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Home , 2006 NFL season, Bing Gordon, Madden NFL 06, Madden NFL 07, Madden NFL 08, Madden NFL 11

For more than 20 years, it has been embraced by its fans, honored by critics, and envied by its rivals. It has endured the test of time and has satisfied a demanding public like no other sports in history. It’s been recognized as ‘the game the players play,’ ‘the benchmark in sports video gaming,’ and ‘the number one selling football video game in history.’

It is Madden NFL.

Since its inception, the Madden NFL franchise has reigned supreme as the preeminent sports title in the video game industry. Sales of more than 85 million units worldwide and $3 billion in lifetime revenue along with a countless number of gaming awards have helped make Madden NFL the most critically acclaimed sports title in history.

From the original Football, released by in 1989, to last season’s award-winning Madden NFL 10, the franchise has found a permanent home atop the video game pedestal.

With record-breaking numbers that scream off the charts, there is little doubt about Madden NFL’s effect on the consumer—sports fans love it, hardcore football fans fawn over it, and NFL players deeply respect it.

What started as a simple idea many years ago has profoundly affected today’s pop culture in many ways. On the field, the game dominates the virtual gridiron. Off the field, its popularity is growing larger by the year.

™ Backed by events like the EA SPORTS Madden Bowl, EA SPORTS™ takes a look at the EA SPORTS™ Madden Challenge, Maddenoliday, Maddenpalooza, Pigskin Pro-Am, and Madden Gras, past, present and future of the Madden NFL is no longer ‘just a game.’ The Madden NFL franchise. most influential of the past two decades has turned into something much, much more. ’ MVP 03 The Game the Players Play 05 Its release is an unofficial national holiday, as fans regularly storm the stores at midnight the day the The Curse 07 game hits the shelves just to be one of the first with How It All Began 09 a copy, before playing into the late-night hours. Simpler. Deeper. Quicker. 12

John Madden Football debuts John Madden Football f loods First game in the for Apple® II computers thousands of living rooms across franchise to offer the country via Sega’s home a 3D playing f ield First-ever football console unit video game to offer Groundbreaking 11-on-11 action Isometric view introduced playcalling and to the game, altering its passing mode Playbook is limited look and feel systems open new but realistic roads for fans

JULY 2010 MORE THAN JUST A GAME.

It boosts the reputation of the superstar, as being named its cover athlete is an honor to virtually every player in the NFL.

It’s even a curse.

The game is regularly featured on national magazine covers, talked about on sports radio, and showcased on ESPN’s SportsCenter. Its cover athletes appear on morning and late-night talk shows, and even share the spotlight with some of the biggest events in the NFL.

In April 2010, on the morning of the 2010 NFL , Madden NFL 11 made headlines by announcing and XLIV MVP as its new cover athlete with a billboard reveal party in ’s Times Square.

The festivities continued into the night when Brees thanked the fans for voting him on the cover of Madden NFL 11 on stage during the 75th anniversary of the NFL Draft, before announcing the Saints’ first-round pick.

Brees went on to make appearances on Regis and Kelly and The Late Show with , featuring a Top 10 list dedicated entirely to Madden NFL.

Over the past decade, Madden NFL soundtracks have even influenced the music industry by helping launch artists that include Good Charlotte, Fallout Boy, Franz Ferdinand, and 30 Seconds to Mars. The soundtracks have also featured such superstars as AC/DC, Green Day, Outkast, Foo Fighters, Guns ‘N Roses, blink-182, Bon Jovi, and Ozzy Osbourne, to name a few.

For more than 20 years, Madden NFL has offered unparalleled quality that no other sports video game has been able to match. Going forward, the most celebrated franchise in the EA SPORTS lineup continues its quest to capture the imagination of its fans, while setting the standard by which all other sports video games are judged.

It is, after all, more than just a game.

Game is f ine-tuned with the EA SPORTS acquires the NFL First game to use the addition of more teams license allowing the use Players Inc. license— including all-time greats of team names and logos Madden NFL features names of NFL players Zeroed-in player ratings make Players have the ability to for the f irst time it one of the most popular play the same schedule games in the series Battery-backed RAM as their favorite NFL addition allows users team in Season mode to save game data

JULY 2010 PAGE 02 MORE THAN JUST A GAME.

Earlier that same year, days before the NFL was set to kick off New Orleans’ MVP the new season, the city of New Orleans suffered through one of the worst natural disasters in the history of the United States— In the final game of the 2005 season, Drew Brees, then . Causing mass destruction throughout the quarterback of the Chargers, suffered a severe entire Gulf Region, the hurricane spared few in its path, shoulder injury in a game against the rival Broncos. It was an including the storied NFL franchise, the New Orleans Saints. injury some said would significantly derail his young career.

Although he was coming off his best year with the Chargers, Brees, a free agent at season’s end, was suddenly a man without a team.

With Training Camp mode gamers The series is launched on Enhanced 64-bit capability can create a player and work 32-bit home consoles— with 64® allows him through the ranks in a PlayStation® and Saturn® programmers to use variety of tests polygons (3D players) Higher-resolution graphics Madden NFL development make players more def ined The beginning of modern- moves to EA’s Tiburon in appearance and the game day Artif icial Intelligence Studio in Maitland, FL more lifelike than ever (AI)—the game features an increased level of realism

JULY 2010 PAGE 03 MORE THAN JUST A GAME.

With damage to the Superdome beyond immediate repair, the On the heels of his hoisting the Lombardi Trophy, Brees contin- team, like much of the city’s population, was forced to seek refuge ued his fairy tale story as fans voted him to be on the cover of elsewhere. Playing its home games at LSU’s Tiger Stadium in Madden NFL 11 via the EA SPORTS- Change the Game Baton Rouge, LA and The in San Antonio, , contest. It was the first time in franchise history the fans selected the team finished the season with a dismal 3-13 record. the game’s cover athlete, and an honor that all will celebrate on Bourbon Street during Madden Gras on August 9, the day when Then came 2006. Madden NFL 11 hits the streets.

Struggling to recover in the aftermath of the hurricane, the city was yearning for hope. Just one year later, the Saints began to provide it.

In the offseason before the start of the 2006 NFL season the Saints took their first step to turning things around by hiring Head Coach Sean Peyton, the architect behind the potent Cowboys offense. Seeking a signal-caller to command his high- powered offense, the rookie coach looked no further than Brees.

The gamble more than paid off.

Led by their new quarterback, the Saints quickly rose to challenge the NFL’s elite, playing their way to the NFC Championship game. Although the team fell one game short of reaching the Super Bowl, the city and team were with hope.

With expectations higher than ever, the Saints fell back to NFL reality, failing to reach the playoffs in the two seasons that followed. However, the disappointment of two mediocre seasons was short-lived.

Through key acquisitions and a healthy lineup, the Saints stormed out of the gate in 2009, winning their first 13 games of the season. During the undefeated stretch, the Saints posted some of the most impressive offensive stats in league history. Although the Saints suffered its first loss in Week 14, it was a team destined for greatness.

With home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, Brees ignited the city once again, leading New Orleans to its first- ever Super Bowl appearance. Playing as an underdog against and the Colts, Brees capped New Orleans’ magical season by leading the Saints to a 31-17 upset victory in Super Bowl XLIV. On that glorious night in , the former NFL Comeback Player of the Year completed 32 of 39 passes for 288 yards and two touchdowns, and was named the game’s MVP.

All versions of the series now Evolution continues with improved, Game takes dramatic feature polygon characters, sharper graphics, as well as leap forward on the putting the franchise far bigger playbooks on both PlayStation®2—players’ ahead of competitors offense and defense faces are more similar to the real-life player’s Franchise mode added with Players in the game a salary cap, giving gamers mimic the on-f ield Madden Cards introduced, the chance to run an celebrations of their allowing gamers to enhance entire organization NFL counterparts players in the game

JULY 2010 PAGE 04 MORE THAN JUST A GAME.

“Most of the NFL players play Madden,” said The Game the Head Coach Jim Schwartz. “They bring the game to training camp, they’re playing it in the players’ lounge, and they’re Players Play even taking it on the road. It’s everywhere.” So much so that Schwartz, along with a number of other NFL coaches Entering its 22nd year, Madden NFL is the most critically in , is now involved with behind-the-scenes game acclaimed sports video game ever produced and the longest production, giving his insights as a consultant. So far, the running sports franchise of all time. It’s been a hit with fans and job requires more fine-tuning than anything else. the hype of the sports gaming world since its debut in 1989. Even with all of this success, the accomplishments wouldn’t “When I started doing work for the game, there wasn’t much seem as meaningful if the game didn’t have the respect and that they didn’t already have a handle on,” said Schwartz. support of those who know the sport best—the players and “I came in thinking that I would be going over some really coaches of the NFL. basic ‘high school’ type stuff, but they presented me with a list of in-depth questions that I thought only a fellow coach would “It’s about as real as it gets,” said , the cover athlete pick up on. I was very surprised by the realism of the game, of Madden NFL 2005. “I’ve been a fan of video games for a not just the graphics but the actual Xs and Os. The game is long time, and I take gaming very seriously. I want the game pretty darn close to the real thing—too close sometimes. In with my face on the cover to be the best, and Madden NFL fact, the plays in the game very closely resemble the ones in our is the best. The game is getting so realistic now it’s scary.” playbooks. It seems as if our playbooks are no longer a secret.”

Backed by the support of players like Maurice Jones-Drew, Ratings Chad Ochocinco, Ray Lewis, Willis McGahee, Matt Ryan, 91 SPD. 88 STR. 95 OVR. , and many others, Madden NFL is known throughout the professional sports community as ‘the game the Although these aren’t plays found in a typical NFL playbook players play.’ But the pros aren’t just playing the game, they’re or signals called out mid-game during a Peyton Manning representing it. audible, the numbers are just as important to most NFL players. They’re the player ratings found every year in Madden NFL. Whether they’re proudly announcing their gamer tag publicly and challenging all comers to battle it out online, hosting As Madden NFL proudly emulates ‘Everything You See on tournaments with teammates while traveling on the road, Sunday’ in-game, this includes categorizing more than 1,500 appearing in television commercials to promote the game, players representing all 32 NFL teams with the primary objective or celebrating events with EA SPORTS, NFL players and of creating the most authentic gameday experience possible. Madden NFL have formed a unique partnership that no From speed attributes to overall strength, Madden NFL rates the other game can match. attributes of every player in more than 40 different skill areas.

“NFL players swear by Madden NFL,” said Philip Holt, Vice Like their real-world counterparts, every player is not rated President and Studio General Manager of Tiburon, the EA the same. studio behind the game. “Over the years the game has become an integrated part of their lifestyle and vernacular. For example, a like Tennessee’s Chris Players swarm to us when we visit their training camps to Johnson will score higher in most categories than a player like preview the game. They’re constantly giving us ideas on LaDainian Tomlinson, who missed some games in 2009 due to how to improve the game. They’re always mentioning our injury. Like the real-world NFL, it’s how the game balances itself game during interviews. Some go as far as hosting private out. Simply stated, a product that featured Mark Sanchez playing tournaments among their peers.” at the same level as three-time Super Bowl winning quarterback wouldn’t be authentic NFL football. It wouldn’t be With its popularity and fan base within the league growing Madden NFL. stronger by the year, the Madden NFL franchise is also getting a helping hand from NFL coaches and assistants—a supporting cast that would have seemed unthinkable just a few years ago.

The series launches on eight Online gaming capability Owner mode and platforms, including the new opens a whole new world Playmaker Control ® and Nintendo GameCube™ for gamers add to the ever-growing list of unprecedented AI of players is at all-time The innovative Mini-Camp gameplay features high while a vast multitude mode is added, giving of stats is kept and the the ability to upgrade Online community grows gameplay is closer than player ratings to 875,000 strong ever to real life

JULY 2010 PAGE 05 MORE THAN JUST A GAME.

Although the game’s producers study hours of tape and analyze just about every stat, not everybody agrees with their final result.

After Madden NFL 10 released its player ratings, T.J. Houshmandzadeh was given an overall rating a 91 (out of 100). Though that’s a rating considered to be respectable by most accounts, Houshmandzadeh was far from satisfied with his score.

“I understand I averaged 10 yards a catch, but it’s the offense, not me,” Houshmandzadeh said. “I’m not playing Madden any more until they get my rating right.”

He was referring to his speed rating of 82. EA SPORTS Madden Bowl If there is a single night that emphasizes the game’s status with the pros, it’s the EA SPORTS Madden Bowl, an event where popular culture and sports figures collide head-on 2010 EA SPORTS Madden Bowl winner Maurice Jones-Drew in an all-night party for the ultimate bragging rights. takes a call from John Madden as Patrick Willis looks on. Established in 1995, this quintessential players’ tournament runs annually during the hysteria of Super Bowl week. Setting up camp in the hotbed of the host city, the Madden Bowl invites players, celebrities, music artists, and a who’s who of sports and entertainment to gather for an eight-player Madden NFL tournament featuring NFL stars.

Whether playing in the tournament or simply being a part of the event, those who’ve enjoyed the all-night celebration in past years include ESPN analyst Trey Wingo, who has hosted the event the past several years, and former hosts P-Diddy and LL Cool J. Other stars include MLB Hall of Fame outfielder Reggie Jackson, former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield, Grammy Award winner Big Boi of Outkast, retired superstars , Eric Dickerson, , , and , and, of course, John Madden.

To show just how far the event has come, in 2009 Sports Illustrated.com voted Madden Bowl XVI the best party of the week.

The advent of the Hit Stick changes Madden launches on Focus on running the way defense is played game and new lead NFL Superstar mode blocking controls Defensive Playmaker Controls let is introduced you change the assignments Madden to launches for each defender on PlayStation 3 Special Madden NFL 2005 and Nintendo Collector’s Edition launched

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Madden NFL 2003 – Marshall Faulk Madden NFL Heading into his Madden NFL 2003 cover season, Marshall Faulk had chalked up five consecutive years of more than Cover CursE 1,000 yards in rushing—with the last four at more than 1,300 yards each. Faulk had also helped the Rams reach the Super For the past decade the story has been told: he who graces Bowl twice, winning one championship. But in the season the cover of Madden NFL is doomed to injury and misfortune. following his appearance on the Madden NFL cover, Faulk Whether it’s a silly urban legend or the inescapable truth, the suffered an ankle injury that forced him to miss five games. Madden NFL cover curse has become an entrenched part of He never again rushed for over 1,000 yards. football lore. Madden NFL 2004 – Although nobody truly knows when the ‘curse’ was declared, After taking over as ’s starting quarterback in 2002, it has taken on a life of its own. It’s a topic that comes up Michael Vick quickly became one of the most electrifying annually, aligning itself with the game’s cover announcement players in the NFL. The following season, Vick was slated every summer. It’s been covered in print and online publications to appear on the Madden NFL 2004 cover. On the day after nationally, talked about on sports radio, and featured in-depth the game went on sale, Vick sustained a fractured fibula in on television networks such as ESPN. a preseason game and missed all but five games for the Falcons, who finished the season at 5-11. Due to circumstances out of anybody’s control, it’s a topic that’s talked about year after year.

“The first time I recall hearing about the curse was shortly after the Michael Vick injury in 2003,” said Tom Goedde, VP of Marketing, EA SPORTS. “Madden NFL 2004 was such a great game and Vick had burst onto the NFL scene. Just days after we announced him as our next cover athlete, he suffers an unfortunate leg injury. The legend of the Madden curse has grown from there.”

Here’s a look back at the history of the so-called Madden cover curse.

Madden NFL 2001 – Often cited as the exception to the Madden NFL cover curse, the Titans’ Eddie George had a stellar year—perhaps his best ever—the season he appeared on the Madden NFL 2001 cover. That is, until he bobbled a crucial pass in the 2001 AFC Divisional Playoffs, resulting in a costly interception that ultimately ended Tennessee’s hopes for a return trip to the Super Bowl.

Madden NFL 2002 – The season before his Madden NFL 2002 cover appearance, Daunte Culpepper led the Vikings to the NFC Championship Game while establishing himself as one of the league’s most exciting young . After Culpepper appeared on the Madden NFL cover, however, Minnesota limped to a 4-7 record before Culpepper suffered a knee injury that prematurely ended his season. He has never been the same since.

Drew Brees on the cover of Madden NFL 11.

Madden Hall of Fame Edition Hit Stick 2.0 is introduced, allowing 20th Anniversary of the Clips of John Madden’s days as players to have more tackling options Madden NFL Football Oakland Raiders head coach and EA SPORTS introduces Franchise award-winning calls from the Madden NFL 08 for the Cover features broadcast booth Macintosh platform legendary quarterback Videos of game production EA SPORTS Family insights and exclusive Play debuts on interviews with the team the Nintendo Wii behind the game JULY 2010 PAGE 07 MORE THAN JUST A GAME.

Madden NFL 2005 – Ray Lewis Ray Lewis became the first-ever defensive player to appear on a Madden NFL cover. The year before Lewis garnered the coveted spot on Madden NFL 2005, the won the AFC North while Lewis pulled down a career high six interceptions. But the story would soon change. Following his cover appear- ance, Lewis had his first—and only—season without an intercep- tion, and the Ravens failed to make the playoffs.

Madden NFL 06 – Donovan McNabb Heading into the 2005 NFL campaign, Donovan McNabb was riding a wave of success. The previous season, he led the Phila- delphia Eagles to an NFC Championship and a trip to the Super Bowl. Shortly afterwards he was gracing the cover of Madden NFL 06. The success was short-lived. In the first game of the season, McNabb suffered a hernia injury. Although he continued to play for nine more games, his season ended in Week 11 when he opted for surgery. The Eagles finished last in the NFC East.

Madden NFL 07 – When it was announced that Seattle’s Shaun Alexander would be the cover athlete for Madden NFL 07, the Seahawks were coming off their best season ever—not to mention a trip to the Super Bowl. But Alexander, the league’s reigning MVP, fractured a bone in his foot three games into the following season, forcing him to sit out six games. Alexander never fully recovered and was out of the NFL just two seasons later.

Madden NFL 08 – Vince Young was the talk of the NFL following a year that included a college football national championship and an NFL Rookie of the Year campaign. Dubbed by many as the next great In 2009, wide receiver , playmaking NFL QB, things came crashing down the following shown here during the Madden NFL 10 photo shoot, year, as Young missed two games with a leg injury and finished was fortunate enough to evade the Madden NFL curse. the season with 17 interceptions and nine TDs. Madden NFL 10 – Madden NFL 09 – Brett Favre & Larry Fitzgerald Brett Favre was retired from football when it was announced For the first time in franchise history, the curse had an opportunity that the Green Bay Packer legend would appear as the cover to strike twice in the same season as Madden NFL 10 featured athlete for Madden NFL’s 20th Anniversary. Ultimately Favre did two cover athletes. It didn’t take long to nail victim number one. return to the NFL, but as a New York Jet, days after the game In the first game of the season, Polamalu, fresh off a Super Bowl was released with him on the cover wearing a Packers uniform. title, suffered a knee injury that kept him out of the next five While Favre led the Jets to a hot 8-3 start, he played injured games. Polamalu returned to the field later in the season, only to during the second half of the season with a torn bicep and the re-injure the same knee and end his season for good. The Steel- Jets collapsed down the stretch. With a playoff birth on the line, ers failed to make the playoffs with their hard-hitting safety on New York finished 9-7, losing each of the final four games. That the bench for the last seven games of the year. Larry Fitzgerald same year, Favre led the NFL in interceptions, and was widely was fortunate enough to avoid the curse, recording 97 catches, criticized for the collapse, before retiring for a second time at the 13 TDs, and 1,000-plus receiving yards. end of the season. The retirement would be short-lived.

Two players are featured An all-new play calling system is on the cover for the f irst introduced allowing the CPU to time in franchise history select the best play based on authentic NFL game plans New Pro-Tak™ animation Game times are reduced as technology allows players players can now play full to truly fight for every NFL games in less than yard 30 minutes

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EA bought into the new idea and the legendary relationship with How It All Began John Madden had begun. In what would turn out to be one of the most historic moments in video game history—John Madden The year was 1986. Football was born.

With the popularity of professional football and interest in video Though the challenge of putting 11-player teams into the game games growing, Electronic Arts—then an up-and-coming inter- set production back another two years, it was precisely what active entertainment software company in only its fourth year of would separate the franchise from the competition for years existence—foresaw the opportunity to develop games that could to come. John Madden Football would change the direction of dominate the interactive sports genre. sports video gaming forever.

Influenced by modern-day technology and new gameplay in- However, before the company’s first football game was officially novations, EA began production of its first-ever football game off the ground, EA faced a final challenge—exciting the consumer. with one thing in mind—to design and create the competitive centerpiece of the interactive sports world. To help deliver on Gordon, the executive in charge of sports and action games dur- these high expectations, EA targeted one of the most knowl- ing this time, recalls the early days of marketing research for the edgeable minds in football, Hall of Fame head coach and sports company’s proposed first-ever football title. broadcaster John Madden. “When we analyzed the video game market in 1988, we believed “John Madden was considered one of the game’s foremost we had fourteen hit titles for 16-bit systems, which for us at the experts when it came to analyzing and breaking down plays,” time had been the Commodore Amiga and IBM PC,” Gordon said. said EA’s former Chief Creative Officer Bing Gordon. “We wanted “We felt that John Madden Football would be one of these hits.” to tap into John’s know-how and use his knowledge to create a video game that would be extremely deep in authenticity, but During production of the game, which had already seen its also fun to play.” original targeted ship date slip by more than two years, EA conducted a market research project to forecast interest and With their blueprint in place, Gordon, former Chief Executive opportunities for 16-bit video games. In the survey, Gordon Officer , and a select group of game producers and asked avid gamers in the current market what they had hoped developers approached Madden about their innovative idea. for and expected from next generation systems. After discussions about the concept of the game, a game in which EA envisioned two seven-man teams playing against one “The results were interesting,” Gordon said. “We found that another on a virtual gridiron, Madden was highly in favor of the people who played football games expressed 30 percent more idea—with only one catch: interest in ‘Electronic Arts Football’ than ‘John Madden Football.’ Kids didn’t think of John Madden as a football legend. They were “It had to be 11-on-11 football; it had to be real,” Madden said. too young to remember his coaching days with the Raiders, and “I would not put my name on this game if it wasn’t real.” he had not yet started doing live broadcasts for CBS Sports.”

John Madden Football in 1989 Madden NFL 11

JULY 2010 PAGE 09 MORE THAN JUST A GAME.

Taking a huge gamble, the EA executive team decided to go against the popular vote.

“I decided EA was going to maintain its commitment to John Madden Football despite the research results,” Gordon said. “Our development team believed in Madden and he represented to us the kind of flavor and insights we wanted our game to stand for. The rest is history.”

The Rest is History After three years of production and a slight revamp in gameplay style, John Madden Football made its debut in 1989 on the Apple® II home personal computer. As predicted, the game was an instant hit. As the first football game to offer 11-on-11 gameplay and pro-style playbooks, John Madden Football went on to sell more copies than any other sports game up NFL Legends and Hollywood celebrities alike ( and Craig to that time. Robinson pictured) compete in the Madden NFL 11 Pigskin Pro-Am.

Though it exceeded its high expectations, the future of the With the inclusion of the NFL license for the first time in-game, franchise was not assured. Electronic Arts took its message of authenticity and fun to the airwaves, launching a two-month TV ad campaign that ran at the “Even after the original game became on overnight success, peak of the NFL season. The “Gimme” campaign, a term coined the prevailing wisdom with EA and retailers was against doing based off the TV spot script, aired on ESPN during SportsCenter a sequel,” Gordon recalled. “But (original game producer) Rich and its NFL Sunday Night Football coverage. The publicity it Hilleman and I decided to do it anyway. Our thinking was that received that winter helped elevate the Madden NFL franchise to sports needed statistical updates annually and we wanted to a whole new level. prove that statistical validity was very important to our new way of doing sports games as simulations.” “That first campaign was such a significant milestone for EA,” said Chip Lange, former Vice President of Marketing for A year later, the next John Madden Football product, a sequel EA SPORTS. “We had a new name for the sports brand, we with the same title, stepped out of the office and into the living had access to NFL footage, and we had ESPN airing our com- room with the introduction of the Sega® Genesis® home mercials. It gave us tremendous credibility within the sports entertainment system. It was the first sports game to feature community. That lone campaign elevated us from somebody isometric views and a three-dimensional playing field, altering who makes a hobby-like product to something more legitimate, the look and feel of the game forever. a company who creates an NFL televised product.”

In a few short years, the gaming world multiplied and split The ad opened the floodgates forMadden NFL’s growth in the between the home computer and television sets across the years that followed. The franchise climbed to the top of the country. With its ever-growing popularity and inspiring gameplay, video game sporting world, and made the EA SPORTS brand the John Madden Football franchise helped alter the trends of a legitimate competitor in the mass market. The franchise has the gaming community. never looked back.

The NFL Comes Aboard A year later, Madden NFL 95 obtained the rights to use the In 1993, Electronic Arts acquired the right to use the PLAYERS NFLPA (NFL Players Association) license. For the first time in INC. license (the marketing subsidiary of the NFL Players Madden NFL, gamers could throw touchdown passes to players Association) that allowed the use of official team names in the such as Jerry Rice of the . newly renamed Madden NFL 94, which was backed for the first time by the all-new EA SPORTS brand. The inclusion of the NFL With each year’s new release, Madden NFL’s innovative features license legitimized the Madden NFL franchise as an authentic evolved at a rapid pace. sports game and its popularity boomed even more. The game that once identified its teams only by city names such as Miami, To complement Season mode (introduced in ’94), mini-camps, Dallas, Pittsburgh, and Oakland now had the rights to use official training camps, and an in-depth Franchise mode were eventually team names and logos in-game. added to help model an actual NFL season. In the real world, NFL players, coaches, and general managers work year-round to stay on top. With Madden NFL, gamers were allowed to do the same.

JULY 2010 PAGE 10 MORE THAN JUST A GAME.

As game features set new standards year-in and year-out, the “I’m recognized as much for Madden NFL as I am for being rapid advancement in technology opened the door for the cre- a coach and broadcaster,” Madden said. “This is a testament ative minds at EA to expand the game’s horizons in other areas. to the labor of love I have for this game. It’s an honor to be recognized by the Pro Football Hall of Fame.” In 1997, game designers implemented polygons, which brought a more lifelike 3D look and feel to the game. The advent of From the very beginning, Madden NFL set the standard by which motion capture also changed EA’s approach in a dramatic way. all other sports video games are judged. From the original John Instead of drawing animations frame-by-frame, programmers Madden Football to Madden NFL 11, no other game has offered were now able get their shot in one fell swoop. the realistic qualities or taken users closer to the playing field, and as technology advances and new capabilities are reached, Madden NFL players were becoming more lifelike each year. the Madden NFL franchise continues to raise the bar and give Fields and stadiums seemed real. As updated technology gamers the best gaming experience possible. continued to open doors, inverse kinetics and motion blending brought more realism to the game. Not only were players looking “Madden NFL is no longer just a video game, it has become lifelike, they were also playing out the realism on the virtual field. a pop-cultural phenomenon,” said Todd Sitrin, Global Vice President of Marketing for EA SPORTS. “Each year in August, With the in-game package beginning to look and feel so lifelike, the launch date is treated like a national holiday by millions of Madden NFL also began to influence coverage on network TV. people. For these fans, this is the true beginning of the NFL football season. We have a commitment to innovation that “All these years we’ve been pushing the game to look like pushes us to make Madden NFL not just a game that video television,” Madden said. “Then, I’m in a television meeting gamers will love, but one that is enjoyed by any sports fan. and we’re trying to look like the video game. I thought, We won’t accept less. John Madden won’t accept less. And ‘We’ve come a long way.’ ” our millions of fans won’t accept less.”

After successful stints on a number of hardware platforms including the Sega® Genesis®, Super Nintendo®, and the PlayStation® computer entertainment system, to name a few, the popularity of the franchise took its biggest turn upward with the introduction of the next generation of systems.

By 2001, Madden NFL was running full-throttle on the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, the Nintendo GameCube™, and the Xbox® by Microsoft. In 2002, Madden NFL took a another leap forward by incorporating online play for the PlayStation®2 and a whole new world opened up for console gamers. Players now had the ability to play games and tourna- ments live without leaving the comforts of their own home.

The following year, Madden NFL’s popularity continued to grow with Xbox’s launch of Xbox LIVE. Suddenly, gamers and football enthusiasts alike could challenge each other online, not just on PlayStation®2 but on Xbox as well. Online play quickly gained popularity across America, particularly on college campuses.

Two years later, in 2005, EA gained exclusive rights to the NFL teams, stadiums, and players for use in its football video games. The deal gave EA access to NFL Films and the NFL Network, elevating Madden NFL to another level just in time for its launch on the Xbox 360™ and PlayStation®3.

Hall of Fame Credentials With all the accomplishments the franchise has achieved in its 20-plus year history—the record-setting sales, the countless awards, all the praise, all the glory—Madden NFL received one of its highest honors in 2003 when it was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. No other sports game has been honored with this distinction. EA SPORTS President Peter Moore and 49ers quarterback Joe Montana on stage during the 2010 media event.

JULY 2010 PAGE 11 MORE THAN JUST A GAME.

Deeper. Simpler. Quicker. With Madden NFL 11 the franchise zeroed in on its online mode with the introduction of Online Team Play. In this game Deeper. mode Madden NFL becomes a true team sport as a group of gamers can hit the gridiron at the same time, playing 3-on-3 Franchise mode. Hit Stick. Head to Head online play. Madden with or against up to five friends. With six live players on the Ultimate Team. field at once, each team member controls a set of skill players, including the quarterback, running backs, and wide receivers These are just some of the innovative game features that on offense, and defensive line, , and have helped make Madden NFL one of the most authentic on defense. and accessible franchises in video game history. The hardest thing to decide is who will kick the extra point. The trend continues with Madden NFL 11. Madden NFL 11 also revamped its audio presentation and With gameplay development centered around one theme: brought in one of the most exciting announcers in the game, Simpler. Quicker. Deeper., Madden NFL once again redefines Gus Johnson, to call play-by-play. With Johnson at the mic, the way gamers experience the game of football. the game takes on a new level of excitement that’s unmatched in the sports video game industry. Simpler. To help make the game more accessible to rookie players or gamers seeking a more casual experience, Madden NFL game designers tweaked the gameplay system to give players the choice of reducing the number of playcall options from 350— the number of plays the average team carries in its Madden NFL playbook—to one.

With the new simplified playcalling system, titled GameFlow, gamers are no longer required to scroll through the various sets, formations, and plays while inside the huddle. Instead the redesign puts players inside the helmet of an NFL quarterback, allowing the CPU to act as the offensive coordinator. As plays are called in from the sidelines, it’s up to the gamer to execute the gameplan one play at a time.

Once up to speed on the GameFlow system, Madden NFL 11 adds a new level of strategy by giving gamers the opportunity to customize their own offensive and defensive gameplans, or have plays based on the real-world tendencies of all 32 NFL teams called for them instead.

For the traditional Madden NFL gamers who thrive on having complete control of the game, the classic gameplay system that was featured in past Madden NFL titles, including Madden NFL 10, is also available in every game mode.

Quicker. Before this season an average full game of Madden NFL took nearly an hour to complete. Or nearly one-third of a real NFL game.

In Madden NFL 11 that’s no longer the case.

With the new GameFlow system, 60-minute game times have been reduced to 30. Cut scenes and replays between plays, and time inside the huddle have also been eliminated or dramatically reduced, allowing players to spend more time playing the game. Madden NFL 11 allows players to complete full games in less than 30 minutes.

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