NEWS - Wednesday, February 13, 2008
EA Extends NFL Deal into 2013
Redwood City, Calif.-based EA said Tuesday that it would be extending its exclusive deal with the National Football League and NFL Players Club until the end of the 2012 season, which ends in February 2013.
The deal extension means that EA will continue to hold the exclusive rights to develop, publish and distribute handheld, PC and console games with real NFL players, stadiums and teams for the next five years.
EA signed the original five-year exclusivity deal with the NFL in 2004, causing a wave of controversy, as the agreement effectively disallowed other NFL licensed games—namely Madden NFL rival NFL 2K—from releasing.
EA will also have access to content from NFL Films and the NFL Network. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The 20-year-old Madden NFL franchise continues to be a top-selling franchise for EA, and has generated over $2 billion in retail sales.
“This is all about bringing authenticity and realism to NFL videogames," said Eric Grubman, president of NFL Ventures.
“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,” said EA Sports president Peter Moore.
Source: http://www.next-gen.biz/
