Players Inc. denies billion-dollar EA exclusivity deal
[UPDATE] After a well-respected sports-industry magazine reports that the sports-licensing deal of the century is in the works, NFLPA reps say the story has been retracted.
Two weeks ago The Sports Business Journal, one of the most respected trade journals of the athletic entertainment business, revealed the identity of Madden NFL 2005 cover athlete Ray Lewis several days before EA Sports announced it.
Now it appears they may have broken one of the biggest rumors in the game industry's history.
The May 3 issue of the Journal contained a story with the headline "EA set to pay Players Inc. $1 billion." According to the article, Electronic Arts is in final negotiations with Players Inc., the NFL Players Association marketing arm, to exclusively license all NFL player rights for the next four years. The Journal set the price tag of the deal at $250 million each year, which EA would pay Players Inc.; in other words, a literal billion-dollar contract.
Given the large sums reportedly at stake, the exclusivity of the EA/NLFPA deal would have been almost certainly strict. If such a deal were ever done, no non-EA Sports game could license NFL player likenesses--an almost certainly fatal blow to the Madden series' rivals, such as ESPN NFL Football.
When provided with excerpts from the article by GameSpot, EA Sports representatives promised to pass them along to "someone who can answer your questions." However, off the record, one source close to the company called the story "way off."
While The Sports Business Journal broke the story, it was, ironically, reprinted in the magazine ESPN. This prompted a moderator at ESPNvideogames.com to call the NFLPA. According to the moderator, NFLPA reps denied that anything other than "normal" licensing deals were in play.
When contacted by GameSpot, NFLPA executives said that not only was the story false, but The Sports Business Journal has since run a retraction. EA representatives also later contacted GameSpot to confirm the retraction, a fact that will undoubtedly make fans of the ESPN NFL franchise breathe much easier.
Content you might like…
-
EA scores NCAA Football rights
Following in the footsteps of its pro cousin, college football deals exclusive rights to software giant; six-year agreement begins this year.
- Apr 11, 2005
Users who looked at this article also looked at these content items.
Hot Stories
Newsmakers
-
Mass Effect 2 Interview: Adrian Askarieh
EA producer discusses the latest revelations about BioWare's upcoming sci-fi role-playing game. Full Story
- Posted Nov 10, 2009 11:17 am PT
-
Visually impaired gamer sues Sony Online
Refusal to implement or facilitate changes to make online games more accessible violates Americans with Disabilities Act, suit claims. Full Story
- Posted Nov 6, 2009 3:48 pm PT
- 1150 Comments
Featured Stories
-
EA cutting 1,500 jobs, over 'a dozen' games canceled
[UPDATE 3] Publisher slashes staff by 17 percent to save $100 million annually, to focus on higher-margin titles; reductions at Skate, Madden, and Dante's Inferno devs; over one-third Mythic reportedly pink-slipped. Full Story
- Posted Nov 9, 2009 12:13 pm PT
- 326 Comments
-
Shippin' Out Nov. 8-14: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Activision shooter dominates busy holiday release week; new Dragon Ball, Pro Evo Soccer games also set for launch. Full Story
- Posted Nov 7, 2009 3:58 pm PT
- 321 Comments
-
EA posts $391 million loss, Madden 10 sells 3.9 million
$788 million in earnings can't keep megapublisher out of the red; workforce slashed by 17%, development pipeline cut in half; Need for Speed Shift ships 2.5 million. Full Story
- Posted Nov 9, 2009 3:14 pm PT
- 236 Comments
-
Activision establishes Call of Duty veterans grant
Modern Warfare 2 publisher reveals plans for $1 million Call of Duty Endowment to help unemployed military veterans find work. Full Story
- Posted Nov 9, 2009 12:38 pm PT
-
EA reels in Playfish for $275 million-plus
Publisher acquires social gaming specialist in deal potentially worth $400 million, adds Facebook games like Pet Society, Restaurant City to portfolio. Full Story
- Posted Nov 9, 2009 11:54 am PT
- 33 Comments
Submit News
Related Game
Recent News
-
GTAIV: Lost & Damned PC-bound?
Latest patch for Rockstar's crime-spree sim reportedly adds Games for Windows Live achievements for currently Xbox 360-only expansion.
0 Comments
Sign in / Sign up