Tuesday, February 12

EA owns NFL license







This afternoon Electronic Arts confirmed they have extended their exclusive license with the NFL and the NFL Players Association until Feb 2013. The license makes it so only EA can make football games using the NFL brand.


I'm just glad I don't give a crap about Football, or sports games in general for that matter. Before the NFL sold it's soul to the devil, there were a bunch of Devs making Football games, but now the choices are limited to Madden games, college games, or some half-assed arcadey football game (I'm looking at you NFL street).

To be honest though... What the hell is so appealing about buying the same exact game every year? Correct me if I'm wrong, but from my understanding the only things that change from year to year are the rosters and a slight graphical upgrade. Why the hell does Madden sell millions each year?
Here is the press release-

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.

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1 comments:

Sp3ctr said...

As much as I like Madden I would still like to see what other companies could do to this franchise.