Gamertell

Already the top selling sports game annually with over 70 million copies sold since 2002, and with an exclusive licensing deal with the NFL through 2012, Electronic Arts’ Madden Football franchise seems ready for a long life. But, will it continue do so with it’s legendary pitchman and namesake, John Madden?

Madden’s role has diminished within the game in recent years with new features and load screens focusing more on individual players than on Madden and his expertise. For Madden 09, for example, John Madden‘s role is reduced even more with color commentary going to Chris Collinsworth across all consoles (in the past, Madden had only been removed in that capacity on next generation consoles).

It’s not just the impending absence of Madden’s famed, “Boom!” or even his increasing age that should lead one to question Madden’s long-term future with EA. For one thing, two years past the signing of a fifteen-year partnership with ESPN, EA has yet to fully utilize its access to the properties and personnel in the Madden franchise. it has instead chosen to offer generic broadcast presentations and gimmicks including the “Tony Bruno Show” and “Headlines” rather then something more akin to Sportscenter, or ESPN’s wall to wall NFL Draft coverage.

The biggest indication of Madden’s decreasing importance and presence is on the box itself where , for the first time since active players replaced Madden’s image on the box, a non-active player will appear in the form of Brett Favre. Although this may merely be a tribute to one of the game’s all-time greats to celebrate the franchise’s 20th anniversary, this may also be an introduction into a new chapter of the game (maybe even one that bears Favre’s name).

Of course the EA football title could move on without a standard bearer. EA’s reliance on active players for the last decade confirms that a spokesman-less Madden will work. It would become a game devoid of any of the little touches (“Ask Madden,“ ‘Madden Tokens”, etc) that endear the game to its devoted purists, transforming it into a cold and impersonal simulation.

When the day comes for John Madden to ride off into the sunset, Electronic Arts will face a slight challenge in redefining a game that has become more ingrained in culture than any sports title in history. By lessening Madden’s inclusion and with EA’s stranglehold on the NFL license with a record of success, Electronic Arts is well poised to handle that battle no matter when it may happen. 

Read [EA] Also Read [New York Times] Also Read [EA Sports]

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