Madden creative director departs along with EA Sports CTO [update]

James Ransom-Wiley — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 20:00:00 EST

Madden 12 creative director Ian Cummings has announced his departure from EA on the official Madden Blog. His last day with EA Sports and the Central Florida-based Tiburon studio was yesterday, he confirmed in a tweet. He leaves behind a nearly 11-year career with the company to "seek opportunities elsewhere" -- in other words, "a new company."

"I leave the Madden NFL 12 development team with confidence that it is in great hands," wrote Cummings in his final Madden Blog post. Apparently, those hands don't belong to Richard Wifall. The EA Sports chief technology officer tweeted today that he had left, too.

The pair of high-profile resignations was first hinted at in a report last Sunday by sports game news site pastapadre.com, which suggested that "several high level members" of the Madden development team "may be joining a new studio." That studio is thought to be social gaming startup Row Sham Bow, founded by former EA Tiburon GM Philip Holt (aha!) and conveniently located in nearby Winter Park, Fla. According to the Orlando Business Journal, Row Sham Bow plans to create 60 "high-wage" jobs -- just the thing to lure over a few old friends.

Update: Wifall confirmed with Joystiq that he is indeed teaming up with Holt, Cummings, "and some other talented individuals" at Row Sham Bow. "We aren't ready to talk about our plans just yet," he added. "When we are ready to talk, you can expect to find out more at rowshambow.com."

[Pictured: Cummings; image credit: EA.com]

Madden creative director departs along with EA Sports CTO [update] originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 16 Apr 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Some copies of Madden 10 missing 'Online Franchise' DLC codes

Ben Gilbert — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 12:30:00 EST

Developers these days are doing a lot to incentivize those new game purchases over their used counterparts, and Madden 10 is no exception. Those who purchased the game were supposed to receive a downloadable code for the game's "Online Franchise Mode," though reportedly, those in "regions outside of North America," specifically Australia, the UK and "other regions" are getting copies with a missing DLC code.

Panic broke out at EA's forums over the situation, but EA Sports told Joystiq this morning that a fix is on the way. "We are aware of the situation and we're working towards a solution right now," EA's Rob Semsey told us. The one-time use DLC code is supposed to be on the back of the manual in the game's box, but due to the "printing process of the manuals," some folks are getting copies without any code. Worse? The DLC has already landed on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network, giving some Madden 10 owners the impression that they were expected to pay for the content -- despite having purchased a new copy on launch day.

EA says we'll get more official word on a solution "very soon," but for now we suggest following Madden 10 lead designer Ian Cummings' tweeted suggestion of calling the customer support line.

Gallery: Madden 10: PS3/360

Some copies of Madden 10 missing 'Online Franchise' DLC codes originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 14 Aug 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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