Mike Florio claims Madden franchise could be next massive antitrust NFL lawsuit
Madden and NFL fans looked on as they saw their hopes dashed by the court of law as filers missed out on potentially thousands. However, the Sunday Ticket lawsuit might not be the only case the NFL faces in the realm of anti-trust. At least, that is what one NFL analyst believes.
Speaking on an August 9 edition of "Pro Football Talk," analyst Mike Florio named the premier football video game franchise as the next potential fight.
Mike Florio [00:13:17] "I feel like there's a potential antitrust violation lurking in that as well, because you've got the league, 32 independent businesses working together, doing an exclusive deal with one entity. They can price whatever they want. There's no innovation. It's the same game every year," he said. [00:14:05][48.8] PFT
Florio: [00:15:06] "The antitrust violation was hiding in plain sight with Sunday Ticket for more than 20 years before the lawsuits [were] even filed. I just wonder whether or not there's a potential antitrust claim lurking around the way the NFL has handled the Madden franchise and the licensing of video games for the past 20 years," he said.[[00:15:33][26.3]
The NFL likely can argue that the video game franchise has plenty of competition. Wild Card football features many of the players in the NFL and works in direct competition. On Meta Quest, there is the NFL Pro Era franchise, which allows players to play professional football in virtual reality. Lamar Jackson is the cover athlete of both Pro Era and Pro Era II.
The game is developed by StatusPRO Inc. and features many players from the NFL. Above all, it competes with Madden. Of course, when it comes to simulation football on conventional consoles and PC, however, the EA football game is still the only game in town.
Second Madden 25 in franchise history nears staggered release date
Of course, to Florio's point, the naming convention this year was a disappointment to many fans. After the first Madden 25 was released in 2014 (Adrian Peterson was the cover athlete), fans wondered for a decade how the company was going to handle the naming of the 2024 edition of the franchise.
Instead of differentiating the name of the title, EA simply named this year's title the same as any other year. Now, there will be two Madden 25s. The second Madden 25 (this one featuring Christian McCaffrey), unlike the first, has two release dates.
Those with early access can play the game on August 13th. Those without early access privileges will be forced to wait until August 16th. According to Screen Rant, players will be able to play one minute after 11:59 PM EST. Meaning, those in an earlier time zone will be able to play on August 15th.
For example, those living close to the Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers, and Los Angeles Rams will be able to play on August 15th at 9:00 PM PST.
If any of the above quotes are used, credit "Pro Football Talk" and H/T Sportskeeda.