It’s been 13 long years since Electronic Arts last released a rugby game. Since then, games like Rugby Challenge 4, Rugby 20, and Rugby World Cup 2015, have all come and gone, but none of them have really hit the mark in quite the same way. Maybe it’s the fact that these new games are missing licences, have players that defy the laws of physics, and referees that seem intent on ruining a good game, or maybe it’s the fact that they just pale in comparison to the golden age of EA Sports games.
Sure, Jonah Lomu Rugby, which released in 1997, was actually produced by Codemasters – a studio EA now owns – but Rugby 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2008, which were all made by EA Sports, are still considered to be superior games when compared to the modern day equivalents made by the likes of Nacon and Eko Software. As for why? Well, the proof is in the pudding.