Madden NFL 13 Sales Are Off to a Hot Start

[Steve_OS]

HOT START FOR MADDEN NFL 13; SELL-THROUGH, ONLINE
USAGE, AND STRONG CRITICAL ACCLAIM FUEL RECORD DAY ONE

Sell-Through Up 7% in First 24 Hours for New Record on HD Console Generation

Record Number of Players Competing Online Together on Day One

Biggest Single-Year Rise in Critical Acclaim for an EA SPORTS Game in Four Years

Electronic Arts Inc., (NASDAQ: EA) announced today a huge first day for Madden NFL 13, which launched Tuesday across North America. Madden NFL 13 scored record day one retail sales, record day one online usage and it’s enjoying the best critical acclaim the game has seen in years.

Based on internal estimates, sell-through for Madden NFL 13 was up 7 percent year-over-year on HD platforms with 900K units sold in its first 24 hours on the market, its best start ever on this console generation. The franchise also set a day one online usage record with a 28 percent jump in peak simultaneous users over last year’s first day.

“It was a phenomenal first day for Madden NFL 13, and we have high expectations for this great game to be popular throughout the fall and into the holidays,” said Seong Ohm, Walmart SVP of Entertainment. “We’re excited that our partnership with EA has helped deliver our customers unique access and content to this great game. There's incredible demand for Madden NFL 13, and it's easy to see why people are loving it.”

Critics are praising the game with nine scores of 90 or above, and aggregated reviews of Madden NFL 13 show the biggest single-year jump in critical acclaim for an EA SPORTS™ game in four years*. GamesRadar said the game is “brimming with innovation on and off the field” and IGN.com said "it all adds up to Madden NFL 13 being something truly special.”

Not only are fans playing Madden NFL 13, but they’re talking about it. Since the launch of Madden NFL 13 for EA SPORTS Season Ticket consumers on August 24th, there have been 665,464 total social interactions on Facebook and Twitter combined, and the game has been mentioned on average every six seconds on Twitter.

“Madden NFL 13 is the most innovative entry the franchise has ever seen and we’re thrilled that fans have embraced it with such a huge first day,” said Andrew Wilson, Executive Vice President of EA SPORTS. “As we approach the kickoff of the NFL season next week, the football community is whetting their appetites by playing Madden NFL 13 in record numbers. With the combination of the cutting-edge Infinity Engine and new Connected Careers fans are truly getting their football fix with the best Madden NFL game ever.”

Madden NFL 13 on Xbox 360® and PlayStation®3 delivers physics you can feel on every play, and will connect you to the NFL and other fans like never before. Powered by the all-new Infinity Engine, every impact on the field is more intense; every battle is more authentic; and no two plays will every look or feel the same. With Connected Careers you'll build your legacy as a player or coach within a completely new and fully connected universe, accessible on and off the console. With deep new gameplay innovation, social integration, and an overhaul of the audio and visual presentation, Madden NFL 13 is the biggest game-changer in the history of the franchise.

Madden NFL 13 is developed in Orlando, Florida by EA Tiburon. Madden NFL 13 is now available and retails for $59.99 on the Xbox 360® video game system and the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system. Madden NFL 13 is also available for $49.99 on the Wii™ console from Nintendo, and $39.99 on PlayStation® Vita System. To learn more about Madden NFL 13, visit http://www.easports.com/madden-nfl.

[Old Mr T]

I was expecting to see a jump in sales after all the talk of the physics engine and CCM.

That said, I hope these record breaking sales don't stop the Madden team (in terms of complacency), from patching in core gameplay modes like co-op CCM.

[Wista5]

( "665,464 total social interactions on Facebook and Twitter combined, and the game has been mentioned on average every six seconds on Twitter.") I think this is mainly people complaining about the removal of Franchise and Fantasy Draft. They list that like it's a positive thing, gotta love EA.

[keator]

^ actually i think it proves that the majority of people dont care about Fantasy draft, or editing rosters. To sim gamers like us, its a huge deal, but to the casual fan that madden is targetting, they are happy and content with just playing as their favorite teams or players

[mestevo]

Quote: Originally Posted by Wista5

( "665,464 total social interactions on Facebook and Twitter combined, and the game has been mentioned on average every six seconds on Twitter.") I think this is mainly people complaining about the removal of Franchise and Fantasy Draft. They list that like it's a positive thing, gotta love EA.

It's Twitter. It's not some exclusive club. You can do a simple search and see how right or how very wrong your suggestion is, no "I think..." to push one view or another required.

https://twitter.com/#!/search/madden

[PanthersGM305]

Good Job. Good Effort. EA Sports & Tiburon studios... Guys your all going to get bonus... I can not argue the the new engine is much welcome, but the price users like myself had to pay...those who go even at midnight to wait in line for its release day every year since Madden became the only football video game in the world...If there was anyone else this monopoly scheme would not be working... Now i understand why Papa Johns gave a 50% off on Madden 13 relase date... so we all stay home online buying MUT cards..and XP...ordering pizza. Well what if i dont like to play online with cheesers who blitz every single play, and glitch they go for it on every play..and say things over the mic that i care nothing for...Glad all you guys at EA sitting big with your fame & $$$... Still just like everything in life karma is a mofo... Hope one day they would be someother dev who is allowed by the NFL to created a game to compete with EAs..

[keator]

Quote: Originally Posted by mestevo

It's Twitter. It's not some exclusive club. You can do a simple search and see how right or how very wrong your suggestion is, no "I think..." to push one view or another required. https://twitter.com/#!/search/madden

i like to search #ConnectCareers to see how many people tweet their game results... FYI its a ton

[roadman]

Quote: Originally Posted by keator

i like to search #ConnectCareers to see how many people tweet their game results... FYI its a ton

I don't go on Twitter much, but when I did this week, I saw an overwhelming number of positive tweets vs negative tweets.