www.ripten.com/Legends_V1.flv[/flv]

We Break Down The All Pro Football 2K8 Video Alongside NaturalMotion…

Chad Lakkis — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 20:55:15 +0000

So the question everyone seems to be asking us is “does the game include NaturalMotion technology?” Even internally here at ripten we agree to disagree as some of us think it may and others believe it won’t. That said we decided to take a closer look at the video 2K debuted on Spike TV the other day and compare it side by side to that of the football test animation video many of us have been speculating over for months now on NaturalMotion’s official website. We don’t have a firm opinion either way, but we thought we would make the screens available to our readers and get a feel for what they are thinking.

We start things off with a close up of Mr. Happy Feet himself, John Elway as he scampers into the end zone. Many of us remember the run John made towards the end zone in the 1998 Superbowl against the Packers and the hit he took on the way which spun him up in the air sideways. The clip in the video that resembles the hit in the Superbowl also showed us something else. The thing we noticed here was that his feet do not collide with that of the lineman as the lineman gets muscled backwards by the defender into Elway. This impressed us and made us think, hey maybe there is some sort of on the fly aspect to this game engine.

That feeling was short lived though as we went through the film again and noticed that the introduction huddle features less than impressive collision detection when one of the players in the huddle decides to plant his hand about 6 inches into his thigh. See below.

Forget Stickum, this guy’s using Seeum. Now you see um, now you don’t.

Alright, so we have shown you the good and the bad. Now we are going to lay out a few screen grabs we have taken of the in game tackles and falls since that is all we really have to compare with the NaturalMotion video. While we have no idea if the game will or will not be using natural motion, we do know that the process was underway for an interview with the CEO of NaturalMotion when suddenly we were informed that it would have to be postponed due to the fact they would not be able to discuss any Euphoria related information at the present time. We also believe that the video showed a good amount of variation in the falls and tackles, as you can see below.

Now all of the variations we saw could mean they have a ton of canned animations loaded into this game or they in fact are using some sort of reaction based engine similar to Euphoria or even Euphoria itself. We want you to take a look at the information above and below and voice your opinions on this topic. We look forward to hearing what you have to say.

All Pro Football 2K8 Video

Chad Lakkis — Sat, 09 Jun 2007 06:38:37 +0000

Fans of 2K Sports unique style of football have waited for this moment for a long time and we weren’t about to let them down. So here it is, 1:15 AM on the east coast and as far as we know we are the first site to publish this online after its debut on Spike TV just 10 minutes ago. Do we even have to type anything else here? Good, that means we can finally get some sleep. Enjoy.

[flv width="440" height="254"]http://www.ripten.com/apf_2k8_video.flv[/flv]

18 New All-Pro Football Images – One You Won’t See Anywhere Else!

Chad Lakkis — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 14:23:31 +0000

Jerry: They look scared John. John: What do you think Barry? Barry: Yep.

If this years Madden doesn’t bring significant change, if the marketing hype surrounding it ends up being nothing more than the same old same old, then we can’t help but agree with Jerry, John, and Barry. EA may have reason to break sweat again, and this time 2K will be doing it WITHOUT the NFL license. You have to admire people that are willing to stare down a giant and challenge them head on.

We recently got a hold of several All Pro Football 2K8 images and while we may be wrong, we think that at least one or two of them are ones you won’t see anywhere else right now. For example, check out the cool image of one player celebrating on the home field of the Beasts while an ominous black figure watches over him from above the end zone! I have been to quite a few NFL games and I have never seen anything as cool as that, well there was the time Randy Moss pretended to pull his … never mind. Enjoy.

Update: Thanks to Oldkingsman on the 2Ksports message board for the correction on the team name.

All-Pro Football 2K8, NaturalMotion Technology

Chad Lakkis — Mon, 21 May 2007 19:27:13 +0000

NaturalMotion, the creators of breakthrough Dynamic Motion Synthesis (DMS) 3D character animation products such as Endorphin, Euphoria, and Morpheme, announced a partnership in February of 2006 with Rockstar games, best known for the Grand Theft Auto Series.

Take 2 Games is the parent company of both Rockstar and the 2kSports label. So what does all that mean? Well, in a recent interview regarding the application of NaturalMotion one of the employees was asked about technology and hinted that tests had been done using football situations such as tackling, catching, running, etc. When asked to elaborate he reinforced that both 2kSports and Rockstar are under the same umbrella company.

We followed up with them again last week via a telephone call to a sales rep. When asked about the possibility that 2kSports is using NaturalMotion in their soon to be released All-Pro Football he laughed and said “maybe”

Take from this what you will, but it sounds like 2kSports is ready to give the Madden franchise a run for its money … again.

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APF 2K8 Video Interview With Greg Thomas

Chad Lakkis — Thu, 17 May 2007 23:45:33 +0000

IGN Interviewed Greg Thomas, President of Visual Concepts regarding All-Pro Football 2K8. Not much is revealed in this interview, mostly corporate double talk. Check it out, but don’t expect anything major here.

[youtube width="425" height="335"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58A3fMCViiM[/youtube]

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APF 2K8 Video To Be Released On June 1st?

Chad Lakkis — Thu, 17 May 2007 23:14:26 +0000

There is a nasty rumor floating around that a video containing footage All-Pro Football 2k8, by 2kSports, will be released to the public on June 1st. We spoke to a very reliable source today that denies that completely. Sorry fans, it’s just not true. Stay tuned.

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