Canton, OH and Redwood City, Calif. – Tuesday, July 29, 2003 – The most popular football videogame franchise of all time, Madden NFL Football, from Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS) will be honored and displayed in the Pro Football Hall of Fame starting today. The newest version of this storied franchise from EA SPORTS, Madden NFL 2004, will be unveiled Saturday. The Madden NFL Football Franchise is the only interactive videogame to receive this honor at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

“We are pleased that football’s most unique franchise, Madden NFL Football, which has had such an impact on American sports culture is now a part of the Pro Football Hall of Fame,” said Hall of Fame Executive Director John Bankert. “This exciting new interactive exhibit from EA SPORTS is destined to be a fan favorite here at the Hall of Fame.”

The Madden NFL Football franchise has sold more than 30 million copies in its 14 year history. When EA approached John Madden with the idea for a football videogame Madden insisted that the game be 11 on 11 gameplay with realistic playbooks and player ratings. This set the standard for all sports videogames and later led to the moniker “If it’s in the Game, It’s in the Game.” The Madden NFL Football franchise was the first to use motion capture technology in 1994, giving the videogame player models a more authentic look and feel. In 1998 Franchise Mode was added to the series, which enable players to not only coach and call the plays for their team but track their success over numerous NFL seasons. To this day it remains one of Madden NFL Football’s most popular features. Madden still plays an integral part of the development process of the game each year, spending hours reviewing player ratings, gameplay issues and ensuring it stays true to the authenticity of professional NFL football.

“I’m recognized as much for Madden NFL Football as I am from being a coach and now a broadcaster,” said Madden. “This is a testament to the labor of love I have had for this game the past 14 years. What an honor to be recognized by the Pro Football Hall of Fame.”

Madden NFL 2004 will be in stores everywhere August 14 and will be available on the PC, the PlayStation®, the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, the Xbox  video game system from Microsoft, the Nintendo GameCube™, and the Game Boy® Advance.

EA SPORTS is the leading interactive sports software brand in the world. Its top-selling titles and franchises include Madden NFL Football, NBA LIVE basketball, FIFA Soccer, NHL® hockey, MVP Baseball™, NCAA® Football, and NASCAR Thunder™.

Posted: July 29, 2003

Today's GU Rank: 6152 of 40991

US Release: August 12, 2003

Genre: Sports / Football Sim

ESRB: (E) Everyone

Platforms: XB PSX PS2 PC GC GBA