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Madden 07 Earns $100 Million in First Week Sales
192939495969798999 writes "CNN reports that Madden 07 grossed over $100 million in the first week, helping to resurrect a sales slump for Electronic Arts. The article states that most people are waiting for the release of PS3 and/or Wii to make game purchases." From the article: "An industry turnaround isn't expected until next year, and EA officials predicted during its quarterly earnings report on August 1 that videogame sales for 2006 across the industry would be flat to down 5 percent."
Good question. I can't speak for every other non-stereotypical ./ user, but I would imagine that playing Madden would actually create or increase interest in football. The knock on a lot of sports is that "they're more fun to play than they are to watch" (*cough* baseball *cough* *cough*), but in my opinion, actively directing the action in a sports title can sometimes have the effect of turning you into an overnight sports fan.
I had this happen to me. After playing Madden for a few months, I knew the rosters, strengths, and weaknesses of most of the major pro teams. I knew about nickel defenses, running plays, and out patterns. I learned when it was best to do one thing strategically over another, and that information did wonders for me as an armchair quarterback.
Basically, the game turned me into a more knowledgeable football fan, and helped to increase my enjoyment watching the sport on television ten-fold.