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EA Sports extends NFL deal through 2012 season

By Tor Thorsen, GameSpotPosted Feb 12, 2008 6:15 am PT

Peter Moore announces gaming division will keep monopoly on top US sport through 2013 Super Bowl; "further investment" could bring back NFL Coach series.

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's 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 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.

347 Comments

  • Chucky09

    Posted Jul 19, 2009 9:22 pm PT

    Um... No. I am completely on Madden and EA side on this. I've played 2k and it wasn't a bad game but it had no hold whatsoever on being better then Madden. But each to their own.

    However, NFL Head coach will never sell as a separate game. If it was incorporated inside of Madden as a non-playing mode, I would love it. The User is always better then the AI so I think it would be swell to simulate games with actual clarity. I tried to rebuild the Lions on Madden 09 and only reached the playoffs once when simulating... but when playing reached them every year as well as winning the Superbowl.

    I hope AI is a lot better in this next one and its beginning to look like it is so im gleeful.

  • reviewninja

    Posted Mar 11, 2009 9:26 pm PT

    its a shame nfl 2k5 is still better than madden 2005, 06, 07, 08, and 09 and chances are madden 10 will be as average as the previous 4 and probably worse.

    if you have no competition you will not be pushed to be better

  • s3KtOr

    Posted Nov 18, 2008 7:16 pm PT

    Basically they will remain having the license til' the day I die??

  • pakbeats

    Posted Oct 7, 2008 2:39 pm PT

    Which game is more like real life Madden09 or Nfl2k5.Everybody knows the answer to that and these games r suppose to simulation of the real thing i thought.Madden has no real form of gang tackles,cant tackle players sometimes until animations r done,bugs glitches,line blockin is far from reality,shall i keep goin.Almost same exact game since 03,they technically dont even use real 3d models they use a different version of sprite models,they take no pride in there games.2k was making the best game y else after 5-6 yrs ea would the run to the exclusive license the year right after 2k was gettin huge.n e true gamer would no that

  • kenzboard

    Posted Feb 27, 2008 11:23 am PT

    i used to love nfl blitz and espn 2k5. madden is the same old sh*t year in and year out. the nfl is pissing me off. at least i still have tecmo super bowl for nes...lol ;o) bo knows football....and bo knows that ea sucks cow balls

  • Serious06

    Posted Feb 26, 2008 7:54 am PT

    yeah, im sick of EA.

  • Serious06

    Posted Feb 26, 2008 7:50 am PT

    yeah im sick of EA.

  • BlakkSteel

    Posted Feb 19, 2008 10:13 pm PT

    Yep, DarkManX01, you ARE the only 1 that's happy. I used to be like you when 2K Sports was just introduced. But, after a lot of fine tuning (due to their pursuit for excellence) & lowering their prices to get people to try their games out (due to being the under dog), they (2K Sports) created a very healthy competition. With the NFL exclusivity, NCAA Football exclusivity since 2002, & most recently the new NCAA Basketball exclusivity, EA will not be forced to make their games better. They'll keep their mediocrisy goin', because the average person will buy their games, because they'll be the only game in town. I've taken a stance on the NBA game side of things (until I bought ESPN Basketball 2K4, I haven't bought a NBA game since NBA Shootout '9; I can do the same for the NFL games, & will do the same with the college basketball games, until there's a healthy competition again.

  • Infinite_Access

    Posted Feb 19, 2008 10:11 pm PT

    EA SUCKS.....freakin monopoly, what ever happend to that law???

  • benjaminjoel

    Posted Feb 19, 2008 7:05 pm PT

    "NFL Head Coach is such a bad idea, that even Pat Robertson would consider aborting it."
    -Adam Sessler

  • shydre

    Posted Feb 19, 2008 6:22 pm PT

    Y'Know I never post on these stupid news reports, I've been trolling this site for YEARS but never felt like I neede to respond to much but this....I haven't bought a Madden game since they signed the first exclusivity contract and now this...????? I guess its the trend of things in the industry I once loved. The $$ got too big and now a bunch of Douches that have never seen an exploding barrel are running everything and all us idiot consumers will buy it like the mindless drones we are!! Jawohl mine EA fuhrer!!! F'n Nazis the lot of em!!

  • DarkManX01

    Posted Feb 19, 2008 2:25 pm PT

    Am I the only person who is happy about this? I always hated the 2K series in pretty much every sport but to each his own.....

  • Kruegmeister

    Posted Feb 19, 2008 8:15 am PT

    Noooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    I live the Picture of the Tool Peter Moore for this Story.
    What does it take to Jump from one Monopolistic company to another that simply Buys it way to Success?

    Come on Mr Moore, and EA. Release your Exclusivity and Fight Like Men, you bunch of Wussies.

    Let us Consumers Choose which Football game we want to buy, or at least make a Decent Madden Release for once. I have yet to Buy a Next-Gen Madden after the Piece of Dung that was Madden06 on my 360.

    Still waiting for a GOOD Madden Release................................................

  • URError

    Posted Feb 18, 2008 11:34 pm PT

    well I'm not buying any new football games

  • kobebryantyanic

    Posted Feb 18, 2008 9:55 pm PT

    It's impossible for people not to buy madden since it's the only football game out. If you gonna buy a sport game from ea, might as well let it be madden ONLY. Don't buy live, don't buy nascar, don't buy fifa, don't buy nhl, and the problem is solved. Madden may sell 100 million copies, but games such as live should sell 0 based on how 2k nba franchise pawns it. WE NEED TO COME UP WITH SOMETHING OR EA WILL DESTROY US, THE GAMERS.

  • supermaddog

    Posted Feb 18, 2008 8:24 pm PT

    Just makes you wonder how long will this go on? What happens in 2013? Until competition is restored to NFL videogames it will never be the same...

  • bukkookkub

    Posted Feb 18, 2008 7:13 pm PT

    Wow, lame just got a whole lot longer, (lameea).

  • sly316

    Posted Feb 18, 2008 5:06 pm PT

    Let's now support 2K Football just to show EA that we don't like that kind of a deal !

  • Hawkins1701

    Posted Feb 18, 2008 4:32 pm PT

    My my my......

    That Darth Vader helmet is sure fitting well, Mr. Moore........

    You gotta hand it to EA. They know how to take care of the proverbial business. Money talks. And both the NFL and MLB care more about dollar signs than giving gamers a choice with licensed sports games. (And to EA's credit, MLB went with 2k Games, so they're just competing to keep the NFL from going elsewhere also.) I can't really fault them morally, as business is business. But gamers are still the losers with all this exclusivity.

  • BlakkSteel

    Posted Feb 15, 2008 8:07 pm PT

    Until another publisher is allowed to make NFL games, I'm no longer supporting any NFL ventures outside of watching the games. I don't mind signing petitions; but, money (or lack thereof) speaks a WHOLE LOT LOUDER!! I've officially taken a stance at no longer buying their games. Madden '08 for PS3 was certified trash (I knew it before I bought it). For those that are serious about makin' this marriage made in hell lead to separation, make your money absent from the title at retail. EA's pockets are way bigger than 2K Sports. Franchise exclusivity by EA will continue, unless we support what's really good, & boycott what's just plain garbage!!

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