EA extends NFL lock to 2012
by Justin McElroy 
{ Feb 12th 2008 at 11:55AM }
If you had been anxiously praying for the return of NFL2K, we'd be willing to bet that's never going to happen, as by 2013, we're fairly sure football will be played on the moon with jet packs, and our Earth laws will no longer apply. But take heart, Peter Moore says that EA won't be marking the 2008 20th anniversary of the game with just any Madden year. No, it's going to be above and beyond. Wait ... you mean you're rewarding our $60 with genuine effort put into the product? Just for us? Oh, Pete, you shouldn't have.
Reader Comments (Page 2 of 2)
ANt @ Feb 12th 2008 12:45PM
"Bad" Sega games? You mean like Universe at War, Medieval II, Condemned and Condemned 2, The Club, Virtua Fighter 5, and Crush?"
"Please, think before you flap your gums."
You must work for Sega.
Condemned and VF5 are good, how can you say the CLub is good when its not even out?? The demo wasn't anything special. The guns had the pop of 5-10 store cap gun.
The other games are niche games.....who's "FLAPPING" their gums now??
Rich @ Feb 12th 2008 12:53PM
yay, can't wait for Madden NFL Roster Update 2009
kbomb1upc @ Feb 12th 2008 1:01PM
This is not good. If EA can tie up to NFL License they can keep being mediocre. The best Madden's were when there was competition. Remember the days when Madden was against NFL Fever, NFL Blitz, NFL Quarterback Club, ESPN 2K and NFL GameDay. EA produced the Best Football game period. But since all the competition is gone EA has become that fat and lazy. But the emergence of All Pro 2K8 has caused EA to go to drastic measures. Madden 08 had some of the most features added to a Madden game in years. I hope this deal doesn't go thru so EA can stop being lazy and actually put some work into making the Madden that I fell in love with in the first place.
Jonah Falcon @ Feb 12th 2008 1:54PM
1998-2000. I remember well.
xGeneral DEATHx @ Feb 12th 2008 1:01PM
I wasn't even much of a football fan in general until the NFL2K series...those games were fun and addictive, and yet they showed you how truly deep and complex football can be. Madden has only shown me how frustrating EA can be...just never was a big fan of the series, and now it looks like that's all we'll have available until 2012 when the NFL allows it to extend the lock until 2024, and by that time the world will have ended anyway. I guess my point is: Fuck you, EA.
xFenixKnightx @ Feb 12th 2008 1:03PM
Guess I'll have to give in and get Madden 09 this year. I've been wanting to get my Football game on for a while now and APF is not REAL football IMO. Damnit!
Gerwurztraminer @ Feb 12th 2008 1:11PM
I can't wait for NFL3K
WiNG @ Feb 12th 2008 1:30PM
Maybe SEGA could just somehow put out a new Mutant League Football.
xGeneral DEATHx @ Feb 12th 2008 3:20PM
I'm with you on that one, Wing...bring back MLF and MLH!
Resident Lune @ Feb 12th 2008 1:47PM
Makes me glad I'm a hockey fan, really. It's true, I usually buy the EA Sports version of the different games that come out, but it's the fact that I have variety that makes me feel good. And though I can't recall if this is accurate or not, I'm under the impression that EA jacked the price of Madden games up when they got those exclusive rights, since competitive pricing was no longer an issue.
Additionally, without competition, where's the need for innovation, you know?
Anyway, I just hope they don't go "above and beyond" in the marketing this year. I think I was ready to kill myself with all of the marketing that ESPN did to help out, let alone the coverage they did of midnight Madden sales.
AgntOrange21 @ Feb 12th 2008 1:58PM
I can honestly tell you that I haven’t been this affected by any piece of video game news in a very long time. I really was anxiously awaiting another football title in the near future, good, bad or whatever; it is the only thing that would keep EA competitive. I truly despise that company. But the weird thing is, you can mention EA in any video game store, in any video game blog and you will undoubtedly receive the same answer...EA sucks. I totally 100% agree, but who the hell is buying the game then? I know its the moms and dads and coaches and little brothers and whoever else is far removed, but I sense that the same people complaining are the same people who are purchasing it. If you truly want to prove a point DONT BUY THE GAME! I haven’t since 99 for n64 and I never will again; unfortunately I think I'm a dying breed. Anyway, buy less EA
justly @ Feb 12th 2008 2:04PM
I m with you on I was thinking the same thing. One of the main reasons people buy the new is for the online, but if everyone online kept playing the older version people wouldnt feel the need to move to the next one. It work even if people got it 2 weeks late instead of the 1st day....But no the same people that bitch are the ones that are in line right when the doors open for the new one. I wish they would do a midnight release. then we could all see why EA gets away with things such as this. I personally think most sports are tainted now especially football and basketball
Squirrel3D @ Feb 12th 2008 2:13PM
Have you all forgotten that Sega doesn't make fooball games (or even sports games period) anymore since NFL2K5?
The company you should be getting behind for your alternative against the EA monopoly is 2K Games. APF2K8 in my opinion was the most underrated football game of last year. Yeah it may not have had all the features we expected, but it was good for a first effort.
I'd say...2K Games should talk to Tecmo about the possiblity of bringing back Tecmo Bowl, and combining it with what 2K did with APF2K8...and create a new Tecmo Bowl franchise. I dunno about you, but Tecmo Bowl 2K9 sounds exciting to me. So they can't use NCAA. What about High School...senoirs that is. If the NBA can draft high school players...why not the TFL (Tecmo Football League)? I don't see some EA licence on that one...do you??
Hoopin4theHeart @ Feb 12th 2008 2:20PM
ok its not time for the gov to look into an antitrust monopoly... peter moore has now moved over to the dark side... and footballs will suck until 2012... what this means is we as gamers should boycott madden nfl games... if we do so they will be forced to either 1. make a better profit 2. lower the price pf the game (since its the almost the same version every year)... but either way it doesnt make up for the fact that it isnt nfl2k_ (also sega doesnt make 2k games, take2 does)
Hoopin4theHeart @ Feb 12th 2008 2:30PM
correct it is now the time for an antitrust monopoly
Umeadi @ Feb 12th 2008 3:57PM
This is HOGSH*T!
Ryan @ Feb 12th 2008 4:10PM
I used to be a huge Madden fanboy but man has that series turned into complete trash.
Screw EA, and screw the NFL (I still love you though NFL) selling themselves out in all these instances (Sunday Ticket on Directv, videogame license to EA).
carg0 @ Feb 12th 2008 4:09PM
18 - 1
Brian Fantana @ Feb 12th 2008 6:56PM
God Damn this sucks.
B1gC72 - PSN: KillaKornbread @ Feb 12th 2008 8:40PM
well i guess thats 4 more years of me not playing NFL football games. i just cant get down with the mediocre EA Sports game anymore and i used to live and die by Madden and NBA Live. and then as soon as i want to try something different with 2k, they get an exclusive AND succeed in extending it. what is the NFL thinking?
ThornedVenom @ Feb 13th 2008 12:05AM
They're digging a franchise so low into the ground, I bet they're hitting the magma layer.
graham_best @ Feb 13th 2008 3:07PM
I wonder if the NFL is largely responsible for this rather than EA. This is a similar deal that the NFL has with DirecTV and their NFL Sunday Ticket. DirecTV charges $299 per year for a seasons pass, with an extra $100 per year for HD. You could get the same programming with a friend and a SlingBox. The NFL made $2B on DirecTV for these exclusive rights.
BTW, the NFL has started to go around the CBS and Fox by making certain regular season games 'exclusive' on their new NFL channel. I wonder how long it takes for the NFL to produce their own video game. EA has shown that it isn't very hard...