This past month has been a very eventful one for Electronic Arts and EA Sports. On Monday, March 18th, Electronic Arts announced that John Ricccitiello had stepped down as CEO. This was only weeks after Sim City released with terrible issues and was a company wide embarrassment. While both events may or may not be completely connected, this was industry changing news and it could perhaps signal a new direction for EA in the future.

At the same time, we are coming to the end of this console generation. Also of importance is that we are near the end of the exclusive deal between EA and the NFL/NFLPA.

If there was ever a time we could believe in the chance to see a change in the football gaming market, the end of a monopoly, and a return to competition, this is the time, right?

The Winds of Change, Calm As Ever

Both EA and the NFL have both been publicly happy with the current exclusive deal, with no comments from either side signaling that the business deal has been less than ideal for either party. The current deal technically ends after Madden NFL 25 releases and before the next iteration of Madden next summer. The NFL and EA Sports have already renewed the deal twice, once in 2008 and again in 2011.

Assistant Executive Director of External Affairs for the NFLPA, George Atallah actually took to Reddit recently and stated that "We have an agreement with EA and Madden. I have heard some opinions like yours, but honestly, EA is one of our best partners. I know they hear some of your input as well and work to improve the game every year.”

Attallah added, "One thing to clarify though, my job and the job of the NFLPA, is to ensure that the players' interests are top priority. I know that might not be the most popular answer, but it's our mission."

We haven't heard anything from the NFL publicly regarding it's position on the deal but one can only assume that they are satisfied with the control that they get by licensing the game only to EA Sports and working closely to decide what is included and how it's official video game is marketed.

Make no mistake, the exclusive license is all about money and control for everyone involved. The NFL wants to closely control it's image as a business and a sport and Electronic Arts wants the exclusive license to the most popular sport in the United States for it's flagship sports franchise in America.

Consequently, the NFL has possibly created a situation where EA Sports is their only potential dance partner if they are to continue the exclusivity that they desire in video gaming and in other areas of their business. EA knows this, as no other company is ready to take on the massive task that is building an NFL game from scratch and having it release within a year on a level that could compete with what EA does with Madden today. Pipe dreams aside, 2K's technology is incredibly dated at this point and their marketing prowess and ability to afford a deal that EA themselves wouldn't already be able to afford makes for an unlikely combination of the status quo changing.

Major League Baseball found themselves in a similar situation as the NFL, with no realistic options at the conclusion of an exclusive license but a strong desire to get another game out. The NFL will be wise not to repeat the same mistakes, and likely they are trying to not bend too much to Electronic Arts' desires. For their part, EA is likely negotiating far more favorable terms for themselves both financially and possibly with regards to length, as they do likely recognize the strength of their negotiating position.

The End of Competition

For every gamer hoping that 2K Sports will be able to “save” them from Madden NFL, it's tough to say, but it's time to snuff out the torch. 2K Sports hasn't made a licensed NFL game since ESPN NFL 2K5 on the Playstation 2 and Xbox. We are now almost two full console generations since that game was released in 2004. That leap is the equivalent of making a game on the PSOne and then having to jump to the Playstation 3 to develop a game in the same sport/genre.

All Pro Football 2K8 was considered a good but not great game, and the expectations for sports gaming and football games are even higher now. 2K Sports simply isn't in a position to make the jump to new hardware AND build a new football engine that could compete with Madden all within one year at this point. NFL 2K5 was an outstanding game for it's time, but it's also easy to recognize that the gameplay in 2K football is well behind Madden in most respects today.

The writing is on the wall, it is time to start talking about the end of NFL video game competition as the present situation and future outlook. Barring a huge string of unforseen events, EA isn't letting the NFL license go so long as the NFL will have them, and that continued partnership between both organizations appears to be exactly what the NFL wants with no evidence to the contrary. EA will be able to likely get a much more favorable deal than in 2004, possibly locking up the license through this upcoming console generation.

This isn't the end of 2K Sports though. NBA 2K, WWE, perhaps MLB, and other potential projects will all continue to flourish. However, when it comes to more than one NFL game releasing yearly, don't bet on it. That ship has sailed, as competition appears to be over in NFL gaming and Madden is almost certainly the only future option for sports gamers. As a football fan this is definitely not my favorite outcome, but it is the outcome we will get.

The continued persistence of the status quo may indicate competition may be over, but NFL gaming is not. Here is to hoping Madden NFL 25 is the best yet, it's our only option after all.