NFL extends exclusive license deal with EA Sports
by 
The Wall Street Journal has revealed that the NFL has extended the exclusive licensing agreement with EA Sports by three years. This means that NFL exclusivity belongs to EA through at least Madden 2013. The official announcement will be made later today.
At an EA briefing for analysts today, Mr. Moore plans announce the extension of a deal with the National Football League and the NFL Players Association through 2012 that will continue EA’s position as the exclusive maker of NFL videogames, including Madden. EA’s previous exclusive NFL deal was due to expire next year.
This doesn’t come as a huge surprise however until now there was a sense of uncertainty regarding what could happen with the license such as potentially going through another bidding process. The news is just breaking on this so I’ll have more as it becomes available. Be sure to check back frequently for the latest.
Update: Pastapadre.com had an exclusive interview with Peter Moore on the subject of the exclusivity extension. Click the following links for a quick preview and the recording of the call.
February 12, 2008 at 2:31 am
interesting, I thought this would happen eventually. anyone who really had hope that another company would get the liscense was fooling themselves.
February 12, 2008 at 2:53 am
Im sad
but like icepoline sad I wasnt expecting EA to let it run out. I just hope 2k ditches the legends and makes a generic custimizable game.
February 12, 2008 at 3:05 am
[quote comment="12975"]Im sad
but like icepoline sad I wasnt expecting EA to let it run out. I just hope 2k ditches the legends and makes a generic custimizable game.[/quote]
didnt they say the reason for not making it customisable was because they didnt want to upset the NFL because they thought they would get to bid on the liscense? if that is true then if they make another football game they shouldnt be held back thinking that again
February 12, 2008 at 3:48 am
Yeah I agree icepoline, screw the NFL and go all out.
February 12, 2008 at 5:50 am
EA will continue to make crap…. madden is the same game year in and year out…. they don’t even have referees on the field! U suck EA!
July 30, 2009 at 6:17 pm
wtf have u played madden lately..THERE ARE REFEREES ON THA FIELD.2K SUCK ITS JZT REALISTIC IT DOESNT HAVE ANY FEATURES
August 17, 2009 at 2:54 am
Look at the comment's date before you starting replying with nonsense.
February 12, 2008 at 6:27 am
Hmmmmm
February 12, 2008 at 6:32 am
5 more years of NFL2K5 for me!
February 12, 2008 at 7:25 am
It isn’t all negative just look at all the different types of football games to choose from. Arcade ones with Tour and Blitz, new technology with Backbreaker, a new Tecmo Bowl, and maybe a new more customizable All Pro Football. There is more variety now than there was before.
February 12, 2008 at 7:42 am
IMO we only need one NFL game. With back breaker and APF2K9 coming out, I’ll be one happy grid iron gamer!
Visual Concepts is going to make 2K9 FULLY customizable this year..at least I hope. The reason why they didn’t with 2k8 was to not pizz off the NFL.
I’ll buy 2k9 for it’s legends and awesome gameplay, presentation and atmosphere.
I’ll buy back breaker to test out it’s euphoria engine.
I’ll buy Madden ‘09 to play the same game stale boring gameplay with presentation designed by an artard and absolutely no atmosphere to the game. Then I’ll sell it after a week like I always do.
February 12, 2008 at 7:49 am
when u talk to him let him know peeps want the damn 2k series!
February 12, 2008 at 8:29 am
[quote comment="12990"]I’ll buy Madden ‘09 to play the same game stale boring gameplay with presentation designed by an artard and absolutely no atmosphere to the game. Then I’ll sell it after a week like I always do.[/quote]
[sarcasm]That’ll show those darn suits at EA![/sarcasm]
February 12, 2008 at 8:51 am
Oh God, I hope Madden 09 is good. EA has to get back to the basics.
February 12, 2008 at 9:16 am
[sarcasm]That’ll show those darn suits at EA![/sarcasm]
I’m not selling it to “show those darn suits at EA!”
I sell Madden because I don’t enjoy it. But I buy it to give it a shot every year. I haven’t enjoyed Madden since the Genesis days. But I Love football so much I buy every football game to test em out.
February 12, 2008 at 9:35 am
I just picked up nfl 2k5 for $1. Best purchase ever considering the price. Couple that with the datel xport and you will be playing the greatest pro football sim game ever made with all the new rosters. That being said, 2k has got to fix the servers so that we can play online with the customized rosters. Better yet, make a customizable APF 2k9 and this monopoly that EA has obtained for another three years will be meaningless, atleast to me and all the other 2k fanboys who know what real football gaming is all about
February 12, 2008 at 9:55 am
the 2k series was never for me, I always liked Madden better but ever since the move to 360 and PS3 Madden has been boring. This is going to be the 4th Madden on 360 so hopefully this will be the year they return to greatness.
February 12, 2008 at 9:58 am
I can’t believe they gave the lisense again. Madden does not even deserve to be called sim football game its completely arcade.
February 12, 2008 at 11:53 am
What a shame.
This is a terrible, terrible decision by the NFL.
For a league that does so many things right, the NFL continues to punish the fans with this decision. Having one company produce one NFL simulation game once a year just isn’t right.
It’s a sad day for the video game world.
February 12, 2008 at 12:11 pm
thank god,i hope they make NFL Street 2 backwards compatible for 360, release a patch for Tour where you can change ur lineup online and just fix tour up in general,,, because everyone knoes madden is the same EVERY year so they should focus on Tour and Street.
February 12, 2008 at 12:13 pm
nvm they should just make Street 2 for 360 and PS3 with better graphics and current rosters since thats the sickest game ever..or make a NFL Street 4
February 12, 2008 at 12:32 pm
EA have to buy out this licensce because they know if 2ksports made a football game with the real rosters they know they would get blown out of the water when it comes to sales
February 12, 2008 at 2:28 pm
then dont buy it dont play it
dont comment on it just go away
lol haters are life losers ahahahahahahaha
February 12, 2008 at 3:22 pm
sad
February 12, 2008 at 5:07 pm
Damn shame i cant get my NFL fix anymore. Waited all this time, nice going NFL.
February 12, 2008 at 8:22 pm
fumble, fumble,int returned for TD…
glitchball… this p.moore guy is a snake-oil salesmen & his testers suck… yes it will sell, but so does bad big-macs.
bad news for my long-time hobby.
piss off EA
February 12, 2008 at 8:44 pm
As I said elsewhere, the only good that can possibly come from this is that EA no doubt had to fork out a ton of cash for this deal, which isn’t great when you take in to account declining sales. Hopefully this is just one more nail in the coffin.
Well, maybe not the [i]only[/i] good. 2K might release a great customisable football game with franchise features. Maybe not though, considering how APF2K8 and CH 2K8 went for them…
February 13, 2008 at 8:31 pm
Shoulda seen this comin’. I can’t believe people would be naive about this. APF sales were disappointing and signing the legends was not that smart money-wise. Hell, 2k had to cut their decent College Basketball franchise because of cost and upkeep. I don’t care if all the Madden haters form an army, it will be quelled by the still stellar sales of Madden. I can ask my football teammates, all they want is Madden. Yes, quality might suffer, but at least the competition is being creative.
February 14, 2008 at 5:12 pm
Ea is a joke. They dont wabt comp because they know they will get destroyed(see 2k5 v.s madden 05) good job Ea!
February 20, 2008 at 1:11 pm
Very very sad. after years of nba live, i switch to 2k8
and it is the best ever. Now I want nfl 2k9, and CANT HAVE
IT?? it shows that ea knows 2k can beat them. Smart move,
but now i hate ea.
March 16, 2008 at 1:37 pm
It’s true that Madden has been losing it’s charm in the past few years,(and I personally think that the fact that 2K was making a game with better playability, better graphics, and at a lower price was centrifugal to EA buying out the NFL liscence). I find that competition is the best way to improve, you don’t become the best by buying out your competition. Shame on EA for taking the easy way out.
March 22, 2008 at 6:31 pm
[quote comment="12982"]5 more years of NFL2K5 for me![/quote]
Rather that than Madden any day.Even if it’s for the next five years.I’ll stick to my outdated roster.
May 16, 2008 at 11:21 am
Madden is the worse NFL football game and the ONLY NFL football game which is why I only play 2k8. The physics on madden are trash. I hate it, and Hate EA with a passion. I hope they go bankrupt. Oh wait it wont happen. Too many zombies buying the name. IDIOTS ALL OF YOU MADDEN SUPPORTERS ARE BUYING THE SAME GAME YEAR AFTER YEAR YOU DUMB BASTARDS!!!
August 12, 2008 at 11:11 am
I could not agree more with Dr. Truth. Its all politics because of the money that is involved. 2k series is the best, hand down. But there are people out there who will buy just about anything. EA makes great games but when it comes to football. There competition was much much better (2k sports). How much longer will we have to wait for another ass kicking football game. Madden is overated just like the QB on the cover.
September 25, 2008 at 9:45 pm
I love madden dont get me wrong and if 2k was able to make football games i wouldnt buy them but i think this liscense is killing the quality of madden games i remember back in like 2004 the gameplay was so great..now that they have no competition the gameplay is sliding and although the graphics are spectacular the gamplay and glitches in madden 09 arent that great
January 7, 2009 at 6:38 am
Madden is a poor product–period. People still prefer to play an old game with rosters that you can't update because it's the superior product. Is there anyone still playing Madden 05? The fact that the NFL agreed to sign an exclusive deal with EA shows how much they really care about quality.
The league needs to be represented by the best product on the market when it comes to fans wanting to play a video game featuring NFL stars of the present and the past. That in a nutshell is good business, but we're talking about the NFL here. They wouldn't know good business if it kicked them in the face.
EA clearly can't hang with the 2K squad when it comes to basketball games and Madden got shown up as an inferior, over-hyped fraud of a football game, so they had no choice but to use the old Nintendo "exclusivity" trick to squash competition.
Madden..NBA Live..People who buy these games are being hoodwinked.
May 26, 2009 at 11:40 am
the NFL is so fukin retarted. why would u give the license to EA,they dont deserve it. Give it to 2K, the only company that was able to capture the rel essance of what football should be. the hits, the atmosphere, the intensity, the passion, the sheer realism.Madden has had time with no competitors to put out a good game and they still havent. ESPN NFL 2K5 is still the best football game ever made. fuck ea, fuck madden, and yes im going to say it, fuck the nfl. 2k should just go all out with a fake leauge and crush them.