How Much For That Football League in the Window?

How much did the exclusive five-year NFL license set back EA? Rumors earlier in the year set the figure upwards of $1 billion but the most recent figure quoted here seems to be somewhere in the neighborhood of $300 million. Check out the article and especially this quote from industry analyst Michael Pachter:

"If (EA) paid more than $200 million, then I seriously question their judgment."

Later in the column, Pachtel makes an excellent point, stating that this is a short-sighted decision on the part of the NFL and NFLPA. The quote:

"I'm surprise that the naïveté of the NFL and its players," said Pachter. "By giving a five-year license and giving EA an exclusive, they're going to eliminate all of the competition. So in five years, the license fee is going to be whatever EA decides it wants to pay."

This may end up being the deal--or steal--of the century for EA.