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Appeals court sides with ex-NFL players in Madden likeness suit
A federal appeals court struck down Electronic Arts' appeal to dismiss a 2010 lawsuit in which retired NFL players alleged that the publisher used their likenesses without permission in Madden NFL 09. A three-judge panel unanimously declined EA's motion to dismiss the lawsuit on the grounds of First Amendment protections under "incidental use." Madden 09 included over 140 historic NFL teams as well as the stats and positions of thousands of retired athletes to celebrate the series' 20th anniversary, and EA allegedly altered jersey numbers and removed the players' names to avoid paying licensing fees, according to the August 2010 lawsuit. The judges referred to another recent likeness lawsuit in the opinion, in which former college athletes sued EA in May 2009 over the use of their likenesses in NCAA Basketball and NCAA Football games. EA proposed a $40 million settlement to that lawsuit in September 2013, resulting in those players earning up to $951 for each year their likeness was featured in the games. The publisher added $8 million in expenses related to that lawsuit in May 2014. EA introduced similar First Amendment-based defenses in its appeal for the retired NFL players lawsuit save for one additional argument: That the likenesses were protected under the First Amendment as incidental use. The judges "held that Electronic Arts's use of the former players' likenesses was not incidental because it was central to Electronic Arts's main commercial purpose: to create a realistic virtual simulation of football games involving current and former National Football League teams." The decision upholds a California court's March 2012 dismissal of EA's attempt to prevent the suit from going to court. Among the plaintiffs listed in the lawsuit is Sam Keller, a former Arizona State, Nebraska and Oakland Raiders quarterback that filed the original likeness lawsuit related to the publisher's college sports games. [Image: EA]
'Madden NFL 15' update will remove Ray Rice after indefinite suspension
After another video of an incident between he and his then-fiancée surfaced Monday, the Baltimore Ravens cut star running back Ray Rice. Now, he'll be removed from Madden NFL 15, too. EA Sports has confirmed that it plans to nix Rice from the Ravens depth chart with a pending update, and that the player won't be available as a free agent either. "With Ray Rice's indefinite suspension from the NFL, he will be removed from Madden NFL 15," EA told us in a statement. "This roster change will take place by this Friday." Rice had already been suspended by the NFL for two games based on footage that surfaced over the summer showing him dragging an unconscious woman from a hotel elevator. The latest revelation from TMZ (warning: graphic) showed him punching his now wife during the altercation in Atlantic City. This has become common practice for EA as it removed Aaron Hernandez from Madden NFL 25 and NCAA 14 last summer following his arrest for first-degree murder. Nike has also nixed Rice's endorsement deal, and the Ravens are allowing fans to return jerseys to the team's stores. [Photo credit: John Grieshop/Getty Images]
Ray Rice to be removed from Madden 15 in Week 1 update
Former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice will be removed from Madden NFL 15 in this week's update, EA Sports confirmed with Joystiq. The change will be part of the game's next roster update, which "will take place by this Friday," the publisher said. Rice was cut by the Ravens and suspended indefinitely from the NFL after a video of his domestic violence act from February surfaced on TMZ. The league previously suspended Rice for two games for the incident, and as a result of the suspension, current rosters in Madden 15 have him fourth in the depth chart order for Ravens running backs. It's not the first time EA has adjusted its sports game rosters following an athlete's criminal act; former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was removed from NCAA 14 and Madden NFL 25 in July 2013 after being charged with murder. [Image: EA Sports]
Tiny Titan's legacy continues in EA mockumentary short
Glitches can create some of the most interesting moments in the games we play. Case in point: Cleveland Browns linebacker Christian Kirksey's appearance in Madden 15. Coming in at just more than a single foot tall, Kirksey's glitched height has earned him the nickname "Tiny Titan." At first, the sight of an NFL player barely taller than the length of an actual football was just funny. Then, EA made him part of a Madden Ultimate Team solo challenge. Now, a video featuring the real Kirksey (who as far as we know, is not actually 14 inches tall) as well as a Tom Rinaldi voice impersonator give us a brief glimpse into the life of this pint-size phenom. You can check it out after the break.
Crush Tiny Titan's spirits in Madden 15 challenge
By now, you might have heard of Tiny Titan, one of the more adorable glitches to pop up recently in the Madden NFL series. The little sprout of a linebacker has the heart of a champion, but also has troubles fielding kick-offs and tackling runners. Rather than ignore the glitch entirely, EA Sports opted to turn Tiny Titan into a Madden Ultimate Team solo challenge in Madden 15. Those that log in to the card-collecting, team-building mode this weekend can play against a special Browns squad on rookie difficulty with the miniature phenom leading the defense. We'd say he bites on play action passes, but it's really more of a nibble. Beating the challenge gives players a Tiny Titan collectible item that can be sold for 1,000 coins, if you don't have any kindness left in your soul. [Image: EA Sports]
Google and EA animate trash talk with the Madden 'GIFERATOR'
The NFL regular season kicks off tonight, and to make sure you're properly amped for the week's action, EA has teamed up with Google for some GIF-based smack talk. The Madden GIFERATOR allows you to pick your favorite team, a star player, their environment, add some text and the software does the rest. From there, sharing is a breeze, and you can peruse creations for any franchise or by schedule from week to week. If you're itchin' to give it a go, you can do just that right here.
The Big Picture: How EA captured player faces for Madden NFL 15
If you've ever wondered how video game studios transform real-life people into their multi-pixeled personas, here's one method. SB Nation's Sarah Kogod recently made the trip to Baltimore where EA was set to capture facial images from the Ravens' players for Madden NFL 15. There, she encountered the developers new "mobile" rig that leverages a dozen DSLRs situated in two rows of six each in order to snap all of the close-up details. The frame is part TV stand and part wheel chair lift that allows the entire thing to be positioned just so from a connected laptop. In fact, three teams, each outfitted with one of the multi-camera rigs, set out this summer to capture player images from all 32 NFL teams during OTAs and training camp. Before now, artists have had to work from stock photos in order to create a player's virtual counterpart, and accuracy suffered. The folks at EA say that as games become increasingly more life-like, that gamers notice "any blemish that's off... people catch that." [Photo credit: Sarah Kogod/SB Nation]
Double fumbles, Kaepernicking and Manningfaces in Madden 15
We're just one day away from the launch of Madden NFL 15. Normally that means you'd have some splashy launch trailer or crazy commercial starring comedians to watch. Not today! Welcome to the modern era of video games, where your "select" buttons now read "share," and your launch trailers are now GIFs of 400-pound running backs leaping over other people. Trust us, it's better this way. Check out the double-fumble-safety that happened to us in the video after the break, as well as our gallery of totally-moving pictures of the game below. Our captions also explain some of the improvements in this year's Madden, including "overhauled" controls on defense and the football strategy drills in the Skills Trainer mode. [Image: EA Sports]
Xbox One pre-loading begins with 'Madden NFL 15'
Just days ago at Gamescom, Microsoft announced that game pre-loading was coming to the Xbox One in September alongside for nabbing Forza Horizon 2 and FIFA 15 in advance of their arrival. It seems that the new feature has gone live a bit early though, as Madden NFL 15 is currently available for download ahead of its launch at the end of the month. Forking over the requisite $60 now will allow you to outfit your console with the title, so you'll be able to open the playbook immediately on August 26th. This also means that the Xbox faithful are now privy to the pre-loading option that PC and PS4 gamers have enjoyed for some time now.
Madden 15 passes CoachGlass to PS4
EA Sports will bring its playcalling and analysis app, CoachGlass, to the PS4 version of Madden 15. The second-screen features for Madden 25 will be marginally enhanced this year, offering players charts that quickly display their opponent's tendencies on either side of the ball, such as blitzing percentages and the amount of run, pass and option plays the opposing team tends to call. Additionally, players will be able to call offensive plays and use their timeouts from the app. The initial concepts for CoachGlass were briefly shown during a trailer for Microsoft's SmartGlass app during its E3 2012 press conference. EA bypassed SmartGlass features for Madden 13 that year before introducing CoachGlass for Xbox One players in last year's game. Given that EA Tiburon only noted that CoachGlass will be available for PS4 and Xbox One players this year, it seems those with Xbox 360 and PS3 copies of the game won't be able to use the app. Madden 15 will launch next Tuesday, August 26. [Image: EA Sports]
EA Access restricts early 'Madden 15' gameplay to six hours
Thanks to EA's all-you-can-game subscription, early access to Madden 15 for those who fork over $5 per month is the closest thing the gridiron faithful will get to a demo this year. On top of that, gameplay for early access to the full title is capped at six hours according to the gaming service's Twitter account. In the past, there hasn't been a time limit for demos, but players were limited to options like one quarter of action at a time, and sometimes with a couple of pre-selected teams. Of course, EA Access is only available on Xbox One, so the PS4 faithful will have to wait until launch day for kickoff.
Madden's weird ad campaign stars Kevin Hart, Dave Franco
The start of the NFL season and launch of Madden NFL 15 is just around the corner, which means we're in the midst of the really weird part of the football offseason. Fans are desperate for anything new on Johnny Manziel and Madden players are clamoring for the last scraps of details for the game they'll be pouring hundreds of hours into. That restlessness must have seeped into EA Sports' headquarters, as the publisher just kicked off an ad campaign that stars comedian Kevin Hart and "Neighbors" actor Dave Franco. The three-minute commercial features cameos from NFL players like 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, Eagles running back LeSean McCoy, Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant and Broncos linebacker Von Miller, in which the players sputter "blah blah blah" for a good 15 seconds.
Report: Madden NFL 15 demo only for EA Access buyers
There won't be a freely available demo of Madden NFL 15 for players to download this year, an EA rep has confirmed to Joystiq. The publisher made a habit of offering a downloadable demo for its annual pro football series since December 2005, when it launched the demo for Madden NFL 2006. A demo for the game will reportedly be available only to Xbox One owners that also subscribe to EA Access, according to an EA representative that spoke with Polygon. The publisher revealed EA Access in late July as an Xbox One subscription service offering full access to its games for $5 per month (or $30 per year). EA Access members also have the opportunity to play major EA releases on a limited basis up to five days before the game's launch. Madden 15 will launch August 26 for Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360 and PS3 and will include strategy tutorials in its Skills Trainer mode, an "overhaul" to its defensive mechanics as well as the addition of player confidence in its franchise mode. [Image: EA Sports]
Madden 15's franchise mode instills confidence, wraps up ratings
EA Sports introduced its changes to Connected Franchise mode in Madden NFL 15 this week, which includes the replacement of the the series' hot/cold streak system with "game prep" and "confidence." The team-management mode now has players preparing their teams with individual position drills and activities to boost experience points and influence a dynamic confidence rating. The confidence rating fluctuates throughout the season with the highs and lows of athletes' performances. It also changes with trades, team wins and losses, and even more with blowout victories and defeats, impacting other key ratings along with it. Additionally, Madden 15's Connected Franchise mode will include a tweaked free agency system in which available athletes will take factors like a team's needs, scheme and coaching ability into account when deciding where to take their career. It will also include entirely random draft classes for a change, with randomized names, ratings and traits for all incoming rookies. That marks a departure from previous franchise draft classes that had guaranteed-to-appear stars, such as Madden 11's Aspha Savage and K.C. Williams or Madden 25's Leon Sandcastle (yes, that Leon Sandcastle).
Madden 15 gets a kick out of its top safeties
EA closed out its top athlete rankings for Madden NFL 15 this weekend with lists of the highest-rated safeties and kickers/punters in the game. Saints free safety Jairus Byrd (96 overall) as well as strong safeties Kam Chancellor of the Seahawks and the Steelers' Troy Polamalu (both 93 overall) topped the final lists for defensive players in the game. Likewise, Miami Dolphins punter Brandon Fields will be the highest-rated player in the game to boot the pigskin with his foot, thanks to his 96 overall rating. This follows EA Tiburon's gradual ratings reveal in best-of list form, in which it covered defenders, offensive players like quarterbacks and running backs as well as the NFL's best rookies. EA Sports is now in the midst of unveiling its full team ratings on a division-by-division basis. It currently has spreadsheets loaded with ratings for players in the AFC and NFC North and South divisions available on the game's site. Madden 15 will launch August 26 for PS4, Xbox One, PS3 and Xbox 360.
Microsoft welcomes Madden 15 with dedicated Xbox One bundle
Just in time for the debut of Madden 15, Microsoft has unveiled an Xbox One bundle focused on the latest edition of EA's annual football sim. Slated to debut alongside Madden 15 on August 26, the Xbox One Madden NFL 15 bundle includes a console, a digital copy of Madden 15 and three Pro Packs for use in Ultimate Team mode. That may seem meager, but by reducing the amount of extraneous content Microsoft can offer this bundle at $400 - the same price attached to a Kinect-less Xbox One - for those people who want a new console purely for its ability to play EA's latest football offerings. According to Microsoft, these bundles are only available for a limited time. If you want to ensure you've got one coming, you can pre-order the console from Amazon or the Microsoft Store. [Image: Microsoft]
New Xbox One bundle gives you 'Madden 15' for free
Microsoft is all about football at the moment. Shortly after outing its Sideline Viewing System for pro players and coaches, as well as a new NFL app for Xbox One and Windows 8, the company has now revealed how it plans to tackle the arrival of Madden 15. Surprise, surprise: it's an Xbox One bundle. Now don't expect a unique console or anything like that; instead, the Surface maker wants to lure you in by including the game free as part of this "limited edition" deal. So, in exchange for $399, you get an Xbox One without Kinect and a digital download of EA Sports' latest addition to the popular football franchise, plus three Pro Packs to use in Ultimate Team mode. The Madden 15 Xbox One bundle is set to hit shelves on August 26th, though you can pre-order right now from some online retailers, including the Microsoft Store.
Madden 15 tackles top linemen, cornerback ratings
Last week, EA Sports dished out its player ratings for the top NFL rookies and positions like quarterbacks and running backs for Madden NFL 15. The athlete-ranking countdown to the game's launch continues with ratings for the top players at six positions: Offensive line, defensive end, defensive tackle, inside linebacker, outside linebacker and cornerback. Madden 15 attempts to settle the debate as to who is the best corner in the league by giving Seahawks star and cover athlete Richard Sherman a 99 overall rating. The game's top defensive end, J.J. Watt of the Houston Texans also came away with a 99 rating. EA ranked two San Francisco 49ers players at the top of the middle linebacker position as well: Both Patrick Willis and teammate NaVorro Bowman bested Panthers linebacker and reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year Luke Kuechly with 96 overall ratings compared to Kuechly's 94. Head past the break for the full list of ratings provided by EA Tiburon. Madden 15 will launch August 26 for PS4, Xbox One, PS3 and Xbox 360. The game will attempt to turn players into better students of the sport and emphasizes improved defensive control.
Madden 15 says Russell Wilson is as good as Tom Brady
After EA offered its take on the top NFL rookies heading into the upcoming season earlier this week, it started dishing out Madden NFL 15 player ratings by the handful. While it isn't pulling the curtain back for every player yet, the developers at EA Tiburon unveiled the top-rated athletes in the game at five positions so far: Quarterback, running back, fullback, tight end and wide receiver. Among the more eye-opening appearances on the lists are Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson, whose 93 rating is tied with Patriots passer Tom Brady, though Wilson's Super Bowl win in February provides a healthy argument about his place in the game. Leading the charge for quarterbacks are Denver's Peyton Manning and Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers, both rated 98 overall. Fellow Packers player John Kuhn is the top fullback in the game with a 93 rating, while Vikings running back Adrian Peterson's 98 rating barely eclipses that of Eagles rusher LeSean McCoy and Chiefs runner Jamaal Charles (both rated 97). New Orleans' Jimmy Graham is the top tight end in the game at 97 overall, and Lions receiver Calvin Johnson is the lone 99 overall-rated player in the bunch. Head past the break for the rest of EA's rankings. Madden 15 will launch August 26 for Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360 and PS3. [Image: EA Sports]
Madden 15 ranks the NFL's top ten rookies
EA Sports kicked off its annual player ratings reveal yesterday with a list of the top 13 rookies in the Madden NFL 15. The first-year athletes are led by Houston Texans' outside linebacker and first overall draft choice Jadeveon Clowney, whose 83 overall rating comprises stats like 88 speed, 95 hit power and 94 power moves. The developers at EA Tiburon will issue regular player ratings updates for Madden 15 over the next few weeks, the culmination of months of work by Madden's "Ratings Czar," Donny Moore. Head past the break for the full list of Madden 15's top 13 rookies and their overall ratings. The game will launch August 26 for Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360 and PS3, and features an "overhauled" defense and aims to encourage players to learn football strategy within the game. [Image: EA Sports]
