EA and Sports. The two words go together like bacon and eggs, and the close association that EA has with one particular sport is set to continue well into the future. As the headline would suggest, the partnership between both the NFL and EA has continued to bear fruit with EA announcing that it had extended its relationship with the NFL on esports for multiple more, undisclosed years. That means more Madden for everyone.
“As a trusted partner for more than 30 years, EA’s commitment to football authenticity with Madden NFL is exemplary,” said NFL VP of video gaming Ed Kiang. “Extending our partnership with EA is another avenue for the League to grow fandom off the field and enhance the EA Sports Madden NFL Championship Series by aligning Madden competitive gaming with NFL moments. Our joint efforts will drive the type of excitement that NFL fans expect while also highlighting the best Madden players in the world.”
Of course, it’s incredibly important to this discussion that we highlight the very specific nature of the deal. This is a consolidation and extension of a relationship that is for esports, the NFL, and EA, not exclusivity on the development of NFL titles. While there aren’t many NFL or NFL adjacent options out there, that is not a by-product of a license being owned by EA, but simply a lack of competition in that market. This isn’t something seen in most other high-profile sports, with the NBA largely–but not totally–dominated by 2K, EA as the dominant force in the Soccer realm, and PlayStation the powerhouse in the MLB space. While there’s nothing out there to preclude another developer or publisher from entering the space, this particular deal in the esports realm does all but guarantee that fans of all things American football will be glued to EA titles simply because they have that additional level of support that the other games will just not be allowed to go near.
EA has seen a lot of success from its partnership with the NFL, having seen the Madden Championship Series quadruple its average minute audience compared to the previous season. Meanwhile, the MCS championships streamed across a host of platforms including Twitch and YouTube, the NFL’s YouTube channel, ESPN and the ESPN app. Hilariously and unsurprisingly, Campbell’s Chunky Soup has become a primary sponsor and purchased virtual naming rights to the MCS venue. It will now be called Campbell’s Chunky Stadium. In one final indication of how popular and profitable the esports side of the NFL can be, the 2022 Madden Championship Series will feature a $1.7 million prize pool for the season. That’s a sum of money that nobody can take lightly and further emphasizes the incredible popularity of the platform. EA is onto a big winner here.
Madden 23 is available on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on August 19, 2022.
