http://www.gamespot.com/news/6185880.html?action=convert&om_clk=latestnews&tag=latestnews;title;0

Just over three years ago, Electronic Arts tackled the sports genre by announcing it had signed a multiyear exclusivity deal with the National Football League and the NFL Players, the players' union. Under the agreement, EA Sports' Madden NFL franchise was the sole official licensee for the US' most popular sport, forcing rival 2K Sports to get creative with its own pro-football series.

Today, EA Sports announced that it has extended its contract with the NFL and NFL Players through the 2012 season. That means the Redwood City, California-based publisher will retain exclusive game rights to all NFL teams, stadiums, and player likenesses and information through until the Super Bowl XLVII champion is crowned in 2013.

Though Madden NFL is its most famous franchise, EA Sports also publishes a variety of other NFL games, including NFL Street and NFL Tour. However, part of the renewal agreement is to "look at different ways to bring more consumers in," according to EA Sports president Peter Moore.

One way Moore is hoping to lure more Americans into the Madden fold is through the incorporation of content from the NFL Films production company and the NFL Network cable channel into the "Madden game experience." Other new EA Sports initiatives include a continuation of the "family play" option for Wii games, expanded investment in the wildly popular fantasy football phenomenon, and undefined initiatives to court football fans during the spring and summer months.

"Both EA Sports and the NFL agree that we need to look at different ways to bring more consumers in," Moore told GameSpot. "Traditionally, when the Super Bowl's over, our football business is over, and there's research that shows there are millions of people out there that can't get enough football 12 months a year."

EA Sports' newest attempt to court those football fans, NFL Tour, wasn't treated kindly by critics, but is "doing OK" at retail, according to Moore. However, the former Xbox 360 marketing chief isn't satisfied with just pumping out more NFL Tour or NFL Street. "I think we need to be more innovative," he said. "For years, we've done Street versions of games, and I think it's time we looked at online models and perhaps doing something that's truly contra-seasonal."

According to Moore, one promising possibility for expanding EA Sports' NFL portfolio is to resurrect the NFL Head Coach series, which debuted in 2006 but has laid fallow ever since. "Things like Head Coach...well, for me, I love the X's and O's," he said. "It's something that I would love to do if I wasn't in this business. When we look at the success of the Football Manager titles in Europe, there's no reason we can't do the same thing here. We've kind of tiptoed into it so far, but I think you'll see continued investment in things like Head Coach."

But although he was quite loquacious about the renewal of the NFL deal, Moore was downright reticent about EA Sports' plans for its other exclusive US football agreements with the NCAA and the Arena Football League. "We'll get to those when we get to those," he said.

fuck ea for this bullshit... madden aint been good since 05

watch.

20 GB HDD with one controller, extras $199 with Rumble and ScentTech(c)
only updates rosters and slight updates of graphics....everything else EXACTLY THE SAME!
Only $799

A got my right one

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1918-2004

<-----Then you can't tell me nothing right!

can we sign some type of petition or something?

shit they have money why not just like 2k do the development.

fuck

Can the whole Madden/Live teams buy 2K and them do their thing.

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www.youtube.com/talkingwolverine

is all you need to know. Bitches.

What da fuck?
94 mil watched the Super Bowl

How about this EA, fix your fucking problems first then think about pulling more people in. EA and NFL are losing their fucking way.

Be fearless...

April 29th Brought Power, GTA4, and "Rising Down" To The People

Cuz I'm getting it...get get getting it

they got no reason to even try anymore.

that when Peter Moore went to EA, you could bank on this license getting renewed.

Fuck EA

is that they're crackheads. you gonna make *more* money when your shit is weak, because they gonna buy it no matter what.

yeah but atleast Stringer knew to change the name of the product

stop being so lazy with the game development and programming, assholes.

Make Madden some next level shit. It's been the same game for 10 years.



>"Both EA Sports and the NFL agree that we need to look at
>different ways to bring more consumers in,"

I was playing Madden just the other day, wildcard playoff game, it was tied 5 seconds to go made a perfect pass to Plaxico on an out route with 2 seconds left, was pushed out of bounds and the effin clock kept ticking like I was tackled inbounds. Bah!

Sega or someone needs to step up make a top-notch glitch-free(as much as possible I know glitch-free is impossible) football game with only numbers etc. And then covertly release updates through fansites that will upgrade your no-frills game to the players likeness, stats, names, team colors, uniforms, playbooks, etc.

I was just thinking about this the other day too, that the contract was close to expiring and maybe the NFL got some sense and would let others in on the party again. Then this news comes out.

Unlike Live, I actually don't mind Madden.