Madden catches pay-per-view event

Electronic Arts can always expect to rake it in whenever the publisher releases the latest edition of its Madden NFL franchise. Now the company, along with ESPN, is looking to tap in to the hardcore Madden fan for some more revenue.

The two entertainment giants today announced Inside Madden NFL 07, a pay-per-view program that will debut August 4 on ESPN.com and on television. The 60-minute show will cost $19.95 and will take gamers through the process of making the game, behind the scenes of the EA Tiburon studios, and through all the new features.

The production will also feature the perspective of five gamers with Madden chops who traveled down to Tiburon to get a sneak preview of the action. Dwayne Harrison, Jarvis Thomas, and Justin Chow, all Madden Challenge vets, will join MaddenNation.com co-owner Will Kinsler and Madden Nation participant Rod Winn in discussing the game and chatting with developers. A few current and former NFL players will also discuss the game in the show.

[UPDATE] EA has confirmed that the pay-per-view special will feature entirely new content, and will be different from the bonus features included on the Madden NFL 07 Hall of Fame Edition.

Madden NFL 07 will be released August 22 on the Xbox 360, Xbox, PlayStation 2, GameCube, DS, Game Boy Advance, PSP, and PC. Versions for the Wii and PlayStation 3 are also in the works.