Welp, it was fun while it lasted. There was an ever so slight, sliver of hope for 2K Sports to get back into the NFL simulation market, when it was announced they were making a non-simulation style football game, back in March.
The hope was that the current agreement between EA and the NFL would expire after the 2021 season and 2K would get a chance to make a return to sim football shortly after.
Those hopes took a serious hit today. According to Albert Breer, Senior NFL Reporter at The MMQB, NFL teams will vote next week to ratify a 5 year extension to their current exclusive license with EA Sports, to market and distribute NFL-themed realistic action simulation video games. So basically, it’s a done deal.
People have asked if EA Sports' deal will be exclusive. Here's the language: "the exclusive right to manufacture, market and distribute NFL-themed realistic action simulation video games".
Rights are non-exclusive on "arcade-style games, youth games, and casual/mobile games." https://t.co/mFgxMtBTZJ
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) May 22, 2020
PFT thinks so too, which means we’ll see an EA Sports Madden/NFL exclusive through the 2026 season.
Characterized by Albert Breer of SI.com as a potential “ratification,” this implies that a deal has been negotiated between the league and EA, and that the owners at this point need to only rubber stamp the agreement.
We’ll officially hear something next week. We can continue to hope NFL owners don’t vote in favor of extending the exclusive license for simulation football games with EA Sports, but the odds are certainly not very good.
