EA Tiburon
Latest
Attorney leading lawsuit against EA: NCAA 'ducking its responsibilities'
Steve Berman, managing partner of Hagens Berman, the law firm alleging that NCAA and EA illegally used college athletes' names and likenesses in its NCAA Football series, said "the NCAA's decision to end its long and hugely profitable relationship with EA is tied directly to the pressure our litigation is bringing [to] bear," in a statement to the media. "This announcement makes plain that the NCAA is attempting to mitigate the damage by ducking its responsibilities," Berman said. The lawsuit in question is one of two from Hagens Berman against EA, the other having been settled in July 2012 by EA for $27 million with the requirement that EA not renew its exclusive license with NCAA for five years. NCAA's announcement this week that NCAA Football 14 would be the last game in the series to use the NCAA branding included a note that "given the current business climate and costs of litigation, we determined participating in this game is not in the best interests of the NCAA," pointing to the ongoing legal battle as reasoning for its departure from the partnership. "Our suit illustrates how the cabal between the NCAA and EA has exploited student athletes for years, using their images in video games without compensation," Berman said. "While we are heartened they've stopped the practice, we believe they owe those student athletes a great deal more than their implied promise to stop stealing their images." EA announced that it will continue development on next-gen college football games without the use of NCAA branding. It will do so under a non-exclusive, three-year agreement with the Collegiate Licensing Company beginning on July 1, 2014.
EA holds license for non-exclusive college football games for three years
Earlier this week, the NCAA announced it would no longer provide its name to EA's college sports series of games, but the publisher will continue to work with the Collegiate Licensing Company (CLC), the entity that handles trademark licensing and marketing services for universities. A source familiar with the agreement tells Joystiq that EA's current licensing extension with the CLC is for three years starting on July 1, 2014, and is for a non-exclusive college football game. The source says EA was not going to renew its exclusive contract with the NCAA for at least five years, as stipulated by EA's proposed $27 million lawsuit settlement from July 2012. The lawsuit alleged that EA "violated antitrust and consumer protection laws and overcharged consumers" for its football games due to its use of exclusive licenses with the NFL, NCAA and AFL. NCAA announced this week that it will not renew its contract with EA, and that NCAA Football 14 "will be the last to include the NCAA's name and logo." EA's statement on the matter revealed plans to continue development on a next-gen college football game using licensing provided by CLC. The continued agreement with CLC enables EA to develop games using the branding of college programs across the nation as it did in the NCAA Football series, without the NCAA mark.
NCAA won't renew contract with EA [Update]
The NCAA will not renew its contract with EA, the NCAA announced. The current agreement between EA and NCAA expires in June 2014, but NCAA Football 14 "will be the last to include the NCAA's name and logo." The news comes one year after EA filed a $27 million settlement in a class action lawsuit dating back to 2008, which also stipulated that EA could not renew its current exclusive license with NCAA, but could enter a new, non-exclusive agreement for its college football series. The payout for that lawsuit reportedly stalled in Appeals court this month. "But given the current business climate and costs of litigation, we determined participating in this game is not in the best interests of the NCAA," the NCAA added. "The NCAA has never licensed the use of current student-athlete names, images or likenesses to EA." EA faced another lawsuit dating back to 2009 in which former Nebraska quarterback Samuel Keller alleged that EA adopted the likeness of student athletes for its college football games. A California court denied EA's motion for dismissal of the class-action suit in February 2010, and later in May 2012. The suit was combined with a lawsuit from former UCLA basketball player Ed O'Bannon against the NCAA, who claimed that the NCAA blocked "him and other former college athletes from getting paid for their likenesses in [EA Sports] videogames after they left college," according to Bloomberg. We contacted EA for comment, and will update as we learn more. Update: To clarify, the NCAA announced that it will not renew its contract with EA. We've updated accordingly. Update 2: NPD analyst Liam Callahan tells Joystiq that "NCAA Football sales have been fairly stable over the past few years, with no steady declines. There were, however, fluctuations between growth and declines, which was likely to have been caused by consumers not purchasing every year." Update 3: EA's Andrew Wilson issued a statement, noting that "EA Sports will continue to develop and publish college football games, but we will no longer include the NCAA names and marks." Likewise, the Collegiate Licensing Company told Joystiq that it "continues to have a strong relationship with EA, and in representing our partner institutions anticipates participating in the launch of a new game next year that features the college teams, leagues and authentic innovation fans would expect from these games."
NCAA Football 14 review: In the trenches
Option-style offenses seem to be high-risk, high-reward, if NCAA Football 14 is to be believed. The game offers an entire Spread Option playbook that showcases the 30 option types now in the game. Running a read option offense has become my favorite way to play the game, to the point that I recruited players to my Dynasty team (Syracuse) for their explosive, option-friendly abilities. I also fumble the ball a lot, primarily on triple option and shovel option plays where I have three choices: hand the ball off to a running back, keep it as the quarterback or pitch it to a third player. That third choice may as well be the "turnover option," as defenders converge on my player and initiate a collision so quickly that my quarterback will either fumble the ball or pitch it directly into the defender's hands. I've found these option plays to be boom-or-bust in NCAA 14, much like the entire game. %Gallery-186624%
Accused murderer Aaron Hernandez removed from NCAA 14 and Madden 25
Aaron Hernandez, the New England Patriots tight end charged with murder on June 26, has been removed from Madden 25 and NCAA 14. Players that happen to unlock Hernandez's Ultimate Team card in NCAA 14 by getting a gold medal in the game's Shovel Option drill in the Skills Trainer mode will see the card turn into that of current Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith. A future title update will remove Hernandez from the game entirely. EA Sports' statement reads: "We have made a decision to remove Aaron Hernandez from Madden NFL 25 and NCAA Football 14. Because NCAA Football 14 was finalized prior to our decision, Hernandez' image still appears in the Nike Skills Trainer. However, he is not in the game, and anyone who unlocks that particular Nike Skills Trainer reward will receive an Alex Smith Ultimate Team player item instead. The image of Hernandez will be removed via a Title Update in the near future." NCAA 14's Ultimate Team mode, the college football series' version of EA Sports' card-collecting mode seen in many of its games, features thousands of unlockable, real-life athletes. The athletes, many being current NFL players, represent the colleges they attended. In Hernandez's case, his likeness in NCAA 14 was tied to the Florida Gators. He was released by the Patriots on the day he was arraigned, so were he in Madden 25, he would have been a free agent.
Madden 25 brings chemistry back to Ultimate Team
Madden Ultimate Team, the series' card-collecting mode in which players gradually upgrade their team by earning card packs, will receive a few improvements this fall in Madden 25. The game will see a reintroduction of team chemistry to the mode, which will provide performance boosts for your team when the player styles of those on your depth chart match up, of which there are four for defensive and offensive players each. Madden Ultimate Team will also include an online head-to-head seasons mode, which challenges players to compete in a 10-game season that culminates in an eight-team playoff. Competing players earn card packs and coins in the playoffs for head-to-head seasons, instantly making it an attractive option for Ultimate Team addicts. Madden 25 is coming to Xbox 360 and PS3 on August 27. %Gallery-193251%
Madden NFL 25 holds a settings swap meet with Madden Share
Madden Share is a feature new to the series in Madden NFL 25, a destination where the community can swap custom playbooks, rosters and gameplay settings. Those settings can then be used in exhibition games and imported into your Connected Franchise career. Players can cherry pick their favorite plays from across all playbooks in order to create a custom attack plan. A ratings and sorting system will help cull content, along with a featured area designated to highlight new files from the community and developers.
Jury finds Antonick's claim against EA has not expired in case for Madden royalties
A California jury determined that the statute of limitations in the lawsuit filed by original Madden series creator Robin Antonick against Electronic Arts has not run out, according to a press release from Antonick's legal representatives. As a result, Antonick has been deemed eligible for unpaid royalties, as well as "punitive damages and disgorgement of all profits arising from the $5 billion Madden NFL franchise and related sports videogames" released between 1990 and 1996. "Damages relating to 1997-2013 games" will be tried at a later date. Originally filed in 2011, the suit claimed that EA breached a development contract signed by Antonick in 1986 that entitled him to royalties on derivative versions of the game. A federal judge then denied EA's motion for dismissal in April 2013. Games in the series leading up to Madden NFL 97 in 1996 were handled by external development studios such as Visual Concepts and Bethesda. Madden 97 was the first game developed by now-internal studio EA Tiburon, and also the first game created for PlayStation and Sega Saturn. The jury determined that Antonick "did not suspect any wrongdoing by EA before 2005. It also found that a reasonable person would not have known about the claims before 2005," when determining that the statute of limitations on the case did not run out. The jury will now decide what to award Antonick in unpaid royalties and profits from the games launched between 1990 and 1996. We've reached out to both EA and Antonick's legal team for statement, and will update accordingly.
Adrian Peterson gracing the cover of next-gen Madden 25
While legendary Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders is the cover athlete of current-gen versions of Madden 25, current Minnesota Vikings superstar Adrian Peterson was announced as the cover athlete for the PS4 and Xbox One versions of the game at EA's E3 press conference today. Along with that announcement came a new trailer for the game, which highlights just how gritty the sport can be.
NCAA 14 Dynasty mode levels up with coach skills, recruiting changes
NCAA Football 14 will receive some changes this year to Dynasty mode, the series' career mode in which players lead a school's football team to victory. Of the changes, the addition of coach skills stand out, which grant your team's leader and play-caller more nuance in the form of 18 RPG-like abilities that can be upgraded as your dynasty progresses. The abilities range from "Road Warrior," which helps your quarterback succeed on the road against teams, to "Clutch," which encourages your team to play better in high-pressure situations. NCAA 14 will also see a more streamlined athlete recruitment process. Whereas NCAA 13 included a phone call system, the feature's been stripped out entirely in favor of a points system called "Power Recruiting." Players will receive 5,000 points per week and can allocate points how they see fit towards scouting, recruitment and offering scholarship. Like minutes on a cell phone plan, points roll over every week, so players can put off their athlete recruitment process as well and not falter too much. The offseason recruitment phase, in which players receive 10,000 points to play with, has also been rolled into a single stage, making for a faster, likely more stressful experience.
Madden 25 will let you move to 17 different cities, revive historic teams
In Madden 25's Connected Franchise career mode, players can take on the role of team owner and perform a number of new tasks, including relocating teams to new cities. Madden's Creative Director Mike Young told Joystiq today that the mode is designed to limit the franchise relocation option to 17 different markets. The 17 cities include Brooklyn, London, Dublin, Toronto, Mexico City, Los Angeles, Austin, Columbus, Orlando, Portland, Oklahoma City and Memphis. Additionally, some locations with an already-established NFL presence can receive a second team, such as Chicago and Houston. Players will have the option to retain their team name, logo and uniforms when moving or select from three different preset options for each city, including the Brooklyn Beats. The mode also grants players the option to reboot now-defunct teams from the NFL's history, such as the Columbus Panhandles, London Monarchs or the Houston Oilers. Players can opt to turn off the team relocation feature, disabling the option entirely. EA Sports provided us with a new trailer for the game in which Young discusses the move from Madden 13's Connected Careers mode to this year's Connected Franchise mode. Madden 25 will launch August 27 for PS3 and Xbox 360.
EA tweet points to NBA Live at Xbox reveal
EA Sports' official NBA Live social media accounts sprang to life as recently as May 17 after being on hiatus since late September 2012. A recent tweet from the NBA Live team's Twitter account indicates that the game may be part of today's Xbox presentation, teasing fans with the words "Countdown to tip-off." It wouldn't be far-fetched to believe NBA Live will have a presence at today's event, given the expectation that both FIFA and EA Sports UFC will be shown, or at least teased in some capacity. NBA Live was also listed among the publisher's 11 games planned for fiscal 2014, and will be a next-gen title. This comes after NBA Live 13 was canceled in September 2012, two years after NBA Elite 11 was also canceled and the same point at which the NBA Live team's social media accounts stopped updating. That brings us full-circle, like a basketball.
Relocate your team in Madden 25's franchise owners mode
EA Sports lifted the curtains today on one of its core additions to Madden 25 this year, Connected Franchise owners mode. In it, players take on the role of team owner, setting prices for tickets and concessions as well as having the option to relocate teams to both domestic and international cities. Owners also handle the hiring of team personnel, such as scouts, trainers and coaches, and they answer questions from the media. Players will manage stadium upgrades and market their superstar athletes so fans will buy their jerseys, increasing their teams' yearly profit. The options to import draft classes from EA's NCAA Football series and take control of all 32 teams in the Connected Careers mode were woefully absent from last year's game, but will return to Madden 25. Additionally, the game's primary career mode will receive a face-lift thanks to an improved user interface that includes a transaction log to follow the movement of players from team to team. The mode's UI includes a new Trade Center, allowing users to see what other teams are offering for players and draft picks so they can top their opponents' bids. Lastly, Madden 25 will feature more media personalities for the career mode's in-game Twitter feed, such as ESPN fantasy analyst Matthew Berry and Fox Sports NFL writer Peter Schrager. It will also receive new legendary players and coaches, including Mike Ditka and William "The Refrigerator" Perry. %Gallery-188881%
Madden 25 trailer gets defensive
This video for Madden 25 shows a sizzle reel of defensive features while San Francisco 49ers linebacker Navorro Bowman discusses tactics for tackling players in the NFL. The game will see some under-the-hood changes, including Infinity Engine improvements and the addition of heat-seeker tackling.
Limited Amazon-exclusive Madden 25 special edition includes free Sunday Ticket subscription
Since Madden NFL 25 skipped 12 years is named to commemorate the series' 25th anniversary, it shouldn't be surprising that EA Sports recently unveiled a special Anniversary Edition. What is a little surprising are the contents of the special edition, which includes a free one-year subscription for DirecTV's NFL Sunday Ticket service, allowing fans to watch every out-of-market NFL game throughout the season. EA Sports tells us that the subscription is limited to the NFL Sunday Ticket computer, tablet and mobile service. Additionally, those who are able to receive DirecTV service in their area can get $10 off per month for the service, which starts at $225, as well as a free subscription to the higher-tier NFL Sunday Ticket MAX. The Anniversary Edition of Madden 25 is exclusive to Amazon, and limited to 50,000 copies on each of the game's platforms, Xbox 360 and PS3 (100,000 copies total). It will also include complimentary Madden Ultimate Team card packs every week of the NFL's 17-week regular season. Madden 25's Anniversary Edition is available to pre-order now on Amazon for $99.99.
NCAA 14's Ultimate Team mode to include season tournaments, former greats
While we learned in April that NCAA Football 14 will include its own Ultimate Team mode this year, EA Sports announced details on how it will operate today. The mode will include more than 1,400 former college football players at the game's launch, as well as both solo and special head-to-head challenges. Ultimate Team is the long-running mode that spans most of EA Sports' properties, which combines standard on-field gameplay with a card-collecting system for building and managing your team. NCAA 14's version of Ultimate Team will also include a head-to-head season mode, in which players match up against one another with their specially crafted teams in a 10-game season, before entering an end-of-the-season tournament. Players can earn rewards along the way for toppling challenges that increase in difficulty, such as coins for procuring more card packs. The game will receive similar treatment in the mode that other EA Sports games got in the past, with challenges and card collections being added throughout the real-life football season. NCAA 14 is slated to launch July 9 on PS3 and Xbox 360.
Madden 25 trailer shows a few new moves
A recent blog from EA Tiburon provided more specific examples of how Madden 25's combo moves for ball-carriers would operate. The latest trailer for the game shows off some of the noted moves, such as stutter steps, back jukes and the runner's newfound ability to recover from stumbling.
Madden 25 features ball-carrier combos, engine improvements
Among the news of all-time great Barry Sanders gracing the cover of Madden NFL 25, EA Sports recently announced two of the series' marquee changes due this year: improvements to the Infinity Engine and a new running game feature called "Run Free."Run Free promises 30 new ball-carrier combo moves. Using the left trigger, ball-carriers will stutter step before slowing down, enabling combo moves through the use of the right stick on the controller. While past games allowed players to use the right stick to take a step in one direction, then rotate in the other direction to spin away from defenders, these were separate animations. Run Free's system combines these animations.Changes to the Infinity Engine – the physics engine that powers the series – include the same improvements such as the Force Impact system announced for NCAA Football 14. Madden will share avoidance animations with NCAA 14, with runners sticking their arms out to push off their blockers instead of taking awkwardly sensitive collision tackles. EA Tiburon has promised run blocking improvements, which has especially been needed since the introduction of the engine last year.
NCAA Football 14 to include offline-only Kinect support
While Kinect integration isn't all that new for EA Sports, as both Madden 13 and FIFA 13 included support for the device last year, the Xbox 360 cover art for NCAA Football 14 includes the "Better with Kinect" banner at the top. EA Sports told Joystiq that Kinect support will be for offline play only, and will be "similar to what we've done in Madden, focused on pre-play voice commands."Check out the hi-res versions of the game's box art, which features speedy-looking Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson, in the gallery below. NCAA 14 will sprint to Xbox 360 and PS3 on July 9. %Gallery-186626%
NCAA 14 presentation trailer features White Stripes chant
This trailer for NCAA Football 14 offers a glimpse at the game's new presentation elements, which include post-play celebrations and familiar chants such as the Seven Nation Army chant heard at many college games. NCAA 14 is coming to PS3 and Xbox 360 on July 9.
