Electronic Arts Buys John Madden

July 13, 2005, 2:13 pm EDT
Total comments: 18

They're buying PEOPLE now?!

EA SIGNS JOHN MADDEN TO MULTI-YEAR AGREEMENT

July 13, 2005 – Redwood City, Calif. – Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS) today announced that John Madden, football icon and television analyst of ABC’s Monday Night Football, has signed a multi-year agreement to continue to license his name and appear in and consult on the development of future iterations of the blockbuster game that bears his name. Madden NFL 06 , the newest iteration of the EA SPORTS™ best-selling football franchise with the official videogame license of the NFL and its players, will feature the name, voice, likeness and expertise of the celebrated sports personality. EA SPORTS Madden NFL 06 is scheduled for release on August 9, 2005 . Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

“John Madden personifies authentic football in any medium -- television or interactive," said Electronic Arts Chairman and CEO Larry Probst. "We look forward to a great future with John in EA SPORTS Madden NFL.”

“I am proud that we started to develop Madden Football twenty years ago,” said Madden. “Each year our goal is to improve the game, and with EA, we have been able to do that.”

With the official videogame license of the NFL and its players, and in its 16th year of the franchise, Madden NFL Football offers game changing innovation and complete NFL authenticity. With more than 43 million copies sold, Madden NFL Football continues to be the #1 football franchise and the all-time best selling sports franchise in North America . Since its inception in 1989 the game has become a cultural phenomenon and is the game the players all play. Madden NFL 06 is rated “E” (Everyone) by the ESRB and will be available on August 9, 2005 for six platforms and the PSP™ (PlayStation®Portable) entertainment system version will launch in September. For the first time in 10 years, the Madden NFL Football franchise has revolutionized its passing game with the new quarterback vision and precision placement. For more information check out www.madden06.com

Talkback

Smash_BrotherJuly 13, 2005

Sounds like a poor investment.

The bastard can't possibly have too many years left in him...

-SB

joshnickersonJuly 13, 2005

I'm waiting for the John Madden platformer, where you have to trudge across the stadium lobby to get a tub of meat. But don't go too fast, or John's pacemaker will explode!

nickmitchJuly 13, 2005

Story: "Oh no, that running back has athlete's foot! What should we do?"
"I know! I'll bring him some tough actin Tenacin! But first I must run and get a 10 foot hogie"

KnowsNothingJuly 13, 2005

I thought I read that they were finally getting rid of that guy, but I guess not. Nobody likes him anymore though, he's just annoying. The only reason they're doing this is so nobody else will.

I rove EA

BloodworthDaniel Bloodworth, Staff AlumnusJuly 13, 2005

Seriously, I think it won't matter when he dies. The name is almost more recognizable as a game than an actual human being.

dafunkk12July 13, 2005

I realize that EA's NFL franchise is known almost universally as "Madden," but I could have sworn the inside talk was that they wanted to remove him from the series. Perhaps they gave in to marketing studies. It really is the Madden name that sells; people probably wouldn't be able to do the math that "EA Sports NFL Pro Football 20xx" is the same series--EVEN after hearing "EA Sports: It's In The Game!" for all these years.

couchmonkeyJuly 14, 2005

Yeah, this is all about name recognition. I find Madden a lot easier to remember than anything else, and I don't even care about sports games. Names that are just a bunch of numbers and acronyms are awful.

nickmitchJuly 14, 2005

Yeah, but when it's the only option for NFL football. . .

KDR_11kJuly 14, 2005

If they see "NFL Football 2007" they'll tell themselves "Naah, I'll wait for Madden 07!".

nickmitchJuly 14, 2005

But when Madden doesn't come they'll have to give "NFL Football 2007" a try and then realize that it's the same.

KDR_11kJuly 14, 2005

How long are they willing to wait and how much would that impact EA's quarterly results?

DeguelloJeff Shirley, Staff AlumnusJuly 14, 2005

Suppose if John Madden... Croaks.

What, will they be able to plaster his craggy visage onto the boxart like a lumpy ghoul far after his death?

KDR_11kJuly 15, 2005

Don't they throw random American Rugby players on there, anyway?

nickmitchJuly 15, 2005

Quote
Originally posted by: KDR_11k
How long are they willing to wait and how much would that impact EA's quarterly results?

Good point. I guess that EA would have to have a seriously strong ad campaign. Sales would still take the hit for the year but the on after would see normal sales.