Will EA Sports Make Another NFL Head Coach Game?
In 2006, Electronic Arts decided to expand their collection of sports team management games to feature the NFL, with NFL Head Coach being the first of two football-based management titles released in June of that year. Its sequel, NFL Head Coach 09, was tied in with Madden 09 and the 20th anniversary of EA’s football simulation series in 2008. Both titles received above average reviews and continue to have a dedicated fanbase.
However, since 2008, there hasn’t been any announcements of a new Head Coach. No leaks, and hardly any rumors or speculation. And while fans have been wanting a new Head Coach title for a while now, it seems very unlikely that EA will grant them their wishes.
A Page from the FIFA Playbook
Long before EA tried their hand at an NFL team management game, there was FIFA. Before 2006, EA had published no less than eight soccer management games. The formula was popular and worked, so EA tried it with the NFL. The game was well received by critics and fans and successful enough to spawn a sequel in 2008.
Despite the success of the first game, EA didn’t believe that the game could sell well on it’s own. So it was instead tied in with Madden 09 and the 20th anniversary. However, the game became popular enough to justify it being sold separately from Madden 09. But this was still far below EA’s expectations.
The Coach is Benched
Ultimately the series was simply not financially sound enough to justify making more. While the games certainly have their dedicated fans even to this day, that fanbase is niche and small — not FIFA numbers and certainly not Madden numbers.
Until that changes it’s almost certain that NFL Head Coach will be benched permanently.
We here at Vendetta hope the series returns one day.
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