GamesRadar - Madden NFL 09

EA Spent Over $10 Million on Madden Marketing in Last 18 Months (News)

Oct 29, 2008

Gamedaily.Biz writes: "According to a new article from Nielsen Games on the growth of the Madden NFL franchise, EA Sports has spent many, many millions on advertising for Madden in the last year and a half. One might think that EA's Madden games sell themselves – and to some degree that's probably true (it's also the only official NFL video game) – but it would be foolish to ignore the marketing muscle that EA throws behind its football juggernaut with each release.

Nielsen said that EA spent the majority of its marketing dollars on television, with roughly $3 million going to network TV and about $5.5 million to cable TV. Another $1 million or so was spent on web ads, such as ESPN.com, and the publisher also made sure to target Spanish-language television to help promote a Spanish-speaking version of the game. All told, Nielsen said the latest campaign included nearly two dozen television spots and more than 50 web vignettes."

EA Might Auction Madden Cover (News)

Oct 28, 2008

The cover of the Madden games used to be a place to showcase the league's top players and curse them to a horrible season. Now, it seems that EA might let money determine who graces the cover of the next installment in the football series. Specifically, the players' money.

World Gaming lets you turn frags into cash (News)

Oct 1, 2008

It's every gamers' dream: win money by playing video games. Despite gaming's newfound mainstream acceptance, most people--especially those in the United States--do not recognize gaming as a legitimate competitive activity. In a country where card games like Texas Hold 'em have recently exploded, turning 21-year-olds into online superstars, it's no stretch to assume that more gaming mediums deserve a similar place in public attention.

EA Sports Takes Advantage of Retired NFL Players, Madden Asked to Defend Them (News)

Sep 30, 2008

Ripten writes:

"You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours. Behind the scenes wheeling and dealing can generate tasty bargains, but sometimes those bargains come with a nasty aftertaste.

In this case, it appears that EA and the NFLPA along with Players Inc. struck a deal for retired NFL player rights that was significantly below fair market value. A class action lawsuit was filed by the players in question against Players Inc, but the fun didn't stop there. In a letter crafted by 51 year old former Buffalo Bills safety, Jeff Nixon, Madden was asked to come to the aid of his fellow Hall of Famers.

Jeff's "Dear John" letter to the former Raider's Head Coach is laced with incriminating quotes, the most shocking being that EA's total cost to produce Madden each year is apparently no more than $200,000!!"

2008 EA SPORTS Madden Challenge Presented by Best Buy Kicks off a New Season of Intense Competition for Madden Players Worldwide (News)

Sep 18, 2008

Finalists of the EA SPORTS Madden Challenge presented by Best Buy to Compete at Beaches Turks & Caicos in January.

EAs Madden takes top three in NPD software for August (News)

Sep 11, 2008

According to the August NPD data, all three versions of EAs Madden 09 cleaned up in the software sales charts for the month.

Analysts: Weak Pre-Orders Did Not Stifle Madden (News)

Sep 10, 2008

Edge writes: "Multiple analysts have reiterated their BUY rating for Electronic Arts stock as the company has announced that total Madden NFL 09 sales have greatly outpaced the game's flailing pre-order rate.

Pre-orders for the year's Madden were down 25% versus last year, but EA has announced that actual sales of the game were up 6%, generating $133.5 million (£75.74m) in retail dollars.

This strong performance was no surprise to analysts, who have predicting for some time that the low pre-order numbers would not accurately reflect final sales. Arvind Bhatia with Sterne Agee & Leach said in a financial note that this performance was "in line with our checks," and attributed the higher retail dollar count to sales of the $89.99 (£51) collector's edition, as well as a higher percentage of total sales being from the higher-priced Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of the game, compared to last year."

Madden NFL 09 (Screenshots)

Aug 14, 2008

Madden 09 (Review)

Aug 14, 2008

Picture the whiteboard in the Madden PS2 Development Team War Room circa 2003. It probably read something like this: “2004, lots of defense… 2005, make online complete… 2006, move most of dev team to next gen… 2007, move rest of team to next gen…2008, no one will be buying the PS2 anymore.” Lo and behold, lots of us are still purchasing and using Sony’s unstoppable warhorse. ...

Kotaku: Brett Farve? No EA, It's Brett Favre (News)

Aug 13, 2008

Kotaku writes: "'Brett' is easy to spell. B-r-e-t-t. "Favre", not so easily. But to review: F-a-v-r-e-. Not "Farve". If you're a football fan, you should know that. And if you're EA, you damn well should know that - especially because he's the coverboy! Reader Devon points out that Brett Favre's name is mispelled in the collector's edition menu in Madden 09. That's a pic of it right up there. Well, at least EA didn't put 'Brett Favor.'"

Analyst: Madden 09 Sales "Better Than Expected" (News)

Aug 12, 2008

Edge writes: "Initial sales of EA Sports' Madden NFL 09 "appear better than expected," Stern Agee analyst Arvind Bhatia said Tuesday.

Some analysts and investors were concerned over lower pre-order numbers for Madden NFL 09, released this week, but first night retail checks conducted by Stern Agee showed that sell-through for the game is up "low single digits" over last year.

"If this trend holds in the near to medium term, we believe investors will view it as a positive," he said."

EA's Madden NFL 09 Hits Store Shelves Today, Marking 20th Anniversary (News)

Aug 12, 2008

Not that EA needed to send out an official press release that Madden NFL 09 is out today, but here it is none the less:

Electronic Arts Inc. announced today that Madden NFL 09 is available in retail stores across North America. Recently named Best Sports Game of E3 in the official "Game Critics Best of Show Awards", Madden NFL 09 celebrates the 20th anniversary of the best-selling franchise and is the First Sports Game That Adapts To You while introducing more than 85 new features and enhancements.

Sam's Club will print new Madden 09 cover for you (News)

Aug 12, 2008

Destructoid writes: "If you're a fan of the Madden NFL Football series, there is a slight chance that you already know about the Brett Favre trade this offseason. Aside from making every self-respecting NFL fan cringe at the sight of Favre in a Jets jersey with a roster update, the folks at EA Sports had to do some damage control with their Madden 2009 packaging featuring Favre in his old Packers jersey. Currently, EA Sports has a printable copy of the cover featuring the gunslinger in his new uniform available on their website.

For those with less-than-stellar printers, there is another option available. Sam's Club will print out the optional cover with each purchase of Madden 2009. That means no hassle with PDFs for you, and professional quality printing as well. Sam's Club is also offering the game $55.55, which is a decent discount. I really wish I knew about this last night, because I'm currently having sizing problems with EA's downloadable version of the artwork. Either way, it's good to know that there are some options available for the perfectionists out there."

Madden 09 Downloadable Packaging Featuring Bret Favre As A Jet Now Available (News)

Aug 12, 2008

Madden 09 is now available in stores and as EA promised you can now download alternate packaging featuring Bret Favre in a NY Jets uniform. you can download the alternate packaging for your system of choice after the jump.

Madden NFL 09 - A new chapter (Video)

Aug 11, 2008

Madden NFL 09 Deals and Launch Events (News)

Aug 9, 2008

It's a new season, and the 20th Anniversary, of Madden NFL. Retailers have various offers and kickoff events for Madden NFL '09 taking place as early as Monday evening, before the August 12th midnight launch. Here's a breakdown of launch events and deals on Madden NFL 09.

New Game Releases for the Week: Jets Edition (News)

Aug 9, 2008

Welcome to New Releases for the Week!

The highlight this week is Madden NFL 09 (Xbox 360, PS3, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, Sony PSP).

Check out the full list of new video game releases (USA) for the week of August 10, 2008 on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Sony PS2, PSP, Nintendo DS, and PC!

Madden Curse Strikes...EA? (News)

Aug 7, 2008

News broke Thursday morning that Green Bay Packers mainstay (and now former NFL retiree) Brett Favre would be traded to the New York Jets.

Unfortunately for EA Sports, Madden NFL 09 is launching next week, and the cover is plastered with the image of Favre donning The Green and Gold.

EA Will Produce Brett Favre 'Madden' Cover Featuring Jets Uniform, Updating Roster On Monday (News)

Aug 7, 2008

Stephen Totilo reports:

"Quarterback Brett Favre will be available to play as a New York Jet on the day "Madden NFL '09" is released next week. We just got word from EA that the game will still ship with Favre on the cover in his old Green Bay Packers uniform, but the following updates will make him a Jet.

Fast work on EA's part, given that the Favre deal only made the news several hours ago.

Here are the details we got from EA, in the words of a company spokesperson..."

Analyst: Madden 09 Pre-orders Improving (News)

Aug 7, 2008

Edge Online writes: "Pre-orders for EA Sports' Madden NFL 09 have been showing improvement following sluggish recent performance, Stern Agee analyst Arvind Bhatia said in an investor note on Thursday.

Stern Agee's retail checks showed that Madden pre-orders are still down, but by 20 percent, compared to being down 30 percent a month ago.

Bhatia called the improvement "meaningful," adding, '...We believe pre orders in the most recent week were up double-digits year-over-year for the one week period.'"

Inside look at Madden NFL 09 at EA Tiburon (News)

Aug 6, 2008

Orlando Sentinel Says: "For Madden fans, August is the most important month of the year. On August 12 the 20th edition of Madden will hit just about every device capable of playing video games - but the real stars of this release are the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. We took a trip to Orlando-area EA Tiburon to chat with Madden NFL 09 Senior Producer Phil Frazier about what to expect from this year's Madden."
"There's no doubt that Madden 08 had issues on the PS3, particularly when it came to the framerate. When asked about Madden 09 performance on the PlayStation 3 in part 2 of our interview, Frazier says that not only do the two play identically at 60 frames per second, but the quality assurance team actually prefers playing on the PS3. He didn't go into detail about that statement, but it looks like PS3 owners have nothing to fear this time around."

20 Years Of Madden - Video Interview With John Madden (News)

Aug 5, 2008

The highly anticipated release of Madden NFL 09 is only one week away! This year's installment of the award winning Madden NFL franchise will be in stores nationwide on August 12, 2008. In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the franchise, EA SPORTS sits down with legendary broadcast analyst and former NFL head coach John Madden to discuss the number one selling football video game in history - his namesake - Madden NFL Football.

In this video interview, Madden discusses his involvement with the game and his vision for the franchise.

Madden NFL 09 - Celebration (Video)

Jul 30, 2008

EA's Maddenpalooza Maddetailed (News)

Jul 24, 2008

EA has dropped details on this year's celebration for the release of Madden NFL 09, annoyingly titled Maddenpalooza. Mentioned during Leigh's interview with Steve Schnur earlier this month, Maddenpalooza is a music festival featuring bands from current and past Madden soundtracks that will take place at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California on August 11th. Fans can snag tickets through local radio stations or at the Rose Bowl on event day, which entitle them to a day filled with music, NFL star signings, and various other bits of marketing, all leading up to 9PM when the stadium's pop-up Wal-Mart will sell the first copies of the game.

Artists scheduled to appear include headliners Good Charlotte, Busta Rhymes, Rev Theory, Airbourne, From First to Last and Young Dre The Truth. Sounds like a worthy successor to the traditional Maddenoliday, more than enough to hold us until they add the word Madden to the front of some new festive term.

Madden 09 Soundtrack Revealed (News)

Jul 8, 2008

Electronic Arts Inc today unveiled the music track listing for Madden NFL 09, set to release August 12, 2008. The new soundtrack features 26 songs from a multi-genre roster of superstar acts and soon-to-breakthrough artists, including Franz Ferdinand, Good Charlotte, Airbourne, From First To Last, The All-American Rejects, Rev Theory, K'Naan, and Kidz In The Hall.

Madden NFL 09 - Presentation (Video)

Jun 26, 2008

What's new in Madden NFL 09? (News)

Jun 26, 2008

So what's new in Madden NFL 09 that would make you want to buy it over the previous iteration? The 20th anniversary of the franchise brings lots of new features and Madden moments.

Video Gamers Sue EA Over Exclusive Sports Games (News)

Jun 16, 2008

Sports video games are a huge business -- and for many years, it was an extremely competitive space. I remember a few years back trying to wade through half a dozen different baseball video game titles to figure out which one was worth buying. However, a few years back, video game giant EA started signing "exclusive" deals with a variety of sporting leagues, including the NFL. These "exclusive" deals supposedly meant that only EA could produce games with the names and stats of real players -- a huge selling point among most fans. And, of course, in gaining exclusivity, EA has completely cashed in. However, a bunch of angry video gamers are now suing the company for anticompetitive conduct, noting that these exclusive deals killed off all the competition, allowing EA to drastically raise its prices.

EA Sports Fantasy Football Delivers Console-Based Tools and In-Game Integration with Madden NFL 09 (News)

Jun 16, 2008

Electronic Arts Inc., (NASDAQ: ERTS) announced today that EA Sports Fantasy Football will be launching a new website, fantasy.EASPORTS.com and will have fantasy football applications specific to the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system and PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system later this summer. The web-based service of EA Sports Fantasy Football is free, while members of Xbox Live or PlayStation 3 Network will have the opportunity to download the innovative fantasy football applications for a fee. In addition, for the first time ever, gamers will have the ability to play their fantasy football squad in Madden NFL 09. EA Experts, a team of internal fantasy football gurus, returns and serves as a go-to source for all fantasy football information.

Madden NFL 09 vs Madden NFL 08: Visual Differences [video and screenshots] (News)

May 23, 2008

How has Madden NFL's visuals improved over the course of a year? Electronic Arts released a comparison video showing the visual differences between Madden NFL 08 and the upcoming Madden NFL 09. See screenshots and a video.

EA Hosts Second Annual Rookie Madden Bowl (News)

May 23, 2008

On Friday, May 16th, over 30 NFL rookies gathered in the Arcadia Ballroom at the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel for the EA Sports 2008 Rookie Madden Bowl. The second annual Rookie Madden Bowl brought together top NFL rookies to compete on Madden NFL 08 to see who would be crowned the 2008 EA Sports Rookie Madden Bowl Champion. The eight-man tournament included New England Patriots quarterback Kevin O'Connell, Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, Green Bay Packers quarterback Brian Brohm, Washington Redskins wide receiver Devin Thomas, Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall, New York Giants wide receiver Mario Manningham and Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Dexter Jackson. Devin Thomas came out victorious, proudly taking home the 2008 Rookie Madden Bowl trophy.

Do Over! Madden Mondays Week 6: EA SPORTS REWIND (News)

May 19, 2008

Gamestop Madden Blog writes: "We all have moments we'd like to do over in life. If we had a nickel for every time someone around here said, "I wish I didn't drink that whole bottle of pancake syrup," or I wish I had known that 'beachball' was actually a Portuguese Man-of-War jellyfish," we'd be living on our own private island by now.

Here are some important details regarding EA SPORTS REWIND in Madden NFL 09: Before the game begins, each player may select 0, 1, 3, 5, or unlimited REWINDS to be used during the course of the game. Rewinds may be be used on any play: Offense, Defense, & Special Teams. They're not available during online games. Madden NFL 09 hits the streets August 12th, including the historic 20th Anniversary Collector's Edition. So click here or head to your local GameStop to reserve your copy. And remember, with great power comes great responsibility."

Brett Favre Is Not A Madden Fan (News)

Apr 28, 2008

Kotaku via ESPN writes: "A few months ago, I spoke with EA Sports' Chris Erb about Madden. Guy said that every year they had "100 guys calling us, begging to appear on the cover". So it's odd that when settling on a cover star for Madden 09, they went not for a player who's Madden crazy, but a guy who positively bah humbugs the thing.

I'm not savvy enough to play this game. Most of the younger generation has no idea [Madden] coached...Some of our guys play Madden better than they play on Sundays. And they spend more time talking about playing Madden.

Guess Brett won't be helping promote the game much, then."

Madden Live Draft Update (News)

Apr 27, 2008

As the draft starts at 3pm, and the rookie screenshots are released for Madden 2009, Stick Skills will bring them to you live!

Scoop: Brett Favre to Cover Madden NFL 09 (News)

Apr 24, 2008

While speculation might suggest Eli Manning or Adrian Peterson, EA has gone with longtime Packers star Brett Favre. The announcement is expected tonight on Letterman.

According to the Facebook site for Madden NFL 09, the cover athlete is expected to be announced on April 25. Moreover, a quick check of the CBS schedule for Late Show with David Letterman shows that Favre is going to appear as one of Dave's guests tonight (April 24). For the past few years, EA has used late-night shows to announce the Madden cover. Last year Jimmy Kimmel's show was used to announce Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young for Madden 08.

Madden 2009 Cover Athlete Announced (News)

Apr 24, 2008

Were you thinking that Eli Manning or Adrian Peterson would be gracing the cover? Well, you might want to start thinking again.

Madden Mondays - Week 2 (News)

Apr 21, 2008

EA Sports reveals another small tidbit of the upcoming game Madden 2009 in the latest installment of Madden Mondays.

Madden 2009 Info (News)

Apr 20, 2008

The new producer for EA's upcoming Madden 2009 is prepared to make quite a few necessary changes to the upcoming versions.

User Controlled Celebrations to appear in Madden 09 (News)

Apr 15, 2008

Steve Wysowski from XboxFocus.com writes:

"Even though I hate the players that perform them (T.O., I'm looking at you) I have to admit, seeing a good TD celebration in an NFL game always brings a smile. Well for those love them like myself, you're in for a treat. According to the Gamespot blog, the upcoming Madden 2009, players will be able to control their players after touchdowns to create their own dance routines and celebration. While it's not much of an addition, and information hasn't been released in regards to the actual controls the feature will possess, it is something to look foward to. Let's hope Madden 2009 will bring improvements to the gameplay we really care about though: the game played on the field."

Madden NFL '09 Ships August 12 (News)

Mar 27, 2008

Electronic Arts today announced that Madden NFL '09, the latest edition of the best-selling football game franchise, will ship to retailers on August 12 for every platform under the sun, including the Xbox 360, PS2, PlayStation 3, Wii, Nintendo DS, and PSP.

Fantasy Draft Guide (Xbox 360) (FAQ)

Aug 19, 2008

Go to GamesRadar to see the FAQ ...