NFL News: EA Sports Says They Will ‘Continue To Honor’ John Madden

Originally published by RaidersNewswire.com

It has been a rough year for the NFL the past week after the sad passing of legendary head coach and broadcaster John Madden.

Madden is arguably the most influential figure in the history of the NFL, and his name and image helped popularize the sport through outlets like video games. While the younger generations may not be as familiar with Madden the coach or announcer, they surely will recognize him through Electronic Arts’ Madden video game series. EA has been producing the game since 1988, with Madden having input on how the game was developed.

EA has the rights to use Madden’s name and likeness in perpetuity, and the gaming company revealed they are working on ways to honor the legend in the near future via Bill Shea of The Athletic:

“We will continue to honor John Madden and the immeasurable impact he had on football. We will have more details to share in the coming weeks. It’s always been a great privilege to work on the game bearing his name, and we are honored to continue to grow his legacy,” said Cam Weber, executive vice president of EA Sports, via email.

EA and Madden did not come to an agreement right away as the former Las Vegas Raiders head coach wanted to make sure the game was as realistic as possible. The original plan was a 7-on-7 simulation, but Madden would not budge from his vision of having 11 players on offense and defense. Finally, EA obliged, and the rest was history.

Even though there are other football video games that exist, “Madden” has been the industry leader, and that is not projected to change any time soon, given how popular the series has become. While it remains to be seen what EA has in store, it will surely be something football, and video game fans will appreciate.

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