Madden NFL 09

A new lawsuit against EA contends that the publisher knowingly and intentionally used NFL players likenesses in such a way that they would avoid having to pay licensing fees. Plaintiff Tony Davis, a former NFL running back, believes that EA misappropriated the retired players by using stats and positions, without using the names and uniform numbers of specific players. This matters little, as the game allows players to manually change the names of these historic players.

PWN or DIE simulated the NFC Championship game between the Arizona Cardinals and Philadelphia Eagles and came amazingly close to the final outcome of the actual game that was filled with highlights. Fast forward a couple of weeks to the Super Bowl this Sunday and the Arizona Cardinals will be playing the Pittsburgh Steelers. Given the success of the previous simulation, it was a no-brainer to do it for the big game. [Video Highlights Included]

GameSpot writes: When Electronic Arts announced it was laying off 1,000 employees--or 10 percent of its staff--many presumed its Tiburon studio would be untouched. Located in plush offices outside Orlando, Florida, the developer makes the Madden NFL and NCAA Football series, EA Sports' exclusive--and lucrative--professional and college football sims. It also crafts Tiger Woods PGA Tour, the popular and feature-laden pro golf series. Unfortunately, according to the Orlando Sentinel, not even EA Tiburon has escaped its parents cost-cutting unscathed. This evening, EA government affairs chief Craig Hagen told the newspaper that a number of the studio's 650-700 employees had been laid off.

Last week MTV Multiplayer reported that it could not yet be determined whether Wii Play or Grand Theft Auto IV was the best-selling game of 2008 in the U.S. But today they finally got the definitive Top 5 2008 list - and it knocks GTA to third place. Today, NPD provided MTV Multiplayer with the numbers they needed and they can now present the definitive list of top 2008 games. Top-Selling Games In The U.S. For 2008 (All versions combined. Units in millions) 1. Wii Play 5.28 2. Madden NFL '09 5.25 3. Grand Theft Auto IV 5.22 4. Mario Kart w/ Wheel 5.00 5. Call of Duty: World at War 4.63

PWN or DIE took the time to use Madden NFL 09 to simulate the NFC Championship Game that was played on Sunday between the Arizona Cardinals and Philadelphia Eagles. They had no idea that our simulation would be so accurate, getting the Cardinals' final score right and only being off by 4 on the Eagles' final point tally. After further review, here are the top 10 things our madden simulation got right.

Kotaku writes: U.S. District Judge William Alsup upheld a decision to award retired NFL players $28.1 million in the group's lawsuit against the league's player union over allegations they were cheated by an unfavorable deal with EA. A federal jury ruled in November that the former NFL players were due $7.1 million for the use of their likenesses and $20.9 million in punitive damages for uncredited appearances in EA Sports' Madden NFL games, an award that union lawyers said was unjust, saying they were confident it will be overturned. They also said Hissss!!!, allegedly, when presented with crosses.

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.

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!!

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

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.