The NFL has signed a business deal that will affect gamers around the world. It has reached an agreement with EA Sports to ensure the future of the Madden NFL video game franchise.
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According to a Wednesday press release, this deal is for multiple years. Neither side disclosed financial details. What they did say is that Madden NFL will continue to be "the exclusive action simulation game for NFL football." Additionally, EA Sports will also support new content and experiences in the revived EA Sports College Football video game franchise.
"EA Sports and the NFL have built one of the most iconic partnerships in all of sports and entertainment, and we see so much opportunity ahead to deliver for football fans everywhere," said Cam Weber, president of EA Sports.
"With more than 2 billion games of Madden NFL played each year, the global community of football fans connecting through play has never been bigger. Together with the NFL, we will continue to shape the interactive future of football - expanding Madden NFL, growing College Football, and creating new breakthrough experiences for the next generation of fans."
First released in 1988 for the Apple II, the Madden NFL franchise has become the go-to video game series for NFL fans wanting to take control of their favorite franchises. This series has focused more on realism, per the late John Madden's request, while hitting markets on an annual basis since 1990.
External studios created the first few video games in this series for EA, but the company brought development in-house in the mid-1990s. This series has since become a juggernaut while generating billions of dollars in sales, especially with the demise of the NFL Blitz and NFL 2K series.
Once EA Sports and the NFL reached an exclusivity agreement in 2004, no other company could deliver the NFL teams and players to video game players around the world.
