Madden NFL - Overview

Overview

As of 2010 Electronic Arts has sold more than 85 million copies of Madden NFL, and as many as two million in one week, for more than $3 billion in total sales. At EA Tiburon in Orlando, Florida a team of 30 developers and more than 100 game testers works on each new game in the series, which as of 2012 contains more than 10 million lines of source code.

Madden describes himself as "never a good player" of Madden NFL, and prefers to watch others play. Although retiring from broadcasting in 2009, he nonetheless continues to participate in each Madden's development:

He breaks down upcoming rules changes. He brings up concussions, helmet-to-helmet hits and gimmick quarterbacks. A digression on how the Dome Patrol-era Saints used to frustrate Bill Walsh's 49ers teams with short linebacker drops becomes a lecture on the obsolescence of the fullback, which then morphs into a short aside on player character.

“	Madden recalls a time in San Francisco when a Philadelphia Eagles player rushed into a hotel room asking, "Where's Madden?" When people pointed to the Fox commentator, the player said, "No, not that Madden. I want the game!"	”
—Los Angeles Times, 2002

EA estimates that the series has five to seven million dedicated fans. Among the fans are NFL players, who typically play as themselves. They often complain to Madden and EA about allegedly inaccurate ratings of their abilities, or ask for changes in their in-game appearance. Such complaints began as early as 1990, confusing the broadcaster, who did not contribute the player statistics for that year's version due to lack of time.

Coaches and players have said that Madden has influenced their play, and football broadcasts on television have changed to more closely resemble it, with visual cues on the screen "drawn directly from Madden." The NFL reportedly considers the series its "33rd franchise", because each week during the season EA Sports receives the same searchable film database of every play that each of the league's 32 teams do. The game is the NFL's second-largest source of licensing revenue after apparel, and an important part of the league's recruitment of children as new football fans.