NFL extends deal with Madden through 2026

Electronic arts has extended their deal with the NFL to continue making the Madden franchise through 2026.

NFL owners and Player Association on Thursday welcomed the extension of their deal with EA Sports, continuing a relationship built 30 years ago.

The extension means that EA Sports will continue to be the exclusive publisher of the NFL video game content through their football simulator.

Many guessed which direction the NFL would go after signing a deal with 2K Sports to produce non-simulation games

Currently, Madden has seen a 30% increase in unique players and over 330 million hours of the game has been played since it’s August release. The numbers may be due to the global pandemic but otherwise a promising statistic for the gaming franchise.

Rachel Hoagland, the league’s vice president and head of gaming and esports, said keeping the Madden franchise at the core of their video gaming strategy was important, especially with the emergence of new platforms and gaming systems. Sony and Microsoft have announced new generations of gaming consoles that are expected to debut by the end of the year.

“EA has done a nice job of ensuring the game matches the experience during a game week. The new technology will allow richer content and add more realism,” she said.

Madden NFL 21 will come out in early August with the first looks at the game coming next week.