Electronic Arts Announces Madden Arcade

EA Sports is one of the main drivers behind the better than expected results announced by publisher Electronic Arts. Sure, the company has posted a loss and declining revenue but the situation is better than originally projected. EA Sports is set to continue the trend by introducing a new Madden title, labeled Arcade.

The division has offered quite a few hits, with EA Sports Active selling 1.8 million units and providing a rare Nintendo Wii hit and with other games also bringing in more revenue than expected. One of the titles singled out by Peter Moore, the head of EA Sports, was Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10.

He told investors that “I think the real excitement around Tiger is the Wii version with the Wii MotionPlus. We've seen tremendous growth year-on-year,” adding that “When you're actually replicating the natural movement of the sport with the Wii motion control, that has been the key.”

The Madden NFL franchise is also crucial and Electronic Arts is gearing up for the release of Madden NFL 10, which is set to come out on August 14, after a match between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Arizona Cardinals, the same teams that met in the Super Bowl last season. Peter Moore is also saying that, after the release of the main game in the series, players will also be able to enjoy something called Madden Arcade, a stripped down offering, which will be inspired by NHL 3-on-3 Arcade.

It's likely that Madden Arcade will only be released via digital distribution through Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network and only offer players the chance to play quick matches, powered by the same engine as Madden NFL 10. It's not clear whether the game will also be arriving on the Nintendo Wii.