14 DAY TRIAL // A report in a source that is focused on sports business deals suggests that video game publisher Electronic Arts and the National Football League have entered into a new agreement which extends their exclusive licensing deal until 2013.
The report appears in the Sports Business Journal and means that after the game is released, which will probably happen during August of this year, EA Sports will be able to develop another two entries in the Madden series before being forced to share the likenesses of stadiums and team logos with other companies and have actual competition for the first time in years.
The report also says that the new deal takes into account the possibility that NFL players might go on strike before the start of the new season, which could lead to lower sales for Madden NFL 12 if it is launched without the sport it simulates actually being played.
The league has reduced the royalties that it charges Electronic Arts for the right to use things like team names, uniforms and logos.
The deal between the NFL and EA originated in 2004 and was extended during 2008, with the original expiration date set for next year.
It's not yet clear whether Electronic Arts has also extended the deal with the players association that allows the publisher to use the faces and the bodies of real life athletes in its Madden series.
The two deals are very important for Electronic Arts because the Madden series is one of its main sources of revenue, allowing it to effectively launch the fall release season.
After managing to wrongly predict the winner of the most recent Super Bowl, Electronic Arts, through its Tiburon studio, has offered some information about what it aims to offer players in Madden NFL 12.
As usual, the new game will aim to be as close to the real thing as possible, with better simulation for all elements of the game.