EA's Riccitiello Talks "Holographic" Madden Interface, No Need For Take-Two

On Electronic Arts' call to investors, CEO John Riccitiello promised "a great year" to come for EA Sports — and referred to a "new holographic interface" for Madden's 20th anniversary incarnation.

Holographic... interface?

Riccitiello also promised that the next NBA Live would take "a huge step up," with new features set to be unveiled at E3.

EA seems enthusiastic about its sports franchises, and Riccitiello says he expects EA Sports will help drive the company to an additional $1 billion in revenue and an 100 percent increase in operating income. Riccitiello was optimistic about the company's studio structure in general, also listing big things ahead for the Sims Studio: Two sequels for MySims, a new SimAnimals title, and the launch of The Sims 3.

"Our fiscal 09 operating plan keeps us on track to achieve our fiscal year target - even without Take Two," Riccitiello said.

No Madden 09 On PC? Blame Pirates

Piracy's a big issue on the PC. I can't turn a blind eye to the fact that it's very difficult for us...and we lose money making a game. At some point, I have an obligation not to bring out products that lose money.

Brett Favre Is Not A Madden Fan

I'm not savvy enough to play this game. Most of the younger generation has no idea [Madden] coached...Some of our guys play Madden better than they play on Sundays. And they spend more time talking about playing Madden.

Hey Look, It's Brett Favre On The Cover Of Madden

Brett Favre Is On Your Next Madden Cover

NFL Head Coach 09 NOT Only Available In Madden 09 Collectors Edition

What Exactly Are Simulations Simulating?

Less has been written about the defining role television plays in the design and presentation of games, especially sports titles. Long-running franchises like the Links series of golf games have gone by the wayside, largely because their simulation of the sport relied more on playing the game than watching it played.

Peter Moore Explains Why Madden 09 Is Skipping The PC

Madden Celebrates 20 Years This August 12 With Special Collector's Edition

John Madden's jowls celebrate twenty years of video game cover art exposure this year with Madden NFL 09. The game will be shipping in North America on August 12 arriving with a nifty 20th Anniversary Collector's Edition when it does. The CE packs in both Madden NFL 09 and NFL Head Coach 09, as well as "exclusive classic Madden NFL gameplay, and an extensive library of exclusive bonus video content," according to EA.

The traditional twentieth anniversary gift is china, so we hope EA follows suit with a special porcelain case or a John Madden commemorative Hummel figurine. The full press release, with Peter Moore and Chris Erb quotes about how exciting this year will be, is after this.

The 15 Most Annoying Game Characters

Hey! ...Listen! Cracked.com, "America's Only Humor & Video Site Since 1958", has taken it upon themselves to put together a list of the 15 most annoying game characters from games that were otherwise excellent. It's the kind of article you read while nodding your head sympathetically, hopefully in between sentences because it's hard to read and nod at the same time. My personal most annoying character - Waluigi - comes in at number 3:

Sure, maybe the concept of an evil counterpart to Luigi actually had potential at some point, like maybe if they didn't just take the Luigi model, turn it purple, then stretch him out and give him a mustache like a silent film-era villain. It also doesn't help that you're debuting him in a damned tennis game. Seriously, if this is the first time we've seen him, how do we know he's evil? Because of his backhand?

The 15 Most Annoying Video Game Characters [Cracked.com - Thanks DeadEyeReborn!]

EA's "We Still OWN the NFL" Press Release

Electronic Arts sent out the official release this afternoon confirming that they have extended their exclusive license with the NFL and NFL Players Association through the 2012 season, which ends in Feb. 2013. Not a whole lot new here from my interview with Peter Moore about the deal.

There are these two lovely quotes from the two organizations:

"This is all about bringing authenticity and realism to NFL videogames," said Eric Grubman, President of NFL Ventures. "EA SPORTS continually works to maintain the cutting edge for NFL products across a variety of gaming platforms. We like the fact that they never rest."

"This is great news and it means we can continue to produce the best interactive experience possible. It also allows NFL PLAYERS, the NFL and EA to continue to build our brands," said Gene Upshaw, Chairman of NFL PLAYERS and Executive Director of the National Football League Players Association. "We offer a very unique experience. "

No mention of the cost to EA for the deal, something Moore also declined to tell me in our talk last night. I'm still confused about why the NFL would seek an exclusive deal instead of selling the rights to a number of publishers. Maybe they want to keep a better handle on how their license is used? Full release on the jump with more Mooreisms.

EA Extends NFL License Into Futurama-esque 2013

Peter Moore Launches EA Blog

Madden Producer Quits EA

Hackers Find The PlayStation 3 To Be Totally Hackarific

The PlayStation 2 was at one point demonized as a dangerous supercomputer that could fall into the wrong hands (the Communists!), with the potential to be used as a launch mechanism for nuclear missiles or some such nonsense. The PlayStation 3? It may very well become the tool of choice for another nefarious sect: HACKERS! According to security researcher Nick Breese's report from the Kiwicon hacker conference in Wellington, New Zealand, the PS3 can brute force crack passwords 100 times faster than comparable Intel hardware.

Wait, so we can't get a solid framerates in Madden but my PDF files are in danger of being exposed to thousands of leet haxorz from the evil menace Anonymous? Priorities are out of whack, people.

The PlayStation 3's relatively low price could mean password cracking and encryption busting could become much more commonplace, warns Breese. He issued a warning to software makers to increase their security efforts based on the findings.

PlayStation a hacker's dream [The Age via Game|Life]

In the next five years, we're all going to have to deal with this. In China, they're giving games away for free...People who benefit from the current model will need to embrace a new revenue model, or wait for others to disrupt.