He addressed BYFB. EA owns the license period. There will be no other 1st or 3rd party game, period. I'm quite certain if there was, MS would try to still grab a piece of the popular NFL pie and SCEA might try their hand again as well.
Baseball is a different animal, which is why we fortunately have a game like The Show despite 2Ks hold on 3rd party rights.
Here's a link to some details on the original deal (which was eventually extended to 2013):
http://www.gamespot.com/news/2004/12...s_6114977.html
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The deal, one EA admits to having lobbied for over the past few years, is an exclusive five-year licensing deal granting EA the sole rights to the NFL's teams, stadiums, and players. However, the publisher and Players Inc. denied a similar deal was in the works in May 2004, even requesting publications that ran the story run public retractions.
The NFL/EA arrangement encompasses action, simulation, arcade-style, and manager games made for PCs, consoles, and handhelds (both the DS and PSP, included), giving EA a firm hold on the football gaming market. The deal does not include titles for mobile phones or Internet-based games, but does include online features of consoles. |
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