As football fans across the country were greeted with the news this morning of John Madden’s retirement from broadcasting, I was struck by just how big an impact John has made on the sport for more than four decades.  We all obviously knew this day would one day come, when John would walk away from the booth, but he certainly leaves a lasting legacy that we’re proud to be able to carry on through our Madden NFL videogame franchise for years to come.

As you can imagine, we’ve had dozens of questions today about what impact John’s retirement from NBC will have on EA SPORTS.  I’m pleased that  we continue our strong relationship with John and will continue to produce new versions Madden NFL football with his collaboration, including this August with Madden NFL 10.   

John is a true sports icon who has made an indelible impact on the sport of football which will be felt forever.  His prolific coaching and broadcasting careers, as well as his distinct role in shaping the EA SPORTS football experience have redefined how multiple generations have come to know and love the sport with unrivaled passion.  We’re excited to see his legacy live on in the 21st year of Madden NFL football, and well beyond.  And how about this for a fun stat? Our dev team at Tiburon estimates that John has recorded roughly 30,000 lines of commentary for the game over the years.  

In other news …. It’s Round 2 for Geoff Keighley and I on Round 4.  That’s right, for those of you who remember me taking it to Geoff on FaceBreaker last fall, he was back for more recently here at EA, where he and I did battle on Fight Night Round 4.  The episode airs tonight at 12:30 a.m, on SpikeTV and SpikeHD and will feature the first look at gameplay from one of the most anticipated games of the year.  We also went deep on all kinds of other new content in FNR4, which hits stores in just a couple more months.  Anyone want to guess who won?

A final point on the concept of communication via this blog. I cannot and will not respond to individual questions that ask for information on titles ahead of when we are ready or able to talk publicly. For the reasoning behind this, I will refer you back to my recent post regarding the complexity of announcing licensed games in development. I will also urge you to visit the individual development team blogs for the most up-to-date information on all of our franchises. This is clearly a source of frustration for at least a couple of you, but I will beg your indulgence and understanding that we are running a complex business that has a myriad of stakeholders, all of whom need to be in agreement before we discuss certain parts of our business publicly.

Peter