EA To Get Exclusive NFL Player Rights?

Thanks to GameSpot for its news story reporting that EA may be on the verge of an exclusive contract for NFL football player likenesses. According to the piece, which quotes a Sports Business Journal article: "Electronic Arts is in final negotiations with Players Inc., the NFL Players' Association marketing arm, to exclusively license all NFL player rights for the next four years. The Journal set the price tag of the deal at $250 million each year, which EA would pay Players Inc.; in other words, a literal billion-dollar contract." The story goes on to note: "If that turns out to be the case, no non-EA Sports game could license NFL player likenesses--an almost certainly fatal blow to the Madden series' rivals." Update: 05/19 21:07 GMT by S : It seems the linked article has been retracted: "When contacted by GameSpot, NFLPA executives said that not only was the story false, but The Sports Business Journal has since run a retraction."

Comments

Re:You don't need a license.

[August_zero]

For the purposes of comparison only

I represent the other end of the sports game spectrum. I do not follow football, as I do not enjoy watching it in the least. I don't know who is what on which team, I couldn't tell Jerry Rice from Uncle Ben's rice. When I play a sports simulation, the first thing that I look for is the ability to make my own team, with my own created players. It could be the RPG gamer in me that refuses to die despite the fact that I really don't care for most of the highest acclaimed RPGS (Final Fantasy, Baldur's Gate and so on)

To someone like me, the loss of the licensing rights will not result in a whole lot of lost sleep. My all time favorite baseball series is still Baseball Stars for craps sake. I am however in a pitiful minority. Most people play for the recognition and the real teams. Without it, It would be like watching your favorite movie with different characters played by the wrong actors.

P.S. I am still waiting for EA to include crime statistics with their player rosters, when they make a game that i can have a player out because he pulled a piece out at a bar the night before a game, I will give up my 100 year old copy of Frontpage sports football.