EA To Create Arena Football League Game

January 10, 2005, 6:42 pm EST
Total comments: 11

Four-year deal includes AFL game for 2006 season, and EA sharing in future expansion team revenues.

AFL & EA ENTER INTO EXCLUSIVE AGREEMENT -- EA TO PRODUCE AFL VIDEOGAME FOR 2006 AFL SEASON

NEW YORK January 10, 2005 – The Arena Football League and Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:ERTS) have entered into an exclusive agreement to produce an AFL video game in time for the start of the 2006 AFL season that also allows EA to share in the proceeds of future expansion team sales. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“Once again, we are partnering with an industry leader who believes in the AFL philosophy and its growth potential. To the extent that EA helps grow the AFL, they participate in that growth through the increased value of future expansion teams,” said Commissioner David Baker. “EA is the videogame industry’s gold standard. Arguably, nothing is more important to reach the younger male demographic that we are so strong in than video games. For our core fan, this is akin to a network-television agreement.”

Over the next four years and beginning with the 2005 AFL season, EA will partner with the AFL on media and retail marketing, and produce AFL games, the first to be available to consumers at the start of the 2006 AFL season.

“We believe that the business model the AFL has created will provide for a new football experience for videogame fans, and provide EA with an incentive to partner with the AFL to expand the league,” said Larry Probst, Chairman and CEO of EA. “The AFL is a unique brand of football and we intend to deliver a unique football gaming experience from any the industry has seen before. We’re pleased to be working with the league during this exciting, growth-period for the AFL.”

The partnership is a perfect match when considering customer demographics of both the AFL and EA. According to the ESPN Sports Poll, the AFL indexes at 186 for ages 12-17 and 127 for ages 18-24. Approximately 46 percent of all 12-17 year olds are fans of the AFL.

This is the first of four sponsor-related partnerships approved by the AFL Board of Directors and is an extension of the industry-changing equity agreement the AFL has with NBC Sports, in which NBC receives a percentage of the increase in AFL team values.

EA joins a growing list of industry leaders who are partnering with and/or sponsoring the AFL. The list includes: Aaron’s, ADT, Champs Sports, NBC, Nike, Spalding, Upper Deck and U.S. Army.

Talkback

MarioJanuary 10, 2005

Arena Football League? I've never heard it called that before.

Hopefully they'll make this on GCN.

odifiendJanuary 10, 2005

This is kinda messed up. EA takes the NFL and is collecting all its substitutes... Is the CFL next?

FamicomJanuary 10, 2005

Looks like EA is trying to really kill the competition and snatch up the smaller football leagues too....

nickmitchJanuary 10, 2005

EA will resurect the XFL just to make another footballgame.

Ian SaneJanuary 10, 2005

DEATH! DEATH TO EA!

I seriously doubt that EA actually feels that arena football is really lucrative enough to create games for it. This really looks like a blatant attempt to shut out any possible competing football games. This is getting ridiculous and I DARE anyone to try to defend EA anymore.

Termin8AnakinJanuary 10, 2005

I thought AFL was only played in Australia?

Isn't that why its called Aussie Rules?

KulockJanuary 11, 2005

This just in: EA has purchased the rights to kids throwing around a football in their yards.

"EA is excited to exclusively bring this latest simulation to a market eager for it, and we look forward to our upcoming agreements sealing other play areas, such as playgrounds and parks, as well as reaching an agreement with the all-important father-son 'toss around the pigskin' right holders."

EA is currently prepping a lawsuit against a comic strip named "Peanuts," which depicts attempts to kick a football regularly.

NWR_LindyJon Lindemann, Associate EditorJanuary 11, 2005

This is Arena Football, not rugby or some type of rudimentary pitch-and-throw game using a coconut.

AFL Website

It's actually pretty cool, a faster-paced version of NFL football. I'm going to check out a game at some point this year (Go Georgia Force!).

silks

couchmonkeyJanuary 11, 2005

To be fair, I don't think it says anywhere in there that EA has exclusive rights to the AFL, but I agree that this is basically a move to squeeze out any competition. Getting an AFL liscence suddenly became harder since more than one company is interested, and if someone were to bring out an AFL game, it would automatically have competition from EA. Lame.