With the looming threat of a owner lockout of the players, the NFL also reduced the royalties it charges for the licensed use of team names, uniforms, and logos. If a lockout were to occur, Madden NFL 12 would be released without up-to-date rosters, which would present a unique challenge; would they use fictional players or recycle the previous year’s rosters?
EA-NFL exclusivity dead was struck 2004, renewed in 2008 and was set to expire in 2012. EA also inked an agreement with the NFL Players Association to use players’ names and likenesses in Madden games through 2012.
However, there is a class action anti-monopoly suit that was filed and approved, which should make things interesting in the coming months, especially if there’s no NFL football being played.
