It's been a year!

[Dutch]

I finally got around to getting an iOS device so I could try out some of these games - along with much better ones like Real Cricket. Here's a video I did from it:

I was amused in the beginning by the minor difference that the 'womens' cricket made to how things looked, it's obviously nice that they included it at all, but they should have at least included the kits of the women's teams. Though with the WBBL starting next season they are retroactively correct-ish.

As I mention in the video description, it's hardly a bad game, but they did have to take out almost every aspect that makes the game 'cricket' to be able to make it functional.

Well they solved the ludicrous fielding problems....not have any at all.....

 

[blockerdave]

I wonder if there'll be any sort of cash-in with the series this year?

 

[MattW]

I wonder if there'll be any sort of cash-in with the series this year?

My understanding was that 505 Games had a multi year deal for the rights deal - to justify the initial investment in developing the game and then doing cash in roster updates this year.

It's likely though that after the mess with AC13, they agreed to break the contract - but it might still be in place, perhaps with 505 trying to find another company to take it over.

I can't see a game releasing for these Ashes - but I wouldn't be totally shocked to be wrong about that.

If a company is working on it and they are reading this - send me a review copy - save yourself the post release embarrassment.


Though maybe that's why Big Ant are so quiet on patch 3...

 

[Chief]

It's a small market, and my instinct is that BA have it secured.

Any company making a game would be building from scratch in the shadow of the DBC. Assuming a follow-up will come and assuming a decent level of improvement, it would likely come out ahead by some distance against any potential competitor.
So the only way to challenge it would be for a very significant investment in development (certainly), licenses (most probably) and marketing/pr (again, definitely).

In my honest opinion I can't see anyone doing it. Certainly I cannot see anyone succeeding.

There is room to succeed on PC and mobile: on PC for something less technically demanding or very different in style... and on Mobile plenty of room.

 

[MattW]

Back when we were expecting that Ashes would be a relatively competent but less feature-full game, the general view was that it would be the one that's more successful in the market.

Even if it is objectively worse, better marketing and availability, a lower price tag and a name brand would have been enough to deliver the bulk of the market to Ashes.

I still think that's the case. If a game is merely good enough that to someone who doesn't know cricket it looks like cricket, then it could go on sale and slurp up a lot of the market.

 

[Chief]

Back when we were expecting that Ashes would be a relatively competent but less feature-full game, the general view was that it would be the one that's more successful in the market.

Even if it is objectively worse, better marketing and availability, a lower price tag and a name brand would have been enough to deliver the bulk of the market to Ashes.

I still think that's the case. If a game is merely good enough that to someone who doesn't know cricket it looks like cricket, then it could go on sale and slurp up a lot of the market.

Agreed but I think that, with the base to build from and little development outside of balancing, refinement and a few feature improvements, all DBC has to concentrate on is to put those publishing things in order. I also think that with those things in place it makes them a very attractive proposition for a publishing partner and license-holders.

If I was asked tomorrow to build a cricket game, my entire advice would be to get on board with Big Ant rather than to attempt to build something else.

 

[blockerdave]

It's a small market, and my instinct is that BA have it secured.

This would be an interesting development, and you'd wonder exactly how they'd have it work with the academy etc.

I do hope they have something "exciting" for the summer (beyond patch 3) that might re-energise sales while cricket is back in the public eye - since they didn't do anything for the World Cup.

 

[Chief]

I meant that they have the market secured.

I'm guessing that, at a minimum, there would be some English "themed" stadiums and maybe a new feature competition of some sort (5 tests for example) as a DLC pack this summer. Keep things ticking over. Then that content would just roll up into the next version as well. Time well spent.

Only trouble, I suppose, is that any new content that has to go through platform holders, which means that it needs to be sort of ready fairly soon: you'd want to be polishing it and bug-fixing in the next month and getting it approved so that it is 100% definitely ready to release on 8th of July. Or somewhere like that.

 

[blockerdave]

apologies i thought you meant they might have nabbed the license...

 

[Chief]

apologies i thought you meant they might have nabbed the license...

I think in that interview Ross said that they didn't hear back when they reached out to the boards.

 

[blockerdave]

I think in that interview Ross said that they didn't hear back when they reached out to the boards.

He did... but then he also said the interview was a while ago...

 

[Chief]

He did... but then he also said the interview was a while ago...

Maybe... I just think that with great licenses come great responsibility. I think where the game is now, the positives would be outweighed by negatives.