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Madden Bowl XVIII Kicks off 2012 Super Bowl on Ustream/ESPN3 Tonight

Drake Hess — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:30:51 +0000

The Super Bowl, it’s the Christmas of the NFL season, and the build up to the big day usually means picking up beer, soda, chips, a new flat screen television, and figuring out just how many friends your house can fit without the floor caving in.

But what if you want more than the big game? What if you want to see grown men playing the same game they play in real life in a virtual arena instead? Say no more. EA Sports has you covered with the “Madden Bowl,” a 3-on-3 single elimination tournament style matchup combining atheletes, musicians, and celebrities in a race for the coveted Madden Bowl trophy. It started in 1995 as a one-on-one event and remained that way until last year, when the online team play feature turned it into a family affair. Last year’s winning team consisted of Patrick “Baby Ray” Willis, Chad “Thank God for Tom Brady” Ochocinico, and the beautiful Maria “Medford Massachusettes born” Menounos.

The festivities will be broadcasted on ESPN3 and Ustream tonight, with “Blue Carpet” coverage at 6 PM EST, and the main event itself following directly after. If you still aren’t convinced this is worth your viewing time, think of it as an MTV Rock N Jock meets Bud Bowl meets video games mashup. Not sure if that helps seal the deal but it sure brings back lots of memories. Who else remembers watching the old Bud Bowl commercials like the one below?

I personally think EA Sports should expand the Madden Bowl concept and take over the Pro Bowl, allowing each selected player to control their virtual self in a televised 11-on-11 event. Think about it. In home camera crews monitoring the athletes as they sit on their plush leather couches, controller in one hand, mobile trash-talking twitter device in the other, Bud Bowl half-time show, and most of all, no more “season related injury” bail out. That’s right, they can all just sit their ass down and entertain us with slick analog swiveling and bumper mashing moves. One thing I know for sure, it would be one thousand times more entertaining than the actual Pro Bowl is.

Stuff That Never Gets Old: Greg Jennings Puts Madden on his Back

Dave Oshry — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 07:22:33 +0000

There are some entities on the internet that transcend time and relevancy. No matter how out-of-date they may be, no matter how many times you’ve seen them, the humor lingers and we find ourselves right back where we started, laughing our asses off as we add one more view to the tally of millions. This, my friends, is stuff that never gets old.

Last April, Demetry James uploaded what may be the greatest piece of Madden NFL commentary ever to hit the internets. On the last play of the game, Demetry completed a 99 yd touchdown pass to Greg Jennings… while Jennings had a broken leg. He even got him past Darren Sharper… one of the most hardest hitting safety’s in the league!

The video became so viral that Jennings himself has commented on it and it even inspired an achievement in Madden 12 called “Put Da Team on My Back” (Catch a 99yd TD pass with Greg Jennings)

Warning, this video contains gratuitous use of the N word and is therefore Not Safe For Work (if you’re not black)

Although Jennings only racked up 82 yards in the Packers win against the Rams yesterday, we still salute him for putting the team on his back… as always.

Stay tuned next week for more videos we wish we’d been clever enough to make ourselves.

Madden NFL ’12 Kicks Off With 1.4 Million Sales in Week One

Catherine Cai — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 21:00:44 +0000

Unsurprisingly, Madden NFL ’12 has done well in its kickoff, because nothing sells like hotcakes in Amurica like guns and ‘murican football. As the title suggests, Madden NFL ’12 has sold over 1.4 million copies in its opening week, which is 10 percent higher than Madden NFL ’11.

In just a week’s time, Madden ’12 already boasts some awesome stats. Players have already played over 5.4 million connected games and has peaked in the top 10 charts for most downloaded apps for both the iTunes store and the Android market, proving that once again that people would much rather shout and stare at a TV screen than actually go out and play football themselves.

AMERICA! FUCK YEAH!

EA Unveils Premium Program “Season Ticket”

Chris Carlson — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 21:30:01 +0000

EA has announced its exclusive premium program, “Season Ticket”. This all-new program provides premium benefits for a better gaming experience on five participating EA SPORTS™ titles. EA’s Season Ticket is available today. Here’s the rundown:

FAST FACTS:

Annual fee of $24.99 or 2000 Microsoft Points
Full access to participating EA SPORTS™ games three days before launch
20-percent discount on downloadable game content
Free premium web content
Exclusive membership recognition
Participating EA SPORTS titles at launch: Madden NFL, NHL Hockey, FIFA Soccer, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR and NCAA Football
Available for Xbox 360 (North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand) and PlayStation 3 (North America)
GameStop exclusive retailer marketing partner in North America

FEATURES & BENEFITS:

Download and play full version of five participating titles three days early

Keep in-game achievements and transfer to retail version
Play against other EA SPORTS Season Ticket subscribers
Download expires on day of retail launch and subscribers need to purchase at retail to continue the experience

Twenty percent discount on all available downloadable content for participating EA
SPORTS titles

Enhances and refreshes the core game experience
PDLC items such as Ultimate Team packs, accelerator packs and gear upgrades
Discounts begin with Madden NFL 12

Free premium web content extends the game experience beyond the console to a web
browser

Free premium web content to subscribers beginning with premium Creation Center packs for FIFA Soccer 12
Available for the duration of the subscription
Easily-identifiable membership recognition
Exclusive membership recognition badge displayed in-game and on EASPORTS.com profile.

Madden Executive Producer Leaves EA After 13 Years

Dave Oshry — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 12:00:26 +0000

Or perhaps he just ran to the store to get some tough actin’ Tenactin? Who knows.

Anyhow, reports are coming in that Phil Frazier, a man who has helped to make Madden the biggest friggin’ thing on earth over the last 13 years, is leaving EA. This comes on the heels of the recent departure of Ian Cummings, the creative director of Madden for the last 10 years. Perhaps these guys had come to realize they’d been making the same game with new rosters for more than decade and decided to move on to something more interesting?

In the meantime, Roy Harvey, the executive producer on NCAA Football will take over as the EP of the Madden franchise. This is most certainly good news because everyone knows the NCAA games have become better than their pro counterparts anyhow.

Stay tuned to RipTen as this story develops, we’re sure these fine chaps will be moving on to bigger and better things very soon.

via [Owen The Good]

Peyton Hillis Beats Michael Vick To Madden 12 Cover In Landslide Victory

Dave Oshry — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 21:31:28 +0000

The ASPCA can sleep soundly tonight, knowing that Michael Vick will not be gracing the cover of EA Sports Madden 12.

The Cleveland Browns running back has taken the fan voting in a landslide victory with 66% to Vick’s 34%. There were over one million votes cast in this final battle for cover supremacy, but Hillis ran over Vick like a dump truck.

This also means that Aaron Rodgers and the Packers have avoided the dreaded Madden curse… but we already knew that.

Look for the official box art soon.

Cleveland rocks!!

Source: ESPN

Madden NFL 12 – Won’t Be Sacked By An NFL Lockout

Garrett Hartman — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 23:50:19 +0000

Worried about the ongoing NFL lockout dispute which could cancel football this year? EA Sports isn’t. EA Sports President Peter Moore made sure to make clear Madden NFL 12 will be released regardless.

“We’ll be shipping this year, regardless of what the labor issues are, whether they’re resolved or not,” Moore told a group of journalists during an EA Sports event in San Francisco. “Madden 12 will be shipping on August 30th 2011, regardless of what happens with the league itself.”

Good news? Sure, but did you really think EA would miss an installment of their annual cash cow? At least if we’re left without the NFL we can still create amazing football moments in the comfort of our homes.

Top 10 Games We Wish Used Kinect

Ripten Staff — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 00:35:59 +0000

Microsoft’s Kinect looks to take gaming in a bold new direction by making you the controller. However, other than a few “family friendly” launch titles, Kinect currently doesn’t have much to offer us hardcore gamers. We’re not quite sold on it yet, but if these next 10 games were compatible with Kinect, we’d go out and buy it TODAY.

10 – Fight Night

Let’s just come out and say it, Fighters Uncaged just doesn’t cut it as far as fighting games go. However, Fight Night is one of the greatest boxing franchises of all time and if Microsoft could find a way to make it work properly with Kinect – we’d be all over it.

9- Starcraft II

Yeah, we know, it’s not on consoles, but if it was, we’d want to play it with Kinect. Being able to move your units around and place buildings with one hand while moving the map with your other hand just makes sense – and it would make for some awesome and intense online matches as well.

8 – Halo Wars

Since Starcraft II isn’t on consoles, Halo Wars will have to do. Although the online community is all but dead, it would still be fun to play the campaign with Kinect. In fact, any modern RTS would be fun with Kinect. R.U.S.E anyone?

Daily Deal: Madden 11

Brandon Fenty — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 22:01:32 +0000

Looking for a great deal on Madden 11? Best Buy has one! Best Buy is offering a buy one, get the second half off sale on select games when you buy Madden 11. So if you purchase Madden 11, you can choose from one of the following games to get for half price:

Split/Second
Brutal Legend
Left 4 Dead 2
UFC Undisputed 2010
Bioshock 2
Just Cause 2
God of War III
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11
Assassin’s Cred 2
Halo 3: ODST
Lost Planet 2
Dragon Age: Origins
Alpha Protocol
Mass Effect 2
Alan Wake
Fight Night Round 4

Can’t beat getting a second game 50% off, check it out and let us know what kinds of deals you score in the comments!

Madden NFL 11 Demo [Insert Football Reference Here] Today on Xbox Live and PSN

Gavin Bard — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 19:19:03 +0000

Some things are as reliable as the changing of seasons. Well, I mean before global warming strangles the life out of our planet and all. The tides, Adult Swim throwing wacky concept cartoons at the wall to see what sticks, and a new version of Madden tackling the consoles. You could say that it is a real home run. A slap shot from the point! GOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAALLLL!

Sorry, I don’t really watch a whole lot of the sports.

The Madden NFL 11 demo features the Jets vs the Colts, and hopefully they accurately catch the intricacies of Rex Ryan’s rather rotund physique. More importantly, it is also the first real look at Madden’s new innovative Gameflow system. It is available on Xbox Live and PSN as we speak. So get out your Miller Lites, put on your flip flops with jeans, get a polo shirt under that polo shirt, and tell us at length how awesome “Dave” is. It’s time for some Madden!

[Source: Joystiq]

Madden NFL 11 Soundtrack Revealed, is Gaming Pink Polo Shirts With Popped Collars

Gavin Bard — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 16:35:42 +0000

People like sports. EA’s Madden franchise involves sports. Sometimes sports happens in a stadium. Sometimes in a stadium they have huge speakers. Sometimes they play music over these speakers for the drunk people in the crowd watching the sports. Usually that music sucks. Let’s just say that Madden NFL 11′s soundtrack is a perfect representation of that stadium music. Or of a college bar at around 12 on a Friday night.

From Destructoid because I don’t feel like typing it out any differently;

Original Recordings:

* AC/DC – Thunderstruck
* Archie Eversole – We Ready
* Blur – Song 2
* Bush – Machinehead
* Guns N’ Roses – Welcome to the Jungle
* Kevin Rudolf featuring Lil’ Wayne – Let It Rock
* Kiss – Rock and Roll All Nite
* Ozzy Osbourne – Let Me Hear You Scream
* Ozzy Osbourne – Crazy Train
* The Hives – Tick Tick Boom
* Todd Rundgren – Bang the Drum
* Ying Yang Twins featuring Homebwoi – Halftime

Cover Versions:

* Rock N Roll Part 2 – as made famous by Gary Glitter
* We Will Rock You – as made famous by Queen
* Crowd Chant – as made famous by Joe Satriani
* Kernkraft 400 – as made famous by Zombie Nation

Team Fight Songs:

* Chicago Bears – Bear Down Chicago Bears
* Detroit Lions – Gridiron Heroes
* Green Bay Packers – Go Packers Go!
* Miami Dolphins – Miami Dolphins #1
* Minnesota Vikings – Skol Vikings
* Philadelphia Eagles – Fly Eagles Fly
* Washington Redskins – Hail to the Redskins

[Source: Destructoid]

Madden NFL 11 Team Ratings Released, Franchise QBs Make All The Difference

Chad Lakkis — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 06:47:59 +0000

The Madden NFL 11 team ratings have been released, and while the masses who follow this game on an annual basis already know the numbers will fluctuate throughout the season, one quick look at the biggest gainers and losers this year reveals an interesting statistical fact — Donovan Mcnabb and Kurt Warner will be missed. If not on the field, surely in the video game.

The Cardinals were rated 76 overall with future Hall of Fame QB Kurt Warner at the helm — and without him, they are now scored a 70. The Eagles and their newly appointed QB of the future, Kevin Colb, scored an 80 — which puts them 6 points below their 86 ranking with McNabb orchestrating the offense. Conversely, McNabb’s new team, the Redskins, gained 6 points in rank, jumping from 70 to 76 with his addition.

Of course you can argue that the impact of losing a big play receiver like Anquan Boldin significantly impacted Arizona’s decline, but after seeing my team, the Pittburgh Steelers, dip a mere one point from 85 to 84 after the loss of Super Bowl MVP wide out Santonio Holmes, I’d have to argue that quarterbacks have a much more significant Madden impact than just about any other position — especially when they’re as good as the two mentioned here.

Have at the full list below.

Rank	Team	Madden 11	Madden 10	Change
1	New Orleans Saints	92	94	-2
2	Indianapolis Colts	91	93	-2
3	Baltimore Ravens	90	87	+3
4	New York Jets	89	88	+1
5	Minnesota Vikings	88	90	-2
6	Green Bay Packers	87	87	NA
7	Dallas Cowboys	87	88	-1
8	New England Patriots	86	88	-2
9	Cincinnati Bengals	86	86	NA
10	San Diego Chargers	85	89	-4
11	Pittsburgh Steelers	84	85	-1
12	Atlanta Falcons	83	83	NA
13	New York Giants	81	81	NA
14	Philadelphia Eagles	80	86	-6
15	Arizona Cardinals	79	87	-8
16	Miami Dolphins	79	77	+2
17	San Francisco 49ers	79	78	+1
18	Houston Texans	78	82	-4
19	Denver Broncos	78	80	-2
20	Chicago Bears	77	75	+2
21	Tennessee Titans	77	79	-2
22	Washington Redskins	76	70	+6
23	Carolina Panthers	75	78	-3
24	Seattle Seahawks	75	72	+3
25	Jacksonville Jaguars	74	76	-2
26	Oakland Raiders	71	71	NA
27	Kansas City Chiefs	71	68	+3
28	Cleveland Browns	70	69	+1
29	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	69	67	+2
30	Detroit Lions	68	66	+2
31	Buffalo Bills	67	71	-4
32	St. Louis Rams	66	65	+1

[Source: GameSpot]

VIP System Reborn? Madden NFL 11 Adds Opponent Scouting For Online Contests

Chad Lakkis — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 17:52:34 +0000

Back in 2005, 2K Sports unleashed a new feature called the VIP System in NFL 2K5, and those into the world of online player versus player game play quickly found themselves in love. You see, the feature allowed you to scout the tenancies of your real life online opponent.

If he or she favored running up the gut, you could see that trend, and tailor your defense accordingly. If a player was notorious for brining the house on a blitz every down, you could use that knowledge and employ a dink and dunk passing game to counter it. Many football loving gamers (like myself) have dearly missed that feature over the years, though it seems that EA Sports may be bringing it back (with a twist) via a similar component added to the Madden NFL 2011 release this year.

The new feature is called “Online Scouting”, and Madden 11 Producer Donny Moore, describes it as such:

“Online scouting tracks all of your play-calling and what you like to do in different situations. We’re tracking every online game that you play: online ranked, unranked, and ‘Madden Ultimate Team’ head-to-head.”

Though the end result may be similar to 2K’s VIP system, the process of getting there is much more complex — and costly. According to the team at EA, the system will track and store data on ten different game situations including goal line, redzone, and pretty much every first through fourth down yardage scenario imaginable.

When all is said and done, you’ll have access to 45 various flavors of scouting data, however, all of that data will need to be unlocked. That’s right. I said unlocked.

Each piece of the scouting data available will need to be purchased and unlocked, via the use of an in-game coin system, piece by piece or as a whole for 25 coins. The currency is added to your account at the completion of online contests — assuming you don’t rage quit or disconnect before the match concludes. Madden 11 Producer, Phil Frazier, explains an “alternative” means of coin collecting:

“Gamers will also be able to use real money to buy coin packs or scouting packs, but the prices are not final.”

Sweet! Now we have the option to pay money or spend gobs of time to gain access to something that 2K made available instantly, and for free. Of course, Frazier went on to justify the implementation choice, adding:

“This isn’t a money-grab for us. This is about building up your online skills. We’re trying to provide a competitive advantage and we’re presenting it to you in a way that’s authentic to the sport of football.’”

Did he just imply that real NFL teams have the option to purchase the opposing team’s play-book? And I thought the Jets/Patriots sideline filming scandal was bad. I mean, who needs film when you can apparently buy your opponents play-book on Ebay?

In another move obviously done to make the implementation more “authentic to the sport of football”, the new system will notify the player who has just been victimized by a scouting purchase, all but ensuring they change up their game plan. Doesn’t that sort of defeat the purpose? Shouldn’t the fact that you are getting your ass handed to you on the field serve as a clue that your game plan isn’t working? I’m pretty sure that’s how it works on Sundays, because I’ve never seen a stadium scoreboard light up with the words “Hey coach, this team’s done their homework. Time to change it up dummy.”

Ponder this for a moment. The new Madden 11 “GameFlow” feature speeds up the play calling process like never before by having the AI call plays for you, and just as that is about to kick in, EA magically presents you with a means to help said AI signal caller make smarter decisions — for a price. Coincidence?

Last but not least, those who buy the game new will receive 50 free scouting reports. My guess is that “buy new” bonus is meant to help build up our “new game purchasing skills.” So thoughtful.

Look, I’m sure that I speak for most gamers when I say that we’re all for innovation. Just stop making it feel like you’re bending us over in the name of “authenticity.” It’s a dollars and cents bottom line world. We get that.

[via ESPN]

EA Sports Marketing Machine Preps Football Fans For “Simpler, Quicker, Deeper” Madden NFL 11 “Locomotion” Experience

Chad Lakkis — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 22:21:52 +0000

We touched on this a little yesterday in our “Run the Darn Play I tell You To Run” preview of Madden NFL 11, but now you can hear the folks at EA gush about their new “GameFlow” play calling system and “Locomotion” gameplay changes first hand in the first two installments of their five part developer video series.

GameFlow will audibly call the play out to you much like an offensive/defensive coordinator does with their designated player on the field and Locomotion aims to add another level of authenticity to the handling and control of players on the field.

Have at it.

Pretty interesting. But that “locomotion” name sounds so familiar. Where have I heard that before? Oh yeah, that’s right…

Madden 10 Preview: Top Ten Changes to the Franchise

Jonathan Zungre — Sat, 02 May 2009 17:37:25 +0000

We just previewed Madden 10 and it seems like the team has been hard at work scrapping elements that haven’t worked for the series and creating new features in order to produce the most realistic feeling hard-nosed Sunday football game to date. Let’s blitz through the top ten changes Madden 10 makes to famed Madden formula.

1. Madden 10 lets players “Feel The Pressure” in the pocket and avoid It. Since the beginning of time, Madden players have played passing offense the same way: Running 20 yards or more into the backfield, away from the pocket, and firing a huge bomb to a downfield receiver. They either complete that miracle pass or they’re sacked for an absurd loss. Real NFL quarterbacks don’t do this, by the way, they stay protected in the pocket created by the offensive line. The developers of Madden 10 found that when players were looking downfield for a receiver, the pocket didn’t feel safe because they couldn’t sense when the defense was rushing them, hence the running into the backfield.

One of Madden 10′s goals is to make the pocket feel safe again. When looking downfield for a receiver to pass to, the controller will rumble when the quarterback is under pressure. A quick flick of the right stick lets the quarterback execute an avoidance move to shrug away a potential sack and give the player an extra moment to complete a pass. The avoidance moves will work better with elusive quaterbacks, like Big Ben, but even then they won’t work all the time.

Ben Roethlisberger, one of the larger quarterbacks, eluding a defender with an avoidance move.

2. Quarterbacks have more guts. Ok, that’s not a direct quote from Madden 10, but it’s the best way to describe the quarterback’s new ability to complete passes while being sacked. Last year, Madden 09′s sack animation would overide the quarterback’s passing animation, causing him to tuck the ball instead of releasing it, resulting in some unfair feeling sacks. “I pressed the throw button!” Now the top part of a quarterbacks body can still make a pass even though he’s being sacked, which may result in a much needed completion, or a floating pass that could be easily intercepted. Either way, if you want to make that risky play, now you can.

3. Nine man gang tackles. Madden 10′s mantra is “Fight For Every Yard.” With Madden 10′s new Pro Tak feature you can bring the four on one ownage to some poor running back like the picture below. The gang tackles generated by Pro Tak can also be used offensively. If your running back gets some help from some big guys behind him, they may just push him right into the endzone, or help him break out of the tackle animation altogether. Hopefully Pro Tak’s gang tackles can bring the more organic raw feeling of live football to the game.

3. Fight for the ball at the bottom of the pile. Players will now experience the lawlessness of the game’s most gritty battle, the wrestling match at the bottom of the pile for the ball after a fumble. Who knows what happens at the bottom of the pile? Scratching, finger bending, biting?

Madden 10 handles this tooth and nail battle with an intense quicktime button pressing minigame. Hit the right button as it flashes on the screen and you’ll tip the possession scale in your favor and probably end up with the ball once the ref’s pulls all the bodies off of the pile.

4. Holding the A button moves your defensive back into position for you to make big plays: I’ve always had trouble playing defense in Madden, especially in the secondary. Thankfully, the Madden 10 team found that many players also had the same trouble, and they’ve created Defensive Assist. Holding down the A button will cause your defender to move into position and play defense, but it will not, however, make big plays like swats and interceptions for you. It only gets you into position so you can make these big game changing plays yourself.

5. Many of last year’s Iterations have been scrapped, tweaked or downplayed. The not so successful Madden IQ feature that was so prevalent last year is returning and you’ll still take the test at the beginning of the game, but the Madden 10 team asserts that the feature is going to be changed and be much more in the background. Weapons, the new feature from a couple Madden’s ago have been completely scrapped and Rewind, Madden’s version of a “do over” is turned off at default. Chris Collinsworth and Tom Hammond return, but between you and me and what the developers implied, Tom Hammond is going to be more interesting this time around.

7. Photorealistic Depth of Field. The reason why the screen shot above looks like it was pulled from the real Superbowl last February is that the Madden 10 engine accurately displays depth of field, blurring that which you’re not focused on. Look at how the referee in the foreground and the sideline in the background are accurately out of focus. One of Madden 10′s goals is to make games feel more like a televised broadcast and establishing depth of field is a great step into building that realistic look and feel from a real NFL game.

8. Passes to the flat are no longer broken. After catching a pass out to the flat, no longer will receivers fail to slow down and negotiate where the out of bounds line is. No longer will they sprint towards the sideline like Forrest Gump running home to Jenny. This was a game breaker for many gamers who played Madden 09, so it’s exciting to see that the Madden 10 team is fixing this important play.

This ref should really have a “hit me” sign on his back, because that’s what we all want to do…

9. You can knock over refs and run into the chain gang. Yep, you can knock those pin striped losers onto the ground during a play and doing so will never impede you or slow down your movement in any way. That means a ref will never get in the way of pass or trip you up so you don’t make it into the end zone. Also, Madden 10 wants to replicate the suspense of watching live football by having the chain gang run out and measure for the first down. This may also increase the number of controller throwing moments.

10. Some players stats have been dropped as much as 20 points! The Madden 10 team saw that the stats have been slowly creeping upwards over the years and that average players were only a few points different from the NFL’s future Hall of Famers. This would effect teams as well. Playing the Lions didn’t feel like playing the Lions, it felt like playing the Cowboys or any other good team. In order to distinguish the average players from the superstars, many player’s ratings had to be lowered. If you rate everybody as great, then no one is. Maybe some game websites should adopt this mindset in for review scores. You didn’t hear it here!

Madden looks like its ready for another monster year of sales and hopefully ready to deliver the most true to life football experience thus far. Even more Madden 10 features are going to to be revealed at E3 so get your Troy Polumalu jersey ready and check back later!

EA Sports Gets NFLPA Bargain On Retired NFL Player Rights, Players Seek Help From Madden

Chad Lakkis — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 15:23:40 +0000

You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours. Behind the scenes wheeling and dealing can generate tasty bargains, but sometimes those bargains come with a nasty aftertaste.

In this case, it appears that EA and the NFLPA along with Players Inc. struck a deal for retired NFL player rights that was significantly below fair market value. A class action lawsuit was filed by the players in question against Players Inc, but the fun didn’t stop there. In a letter crafted by 51 year old former Buffalo Bills safety, Jeff Nixon, Madden was asked to come to the aid of his fellow Hall of Famers.

Jeff’s “Dear John” letter to the former Raider’s Head Coach is laced with incriminating quotes, the most shocking being that EA’s total cost to produce Madden each year is apparently no more than $200,000!!

You are… the face and name behind the wildly popular EA Sports Video Game – Madden NFL… will you sit back and let the NFLPA and EA Sports continue to take advantage of our Hall of Fame players?

…Evidence in the Retired Players Class Action suit demonstrates that the NFLPA and Players Inc. were working against the interests of the retired players and in favor of your boss EA Sports. For example, this internal email from NFLPA Executive Clay Walker, confirms that Players Inc. negotiated a deal with EA on behalf of retired Hall of Fame players which was significantly below market rate:

“I was able to forge this deal with the HOF that provides them with 400K per year (which is significantly below market rate) in exchange for the HOF player rights. EA owes me a huge favor because of that threat was enough to persuade Take Two to back off its plans, leaving EA as the only professional football videogame manufacturer out there.”

…Instead of negotiating the best possible deal for the retired players which it purported to represent, the NFLPA and Players Inc. were doing favors for EA by reducing compensation to retired players, and driving a competitive licensee [Take-Two's NFL2K series] out of the market…

And in this February 22, 2007 email from NFLPA Executive Clay Walker to Players Inc. in-house attorney Joe Nahra, the naked truth is exposed to the world:

“…The per player price for most of these guys was tens of thousands of dollars less than what they were guaranteed by Take Two Interactive so it’s a real coup that we were able to pull this off so cheaply. You have to remember that EA’s total cost is only $200,000 per year. We know that Take Two offered six figure deals to several former NFL players so the total cost is millions below market prices…”

John, these are your fellow Hall of Fame Players they are talking about! Are you going to let them get away with this? I know that EA is your employer, but come on…

Afterthought: What say you? Do you think John Madden will come to the aid of his fellow hall of fame brothers, or will his role be exposes as nothing more than a powerless figure head?

Source: gamepolitics.com

Video Preview: Two Guidos Agree, Madden 09 Better Than Cannoli

Jonathan Zungre — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 03:22:03 +0000

E3 08 bestowed upon us a great gift. Madden 09. With the ability to do backyard-football-like “do-overs” and an emphasis on teaching newer players how to play football, it looks like the Maddenest Madden yet. What more could two Italians straight from the old country wish for?

Actually, I’m only one fourth Italian and Range only works at an Italian restaurant. But i didn’t lie about Madden. It looks fantastic. Capiche?! Have at the video after the jump.

EA/Take-Two Merger – Sports Gaming Monopoly

Chad Lakkis — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 23:04:22 +0000

Justin Blankenship, a former FTC lawyer, expresses concern regarding the potential EA and Take-Two merger. Specifically, he believes that the merger may violate antitrust laws due to the hold the company would have on the videogame sports sector. Justin states:

I wouldn’t consider this [EA/Take-Two deal] inevitable quite yet,” … “Although you’ve yet to see antitrust law rear its head in a videogame merger, this is the best case I’ve seen where it could happen. Don’t be surprised if this gets more interesting than anyone expects.”

EA already holds several exclusive licenses across the professional and collegiate levels and a merger with Take-Two would mean the end of 2K Sports, the largest competitor for EA when it comes to sports related videogame content. It doesn’t take a degree in rocket science to figure this one out.

The main argument regarding this merger has been one focused on price, however the bigger picture that we believe concerns gamers even more, is choice and quality of product. We would love to hear your thoughts on this.

EA Extends Exclusive NFL License To 2013 – “Ain’t Life A Bitch?”

Chad Lakkis — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 21:06:29 +0000

The news out of Redwood, CA is in, and it doesn’t look good for fans of NFL branded videogame football. The contract end date that many of us had been counting down to, has been extended through the 2012 season.

The moment the press release hit my in-box, all I could think of was the opening scene to “The Last Boy Scout”. Lynn Swann, playing a sideline reporter, asks a cowboy hat wearing professional football owner if he believes that pro football is on the decline? The owner answers no, and points out that his star player, Billy Cole, is having the game of his life.

Billy then proceeds to catch a pass, run down field, pull a hand gun out of his pants, and shoot every defender in his way until he reaches the end zone, at which point he removes his helmet, utters the words “ain’t life a bitch”, and promptly shoots himself in the head.

Yeah– that pretty much sums up my reaction to this news. I purchased Madden 08 this year because I felt obligated to review it for our readers, but many of my friends refused to do so, and those who did returned it for store credit shortly thereafter.
[youtube width="480" height="401"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVrsGHs2MCk[/youtube]

The sports gaming population, in large part due to EA, have come to expect that which is in the game to be “in the game”, and for the past three years, that has not been the case. I hope that EA Tiburon rededicates themselves not only to the game, but to the fan and the EA slogan that defined an era of video game sports for so many years.

Tiburon, if you are reading this, hear my words:

Double talk and excuses can only be tolerated for so long, and once gamers reach their collective breaking point, not even the power of the exclusive NFL license will save you. What we are asking is simple, spend less on marketing, and more on the actual videogame development. The time for talk is over.

Bring back the chain gang, the on field refs, and for the love of God, put a net behind the goal posts so we don’t have to keep kicking our adoring fans in the head every time we boot a field goal. We want to love the game, so do your part, and we will do ours.

Press release in full available below.

EA EXTENDS INTERACTIVE VIDEOGAME AGREEMENTS

WITH NFL AND NFL PLAYERS

Exclusive Agreements Renewed Through 2012 Season

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – February 12, 2008 – Electronic Arts (Nasdaq: ERTS) today announced an extension of its exclusive licensing relationships with the National Football League and NFL PLAYERS to develop, publish and distribute interactive football video games. These agreements – which were negotiated separately and are extensions of contracts originally signed in December 2004 – provide EA continued rights to NFL teams, stadiums and players for its critically-acclaimed and best-selling football videogames through the end of the 2012 season, which culminates in February 2013.

Both agreements include all aspects of the interactive experience, including console and handheld games as well as console-based online features. The agreements also provide EA access to both NFL Films and the NFL Network to enrich its game experiences. Financial terms of the agreements were not disclosed.

“This is all about bringing authenticity and realism to NFL videogames,” said Eric Grubman, President of NFL Ventures. “EA SPORTS continually works to maintain the cutting edge for NFL products across a variety of gaming platforms. We like the fact that they never rest.”

“This is great news and it means we can continue to produce the best interactive experience possible. It also allows NFL PLAYERS, the NFL and EA to continue to build our brands,” said Gene Upshaw, Chairman of NFL PLAYERS and Executive Director of the National Football League Players Association. “We offer a very unique experience. “

“We are excited about the opportunity to extend and expand our relationships with the NFL and NFL PLAYERS,” said Peter Moore, President of EA SPORTS™. “For nearly two decades, EA SPORTS has been bringing sports fans closer to the great game of football through the breakthrough interactive experiences of our videogames. Game quality is our top priority, and we’re committed to pushing our gameplay innovation, connecting football fans via rich online experiences and delivering the most visually stunning sports games on the market.”

Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2008, EA’s Madden NFL franchise has consistently been one of the videogame industry’s best-selling and top-rated products, generating more than $2 billion in retail sales. Madden NFL 08 earned awards from the 2007 Game Critics Awards at the E3 Media and Business Summit, The SpikeTV Video Game Awards, and the GameSpot Readers Choice Awards last year. The game is available on the PLAYSTATION®3 and PlayStation®2 computer entertainment systems, Xbox 360™ and Xbox® videogame and entertainment systems from Microsoft, Nintendo DS™, Wii™, PC, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) handheld entertainment system, mobile handsets and Mac. EA also produces the arcade-football game NFL Tour which hit stores in January 2008, and NFL Head Coach, which was released in 2006. EA SPORTS recently hosted Madden Bowl XIV in Scottsdale, Ariz., as part of Super Bowl XLII festivities.

Both agreements grant exclusive rights for action simulation, arcade-style and manager games on the PC, handheld game devices and consoles.

Top Ten Developers – #6 Electronic Arts

James Fleming — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 19:09:34 +0000

Just like its advertising campaign, EA is BIG. The company made net revenue of over 3 billion dollars in 2005 and continues to grow. The recent acquisition of BioWare will only continue to drive this monster forward. This along with its near-monopoly on professional sports games could prove to be a bottomless well for future earnings.

However, EA is so big that it has actually made its inclusion on this list a difficult undertaking, due to its predominant status as a sun-eclipsing monster publisher. But it cannot be denied that EA's logo is found on so many must-own titles that it has to be acknowledged as an iconic developer.

Electronic Arts got its start when the director of product marketing at Apple decided to head out and establish his own venture back in 1982. The company would turn out to be Amazin' Software, later updated to the far superior call sign of Electronic Arts.

"We See Farther, 1983 EA Advertisement" Artists listed left to right.
Top: Mike Abbott, Dan Bunten, Jon Freeman, Anne Westfall, Bill Budge
Bottom: Matt Alexander, John Fields, David Maynard

Early on EA made its debut doing what it does best-- publishing. A publisher that would step out of the spotlight and let their developers bask in the public eye, EA would develop a reputation for giving their staff the credit they were due.

In 1983, EA released the now classic M.U.L.E. This little piece of software would revolutionize gaming with its multiplayer focus, and would eventually be ported from the Atari 400 to the Commodore 64, PC, and even the NES.

The game was great but it still wasn't an EA original. That feat wouldn't come until many years later when the classic skateboarding title Skate or Die! hit shelves in 1987. Skate or Die! didn't set any milestones, but it would hint at the sports-focused direction that EA would head towards in the future.

EA is such a massive firm, with their hands in so many pies, that it isn't easy to find out which games were developed completely in-house and which games were constructed by their smaller development companies. Many of the games bearing the EA logo were not actually developed by EA, but a subsidiary.

What cannot be debated about Electronic Arts is that they have cornered a significant market share. EA turns out an annual collection of new professional sports titles that mostly go unchallenged, and the rate at which players eat it up is awe inspiring (anyone remember the Madden addicts on MTV?).

The reason that these games do so well is that kids grow up wanting to field like Derek Jeter. They long to throw the pigskin like Joe Montana. They practice dribbling for hours to get that Alan Iverson crossover and stay out on the greens past sundown to sink that amazing 15-footer they saw Tiger Woods nail in the Masters. Kids want to be their heroes. So why not let them? That's what EA said back when it started its line of licensed sports games back in the late 80's, and the whirlwind is still going strong today.

After the success of Madden Football and NHL Hockey, EA decided to devote a specific branch to sports development. That fork in the road would be known as EASN. Catchy name huh? Well too bad ESPN had all four lettered acronyms on lockdown. The new name would have to have a sub-label on every box, leading to the more familiar EA Sports being created. So now with a new name, a new box style (the famous all-white cases) and a fresh new batch of official licenses, which EA is the biggest purchaser of, Electronic Arts would be ready to take no prisoners in the 16-bit console war.

EA Sports NBA Live 97 -- watch out for those steals!

The 16-bit era truly built the empire of EA that we know today. Their contributions to the Sega Genesis would make it a console seller. But not one to discriminate, they would develop for the SNES as well. This is when many of the series we still play today would be born-- Madden, NHL Hockey, NBA Live, Knockout Kings, FIFA, PGA Tour (later named Tiger Woods) and Triple Play Baseball (dubbed MVP Baseball in 2003) would all be born from this era.

If you like sports games, then chances are at some point in your gaming career you've had one of these white-boxed beauties stashed in your entertainment center ready to collect dust when you get the update and never play the old version again. And why would you? You've got the new one, and the new one has better announcers, updated graphics and improved puck/ball/racket/bat/club control than the one before it.

Maddenoliday commercial promoting the annual release of Madden

Therein lays the genius. Not only did EA corner the market, but they made it so that they can get repeat customers year in, year out. You may not like sports games, but a lot of people dig em', and EA is the hardest hitter out there delivering the goods. EA publishes a lot of games, but as far as development is concerned, sports games are the golden goose. EA has become one of the biggest publishers of video games in the world, and EA Sports was the BIG reason for that. Like the slogan says, “it's in the game”.

Must Haves:
Madden '08 (Multi),
NHL '08 (Multi),
FIFA '08 (Multi)

Have Nots:
Rugby '08 (PS2),
NASCAR '08 (Multi)

Top Ten Developer List: 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1