Joe Montana Football

Last updated
Joe Montana Football
Joe Montana Football boxart.jpg
Cover art
Developer(s) Park Place Productions [1]
BlueSky Software (MS, GG)
Publisher(s) Sega
SeriesJoe Montana Football
Platform(s) Genesis, Master System, Game Gear, MS-DOS
ReleaseGenesis:
Master System, Game Gear:
MS-DOS:
Genre(s) American football
Mode(s) Single-player
Multiplayer (1-2 players)

Joe Montana Football is an American football video game developed by Park Place Productions, and published by Sega for the Genesis in 1991. While the game does feature Joe Montana as a playable character, Sega did not obtain licenses from either the National Football League or the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA), meaning no other players, nor any official team names, are used. It was the first of many Sega published football games across the 1990s prior to moving into the NFL 2K branding in the 2000s.

Contents

Gameplay

Similar to other football games of the time, the gameplay follows a slightly simplified version of standard American Football rules. Players have the option to play as different teams, as well as select number of players. Players also have the option to turn penalties on or off. Players may also play a normal game, a mode with a two-minute drill, and the Sega Bowl mode.

Though Joe Montana Football and John Madden Football were made by the same company, Madden had realistic plays and a full roster of 28 teams, while Montana was a more arcade-style game with only 16 teams and a simplified, passing-intensive offense. [1]

Development

Following the launch of the Genesis in the United States, Sega of America president and CEO Michael Katz planned to create a library of instantly-recognizable titles for the console by contracting with celebrities and athletes to produce games using their names and likenesses. As part of this, Sega signed a $1.7 million five-year contract with Joe Montana, despite concerns among the Japanese executives that the game would not earn enough to cover this cost. [1]

Sega had previously developed two American football games for the Master System console, Great Football in 1987 [3] and American Pro Football (Walter Payton Football) in 1989, the latter very well-received by critics at the time. [4] [5] Joe Montana Football was originally intended to be an update of Great Football. [3]

Since Sega of America did not at the time have a large game production facility, they contracted with Mediagenic (Activision) to develop the game for November 1989. No one at Sega was aware of the turmoil inside Mediagenic at the time; despite five months of reports that development was proceeding on schedule, Katz discovered in September or October that the game was hardly begun. To have a football game for Christmas release, Sega would have to find an already-completed game that could be converted. [2]

Sega approached Electronic Arts, developer of the Madden NFL series, and president Trip Hawkins, for help, suggesting that he cancel the upcoming Genesis version of Madden in order to work on the game. Hawkins agreed to help Sega but refused to cancel his company's game instead working on both projects. He intentionally made Montana a worse game than Madden, starting with the basic code for the former he removed the 3D field as well as cut down the number of plays from 113 to 13. [6] According to Michael Knox a programmer on the game, most of the deliberate downgrading occurred after the company had already completed the game. [7] Joe Montana Football missed the Christmas deadline and was released in January 1991, shortly after the Genesis version of John Madden Football . [1] [2]

Reception

Although not as successful as the Madden series, Joe Montana Football and the sequels helped establish the Genesis' reputation as the top platform for sports simulations and proved to Sega Enterprises that sports games could be worthwhile investments. [1] [2] Website Den of Geek would credit both series for helping Sega gain an edge over Nintendo writing " High school and college jocks who would normally be more likely to taunt someone who identified as a video game nerd suddenly found themselves playing for bragging rights on all-night sessions of Madden." [8]

Legacy

Joe Montana Football was followed by four sequels, all developed by BlueSky Software instead of Park Place Productions: Joe Montana Football II: Sports Talk Football, NFL Sports Talk Football '93 , NFL Football '94 Starring Joe Montana , and NFL '95 . After the contract with Joe Montana ended in 1995, development on the sixth game in Sega's NFL series moved to Farsight Technologies and the franchise was rebranded as Prime Time NFL Starring Deion Sanders . In 2015, Damon Grow, CEO of Superstar Games, tweeted snippets of Joe Montana Football 16. Joe Montana subsequently released a screenshot of the game. At E3, Damon Grow revealed the game as "Joe Montana Football", a mobile game coming to iOS, followed by Android and PC. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Genesis Nomad</span> Handheld game console by Sega

The Genesis Nomad, also known as Sega Nomad, is a handheld game console manufactured by Sega and released in North America in October 1995. The Nomad is a portable variation of the Sega Genesis home video game console. It could also be used with a television set via a video port. It was based on the Mega Jet, a portable version of the home console designed for use on airline flights in Japan.

Madden NFL is an American football sports video game series developed by EA Tiburon for EA Sports. The franchise, named after Pro Football Hall of Fame coach and commentator John Madden, has sold more than 130 million copies as of 2018. Since 2004, it has been the only officially licensed National Football League (NFL) video game series, and has influenced many players and coaches of the physical sport. Among the series' features are detailed playbooks and player statistics and voice commentary in the style of a real NFL television broadcast. As of 2013 the franchise has generated over $4 billion in sales, making it one of the most profitable video game franchises on the market.

A sports video game is a video game that simulates the practice of sports. Most sports have been recreated with video games, including team sports, track and field, extreme sports, and combat sports. Some games emphasize playing the sport, whilst others emphasize strategy and sport management. Some, such as Need for Speed, Arch Rivals and Punch-Out!!, satirize the sport for comic effect. This genre has been popular throughout the history of video games and is competitive, just like real-world sports. A number of game series feature the names and characteristics of real teams and players, and are updated annually to reflect real-world changes. The sports genre is one of the oldest genres in gaming history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trip Hawkins</span> American businessman (born 1953)

William Murray "Trip" Hawkins III is an American entrepreneur and founder of Electronic Arts, The 3DO Company, and Digital Chocolate.

<i>Madden NFL 98</i> 1997 American football video game

Madden NFL 98 is a 1997 football video game. It was the last edition of the Madden series to be released for the Super NES, Genesis and Sega Saturn platforms, as well as the last Madden game to utilize 2D sprites for the players and referee, on 3D playing fields.

<i>Madden NFL 95</i> 1995 American football video game

Madden NFL 95 is a football video game released by Electronic Arts in 1994. In addition to the usual home console versions that were released on the Sega Genesis and Super NES, this edition was also released for the portable Game Gear and Game Boy systems. It was the first version of the game that portrayed black NFL players as black, rather than all white as in previous versions, and the first in the Madden series to portray black athletes on the cover. It was also the first game in the series to have the official NFLPA license.

<i>Madden NFL 96</i> 1995 American football video game

Madden NFL '96 is a football video game designed for the 1995 NFL season, licensed by the NFL. Publisher Electronic Arts intended for it to be the first licensed NFL game for the PlayStation, but the PlayStation version was delayed and ultimately cancelled, with the game being published only for previous-generation consoles, PCs, and handhelds. Compared to previous Madden NFL games, the AI has been boosted and can now hurry in two-minute drill situations, spike the ball, and cover the receivers with better efficiency. In addition to the 16-bit console and portable versions, a DOS version was also released under the title of Madden NFL Football: Limited Edition in 1996.

<i>John Madden Football 93</i> 1992 American football video game

John Madden Football '93 is a 1992 sports video game developed by Blue Sky Productions and Electronic Arts and published by EA Sports. Based on the sport of American football, the player controls a football team in modes such as tournament play and sudden death. Officially endorsed by John Madden, it was the third Madden game for home consoles and the first one that saw a simultaneous release on both, the Sega Genesis and Super NES.

Scott Orr is an American video game designer best known as the lead designer on the first video game console versions of Madden NFL Football. In 2001, Wired magazine named Orr on its list of "gamemaking gods." Orr‘s career in sports games spans over 20 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sega Genesis</span> Home video game console

The Sega Genesis, also known as the Mega Drive outside North America, is a 16-bit fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master System. Sega released it in 1988 in Japan as the Mega Drive, and in 1989 in North America as the Genesis. In 1990, it was distributed as the Mega Drive by Virgin Mastertronic in Europe, Ozisoft in Australasia, and Tectoy in Brazil. In South Korea, it was distributed by Samsung Electronics as the Super Gam*Boy and later the Super Aladdin Boy.

<i>NFL Prime Time 98</i> 1997 video game

NFL '98 is a sports video game released for the Sega Genesis in 1997. Based on the National Football League, the game was a follow-up to Sega's only football video game for the Sega Saturn, NFL '97. It is the last game in Sega's original Joe Montana/NFL series, which would be succeeded by NFL 2K.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EA Orlando</span> Video game development studio by EA

EA Orlando is an American video game developer located in Orlando, Florida founded in 1994. It was formerly known as Tiburon Entertainment, which was acquired by Electronic Arts in 1998. After the acquisition, the studio was renamed EA Tiburon. EA had already purchased a minority equity interest in Tiburon in May 1996, the terms of which included that Tiburon would develop games exclusively for EA.

<i>Troy Aikman NFL Football</i> 1994 video game

Troy Aikman NFL Football is an american football video game originally developed by Leland Interactive Media and published by Tradewest for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System first in North America on August 1994. Officially licensed from the National Football League, it prominently features former NFL player Troy Aikman, who became the first member of the 1993 Dallas Cowboys to have his namesake in a game, followed by his teammate Emmitt Smith in Emmitt Smith Football.

<i>NFL 95</i> 1994 video game

NFL '95 is the sixth video game in the Joe Montana Football/NFL series. It is the last Sega football game to feature Joe Montana. Its sequel, Prime Time NFL Football, featured Deion Sanders.

<i>Madden NFL 97</i> 1996 American football video game

Madden NFL 97 is a football video game released in 1996. It was the first multiplatform Madden game released for the 32-bit consoles, being released on both the PlayStation and Sega Saturn. 16-bit versions were also made for the established Super NES and Genesis platforms, as well as a portable version for the Game Boy.

<i>John Madden Football</i> (1988 video game) 1988 American football video game

John Madden Football is a football video game originally released for the Apple II, in 1988 following the success of Earl Weaver Baseball. It was later ported to MS-DOS and the Commodore 64. It was followed by the 1990 Sega Genesis video game of same name, and went on to become the yearly Madden NFL game series. It is sometimes called Madden '88 or Madden '89 to distinguish it from later games in the series.

<i>John Madden Football</i> (1990 video game) 1990 video game

John Madden Football, released as John Madden American Football in Europe, is an American football video game released by Electronic Arts. Loosely based on the 1988 video game of the same title, it was the first entry in what eventually became the yearly Madden NFL series on home consoles, initially released for the Sega Genesis in 1990. It is sometimes called Madden '90 or Madden '91 to distinguish it from subsequent entries in the series.

NFL GameDay is a series of American football video games for the PlayStation and PlayStation 2 video game consoles. NFL GameDay directly competed with EA Sports' Madden NFL Football and Sega's NFL 2K franchises. The NFL GameDay series began with NFL GameDay released for the 1995–96 NFL season and ended with NFL GameDay 2005 following EA's acquisition of exclusive NFL licensing. The games were designed by 989 Sports throughout their ten-year duration.

In the video game industry, a console war describes the competition between two or more video game console manufacturers in trying to achieve better consumer sales through more advanced console technology, an improved selection of video games, and general marketing around their consoles. While console manufacturers are generally always trying to out-perform other manufacturers in sales, these console wars engage in more direct tactics to compare their offerings directly against their competitors or to disparage the competition in contrast to their own, and thus the marketing efforts have tended to escalate in back-and-forth pushes.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Kent, Steven L. (2001). The Ultimate History of Video Games: The Story Behind the Craze that Touched our Lives and Changed the World . Roseville, California: Prima Publishing. pp. 406–407. ISBN   0-7615-3643-4.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Horowitz, Ken (2007-11-20). "Behind the Design: Joe Montana Football". www.sega-16.com. Retrieved 2008-05-11.
  3. 1 2 Nelson, Murry R. (23 May 2013). American Sports: A History of Icons, Idols, and Ideas [4 volumes]: A History of Icons, Idols, and Ideas. ABC-CLIO. p. 1418. ISBN   978-0-313-39753-0.
  4. ↑ "American Pro Football / Walter Payton Football / Futebol Americano - Games". SMS Power. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  5. ↑ "Complete Guide to Consoles" (PDF). Computer and Video Games . 16 October 1989. p. 48.
  6. ↑ Hruby, Patrick. "The Franchise". ESPN. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  7. ↑ Horowitz, Ken. "Interview: Michael Knox". www.sega-16.com. Retrieved 2020-06-22.
  8. ↑ Gallagher, Jason M (8 September 2019). "How Madden Became King of the Gaming Gridiron". Den of Geek. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  9. ↑ https://www.ign.com/games/joe-montana-football-16
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.