NFL version of Mafia Wars, Farmville coming to Facebook?

CBSSports.com has struck a deal with fantasy games developer Fantasy Moguls to create a Facebook-based fantasy football game called Franchise Football. The new game aims to merge traditional fantasy football with popular Facebook-based casual and social games, such as Mafia Wars and Farmville. – Sports Business Journal

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August 30, 2010, 8:39 am

Rapper loses $100k on single Madden NFL bet

Rapper Bow Wow managed to throw away $100,000 on a single video game bet. That’s the topic of discussion on the current ‘Lopez Tonight’ (weeknights, 11PM ET on TBS).

It seems that Bow Wow was playing ‘Madden NFL’ … for some very high stakes. And when he lost to fellow rapper Game, he had to pay up one hundred thousand dollars.

Host George Lopez seems fairly impressed by this amount –as anyone would be. But it appears that Bow Wow hasn’t learned from his mistake. Because just a minute later, he enters into a bet with Lopez where they wager $25,000 … on the outcome of a basketball game involving LeBron James. — TV Squad

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August 19, 2010, 8:59 am

NFL star not satisfied with 99 Madden NFL 11 rating

Chris Johnson — the superstar running back on the Tennessee Titans — got a 99/100 skill rating in the new Madden NFL 11 … but according to Chris, having the highest rating in the game just ain’t enough. Johnson tells TMZ, he’s honored his character got such a high rating in the game … but according to him, anything less than 100/100 isn’t accurate — “In real life, I’m 100% unstoppable. I got no home. I run for days.“  Johnson’s in good company though — other players in the game with 99 ratings include Peyton Manning and Drew Brees. — TMZ

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August 11, 2010, 8:13 am

Madden NFL 11 now available on iPad

For the first time, consumers can now play Madden NFL 11 on iPad. Madden NFL 11 for iPad, iPod touch and feature phone versions are launching alongside the franchise console offerings today. A version for Android™ phones will be available later in the year. — Business Wire

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August 11, 2010, 2:31 am

EA Sports cover jinx hits soccer

Real Madrid star Kaká—who will be on the cover of EA Sports’ FIFA Soccer 11 game—is now out for three to four months after undergoing knee surgery. EA’s Madden NFL game is famous for its cover curse; Troy Polamalu, Michael Vick and several other featured players have suffered either injuries or performance declines. Kaká’s knee problems predated EA’s announcement, though (he is shown above getting hurt in a friendly match before the World Cup). “No one can blame us,” a company spokesman said. — Wall Street Journal

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August 6, 2010, 8:42 am

EA Sports Shortens Madden Game

Making a pass at an audience that’s too busy to play games, EA Sports will structure this year’s Madden NFL blitz around a new product attribute: brevity. An old Madden game could take more than an hour, presenting a major barrier to play, but games on Madden NFL 11 can take less than a half hour. A new feature called GameFlow also reduces the potential number of plays from 350 to one, which is automatically selected. The shorter, simpler play is just one option, but since EA Sports sees time and complexity as an issue for some fans, those attributes will be underscored in one phase of a campaign for the title. The campaign, via Heat, will hit around the game’s Aug. 10 release date. TV ads will show a father and son telling mom they’re taking the dog for a walk and then putting the dog on a treadmill, while they play Madden NFL. Message: The game only takes about the same time it does to walk the dog. Other ads will also center on the time-saving theme, presented in the phrase “Plan accordingly.” — Brand Week

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August 4, 2010, 9:22 am

EA Sports sued by retired NFL players over Madden video game

Electronic Arts used retired football players as characters in its 2009 Madden NFL video game without paying them, a class action claims in Federal Court. About 6,000 retired players say EA tweaked their descriptions, including their teams, jersey numbers, positions and physical characteristics, in order to avoid paying licensing fees.  Lead plaintiff Michael Davis, a former running back for the Cincinnati Bengals and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, claims EA swiped his and other players’ personas for the game, which raked in $400 million last year.  The Madden 2009 game allows players to pit “historical teams” against one another. Davis says EA tried to avoid paying him for using his likeness in the 1979 Buccaneers team by altering his jersey number and field position, though gamers can still recognize him by his name, age, height and weight. The retired players say EA made slight changes to all the retired players’ characteristics, even changing a player’s weight by a few pounds to avoid paying licensing fees. — Courthouse News Service

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August 3, 2010, 8:15 am

NBA ELITE 11 to Include Free* Downloadable Version of NBA JAM

Electronic Arts Inc. announced that all new copies of NBA ELITE 11 will include a one-time download code that will enable users to access three modes of NBA JAM – Play Now, Classic Campaign and Online. Already set to revolutionize the way basketball simulation games are played with new Hands-On Control, the inclusion of the NBA JAM modes will make NBA ELITE 11 the ultimate basketball videogame experience available, on the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system and PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system, when it is released on October 5, 2010.

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August 3, 2010, 12:14 am

John Madden called for change to video game play calling

The life of an EA Sports “Madden NFL” video game begins in September, about the time when gamers are salivating over the just-released version of the popular franchise. Last year, that meant EA Sports staffers went to the Pleasanton, Calif., home of former NFL coach and broadcaster John Madden, whose name adorns one of the most revered video games in the industry. This time, Madden wanted to see a revamping of the way plays are presented and called on the game to make it closer to what actually happens in NFL games. The result is arguably the biggest change in how plays will be called in the history of the series. “It’s really taking what has historically been our play-calling screen in ‘Madden’ and breaking it down into a much more realistic fashion,” “Madden NFL 11″ senior producer Phil Frazier said. “The result is you no longer pick the plays. The plays get picked for you in each situation based on authentic NFL game plans. Games get done in half the time.” — Denver Post

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July 29, 2010, 7:08 am

Madden NFL-Inspired Flavored Chips

As gaming and sports fans alike wait in anticipation for the release of Madden NFL 11 on August 10, Doritos tortilla chips is unleashing two new limited-edition flavors inspired by the legendary video game franchise – Stadium Nacho and Tailgater BBQ. The special Madden-inspired Doritos were developed using Frito-Lay’s cutting-edge FlavorPlus technology, which replicates the timing of how a flavor is released during consumption – from the smell and taste all the way to the texture – to deliver a truly authentic flavor experience. For consumers, it means each time they open a bag of new Stadium Nacho or Tailgater BBQ Doritos chips, they’ll enjoy powerful flavors that remind them of game day and unique aromas that will take them right onto the field. — Frito-Lay

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July 23, 2010, 5:56 am

NFL wants fat kids to play Nintendo Wii game

Electronic Arts Inc. and the National Football League and will release a fitness video game for Nintendo Co.’s Wii console in November, expanding a partnership that produced the best-selling sports game of all time., according to BLOOMBERG.

“EA Sports Active NFL Training Camp” takes participants through fitness drills similar to those used by football players. The game was designed by the EA Sports unit that produced the top-selling “Madden NFL,” which the company says has generated about $3 billion in revenue in the past 22 years.

Leo Kane, the NFL’s vice president of consumer products, said the new game may have a broader audience than Madden, while promoting exercise and fitness, which the league encourages through efforts including its “Play 60” campaign against childhood obesity.

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July 21, 2010, 9:26 am