Why there aren't more sports games for the Mac
One question that I hear a lot is, Why aren't there more sports games for the Mac? The simple answer is because they don't sell very well.
Mac gamers feed by and large from the same trough as PC gamers. While an increasing number of games come straight from consoles, thanks to the efforts of companies like Aspyr, the lion's share of titles still make their way from PC conversions.
PC gamers don't buy sports games in huge numbers. Sure, there are a few standout titles, like golf games and the occasional Madden title, but if you check the top ten retail sales charts that various market research companies track, you'll find that on average, there are only about one or two sports games in the list -- for the PC specifically.
It's because PC gamers -- and by extension Mac gamers, because they're not really that different -- are looking for a different gaming experience. They prefer shooters, action games, role playing games, strategy titles -- for whatever reasons, sports titles are just kind of a blind spot to PC and Mac gamers.
When Mac game developers *have* brought titles to the Mac, the results have been tepid at best. Madden NFL 2000 was a loss for Aspyr, and that was the last big action/sports game title to make it to the Mac.
It costs a lot to license these games -- the player's associations, players, teams and leagues all want their cut -- and it costs a lot to develop them, too, because by and large they use custom engines that haven't already been ported to the Mac platform.
And the fact is that PC games in general are in decline -- there's less of a market for Windows titles than there was a year or two ago, with the sophistication of current video game systems.
So my suggestion to gamers who ask for Mac sports games is this: Don't bother with petitions, and don't bother with PCs. Get a PS2 or an Xbox. You'll be infinitely happier in the long run.
Comments
Unlike other games such as first-person shooters, strategy ames, flight sims, etc, I actually prefer playing sports games on consoles. Playing 8 way football on the PS2 is a blast :)
Posted by: Tuncer | November 19, 2003 01:19 PM
Just wondering, is this in response to the Mac Gaming editorial on the Mac Observer today, or is it just a coincidence?
http://www.macobserver.com/editorial/2003/11/19.1.shtml
Posted by: Alphax | November 19, 2003 01:34 PM
I get asked the question a lot, but in all fairness, it was in response to a posting on MacCentral's forum in the last day or two suggesting that people should petition for more sports games.
Posted by: flargh | November 19, 2003 01:39 PM
What, you mean Kickoff 2002 wasn't higher profile than Madden?
Posted by: Dan Dickinson | November 19, 2003 04:47 PM
There is a damn good reason, as Tuncer suggested. People love to kick their friends ass in Madden. And that just isnt really possible on a PC or Mac, unless you went out and bought a bunch of USB controllers (which is unlikely) you arnt going to get the same experience.
Sure you can play online, but it just isnt the same thing. Although, with voice chatting via GameRanger or other software, it might become become a more popular genre on PC/Mac, it just needs to be pushed by the publishers.
Posted by: james | November 19, 2003 05:06 PM