I had the pleasure to speak at the September IGDA meeting giving a development review of Madden Ultimate Team. I was fairly certain that the game community hadn’t heard of Madden Ultimate Team and it was a good chance to reflect on how the Free to Play model could be applied to a football game. I gave an overview of the game mode itself and talked a little bit about the development, how we were on a shortened schedule having to get it out by the end of the football season. Then gave an overview of the Free to Play model and how Madden Ultimate Team related to that. The bulk of the questions that I received after the talk were about the economy that we had created in Madden. I had explained how Madden Ultimate Team was a closed economy where we knew exactly the “gains” and “drains” were and we were able to regulate the amount of coins by controlling the amount the user gain and how many contracts a new card now has.
Overall, I’m looking forward to participating more with IGDA. Coming from Austin, where there is a large game community, I think we could do better here in Orlando. We need to come together and start building that entrepreneurial spirit here so that more companies will form or move to Orlando.
Right now IGDA is having a membership drive through October. If you aren’t a member and are in the Orlando area, go to the IGDA web site and join or re-new your membership. The chapter who has the most join (or re-new) over the next two months will receive a party with a game developing luminary. I know who, but can’t tell. All I can say is that it would be worth it.
Jason French 