EA explains benching of Madden PC

Peter Moore says "serious business challenges" are preventing the publisher from releasing PC edition; other sports franchises to be similarly sidelined.

Last week, Electronic Arts announced that the Madden NFL 09 season would commence on August 12. Surprising to some and grating to others, the publisher at that time also said that the Tony Dungy-covered NFL Head Coach 09 would be available only as a pack-in to the $89.99 collectors edition of the game. However, that wasn't the only unusual tidbit nestled away in the release. As revealed by way of omission, the publisher also pulled the plug on the PC edition of its annual trip to the gridiron.

Today, EA Sports quarterback Peter Moore shed some light via his official blog on why the PC edition of the game had been benched. Echoing sentiments expressed by various other gaming execs, Moore said EA Sports would be scaling back its efforts on the PC on account of the platform's troublesome economic climate.

"The PC presents some very serious business challenges to us in the sports category, particularly because so many of you all are playing your favorite sports games on the PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii," said Moore. "We are committed to shipping a limited number of our games on the PC this year, but we've also had to cut a few of our games from the platform."

However, EA Sports hasn't abandoned the most venerable of gaming platforms quite yet. "We do have ideas for how to revitalize the PC for sports games and the types of games that are best suited to the platform, and we'll continue to explore those," said Moore.

Developed by EA Tiburon, Madden NFL 09 is currently slated to arrive on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS, and Wii. The Madden NFL 09 Collector's Edition will be available only for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

183 Comments

  • Justforfun44

    Posted Aug 10, 2009 6:52 am GMT

    Wow this is a big loss for PC gamers. I am very surprised. The first time I played Madden was on a PC. What's a PC football fan to do?

  • iceeman

    Posted Aug 10, 2009 1:20 am GMT

    what a big mistake electronic arts is making....
    what a big mistake electronic arts is making....
    what a big mistake electronic arts is making....

    THEY JUST LOST ANOTHER CUSTOMER AND ANOTHER AND ANOTHER, as many people i know my age don't game on consoles but only the PC. they got a big investment in pc and do not want waste more money on a new system.

  • Tyson8earzz

    Posted Aug 9, 2009 7:39 am GMT

    @Noseweed

    Thats the dumbest comment ive seen all morning here. Guess you have never played a pc game and do not realize you can hook up a 360 controller to the USB port. "playing w/ keyboard", cmon, unless you are 20 yrs behind which it seems your brain functions are lol GG console fanboi

  • NoseWeed619

    Posted Aug 16, 2008 9:50 am GMT

    I think that that's just fine. I mean, if you use the keyboard to plan madden, then that's just kinda sad.

  • virusAUA32

    Posted Aug 14, 2008 11:45 am GMT

    I think if u just buy a USB controller u'll be fine.
    BUt i think they need to ramp up the graphix in the PC version. cause gamers pc have way better graphix than any console. I gave a 8800 GTS.

  • insanitycheck21

    Posted Jul 31, 2008 11:42 pm GMT

    fff

  • Crzy1

    Posted May 8, 2008 6:35 am GMT

    *yawn* Havn't touched an EA Sports game in years, don't think I'm missing anything. Good luck with it EA.

  • UmTopher11

    Posted Apr 30, 2008 12:13 pm GMT

    I have grown to hate EA more...and more...and more....I have always been pissed at the lack of graphics and new features in the PC Madden games.

    I have also been wanting MVP Baseball back for years.....

  • SCF_BlacKnight

    Posted Apr 25, 2008 4:51 pm GMT

    Good idea, lose an entire group of people.

    Hard to maneuver? Buy a controller for your PC you tool.

  • m_malyszko

    Posted Apr 25, 2008 8:40 am GMT

    Ecenomic Climate? WTF are you talking about?

  • ripdareaper92

    Posted Apr 22, 2008 3:16 pm GMT

    lucas 182oh and btw.. player WEAPONS?
    WTF is a player weapon?
    oh right... that icon thing that does NOTHING AT ALL...

    lol i died from laughter when he typed this

  • deadlynatas

    Posted Apr 16, 2008 5:50 am GMT

    Consoles are so much easyer to manuver then pc so i dunno..

  • CptChris562

    Posted Apr 14, 2008 5:34 pm GMT

    I got an idea! How about EA benches Madden? Bring back 2k and more that way EA actually has to try to make their games good. All you get with Madden now is a roster update and a new feature that will only last for that year.

  • lucas182

    Posted Apr 11, 2008 4:21 pm GMT

    wow... maybe EA should try playing their PC sports games...
    maybe then theyll find out they all SUCK compared to their console versions..
    why do u think madden 08 cost only 40 bucks?
    play the game, youll find out...

    console gets a crap load of features... PC gets a new menu (which still looks like sh*t in that sorry a$$ 1000x700 resolution EA) and a "ring of the champion" that could as well be an excel spreadsheet.. would make no difference.

    and guess what.. its been like this since madden 05.
    oh wait.. this year we got widescreen support.... woohoo... now my stupid looking players wont look as fat.

    whereas in the console, you can practicly see the sweat on the players face...

    oh and btw.. player WEAPONS?
    WTF is a player weapon?
    oh right... that icon thing that does NOTHING AT ALL...

    seriously EA...
    you EXPECT PC GAMERS TO BUY THAT KIND OF CRAP?!!!
    we are NOT that stupid.

    oh and BTW... i DONT have a console port
    sports games are just as good on PC (i have 12 usb ports, i can play with 12 gamepads just like playstation if i wanted to)
    we do have BETTER graphics
    and
    pirated games are just as easy to find on consoles... wake up
    the only thing consoles *may* have better than a pc in tech terms is sound.. but i rarely care about sound, my ears are not that sensitive.

  • DangerClown

    Posted Apr 10, 2008 11:35 pm GMT

    It's just a symptom of how sad PC gaming is getting. It sucks having to rely mostly on ports to get by. Not that there aren't some great games on the consoles, and Madden is one of them. It sucks that consoles are stealing most of the oxygen in the gaming industry right now. As many others have already said, even most ports on the PC feature better graphics and added features that usually add so much more value to the title. I am thinking of picking up a PS3, just so I can get in on some Force Unleashed among others.

  • Krusnikzero2

    Posted Apr 8, 2008 3:01 pm GMT

    Ohh noes, one less madden game!

  • Zoomer30

    Posted Apr 8, 2008 2:16 pm GMT

    They may as well just bench all their craptastic sports games. they all stink.

    Old Peter is too busy makeing sure Madden runs at 5fps on the PS3 while it runs at 60fps on the 360. I wont waste another dime.

  • Zoomer30

    Posted Apr 8, 2008 2:16 pm GMT

    They may as well just bench all their craptastic sports games. they all stink.

  • BloodMist

    Posted Apr 8, 2008 10:58 am GMT

    If EA got off their lazy asses and actually made quality PC versions of their sports games, hey, they mighta sold a lot better.Don't really care since cookie cutter sports games really aren't my thing anyway, but blaming anyone but themselves just makes EA look like the jerkoffs they are( they blame everything BUT in the full press release, which this is not).

  • zeus_gb

    Posted Apr 8, 2008 5:23 am GMT

    More like EA are scaling back PC sports games because people keep modding the game with the latest player transfers.

  • KingOfTheNubeis

    Posted Apr 8, 2008 12:27 am GMT

    PC version of Maddon can be got for 40 bucks in Uk.
    Most PC gamers have a Ps3 /Xbox so forcing them to buy
    the console version makes sense.
    I have a PS3 but buy most of my games are on PC .
    To be honest ,except for some sports games my PC versions
    look better but the real reason is they cost so much less.
    They can charge the earth for a consolegame..PC market its
    not possible to maximise RIP off pricing.

  • DiscGuru101

    Posted Apr 7, 2008 9:31 pm GMT

    Sports gaming on the PC has been dead for a LONG time.

  • LancerVI

    Posted Apr 7, 2008 8:10 pm GMT

    I have to admit, as a PC Gamer, I've always purchased my sports games on whatever console. Sports games seem more natural on the console, just like shooters, in my opinion, are best played on a PC.

    This doesn't surprise me much.

    Lancer VI

  • SonicLucas

    Posted Apr 7, 2008 8:06 pm GMT

    hmm, i wonder, don't most PC gamers also have a console gaming

  • kevinolsson305

    Posted Apr 7, 2008 7:52 pm GMT

    I'm guessing the reason why their releasing the game in every platform but the PC is because they realized that they only get a piece of what they can really milk out of PC users. Since PC games are so easily pirated compared to other consoles. (Next to the PSP and DS lol)

  • crippla87

    Posted Apr 7, 2008 7:10 pm GMT

    If you ask me, its probably poor sales since most copies are sold, play and are rated better on consoles.

  • daveyf03

    Posted Apr 7, 2008 6:41 pm GMT

    "The PC presents some very serious business challenges to us in the sports category, " Translation

    People can mod the game to update the rosters themselves, so they don't need to buy it every year.

  • crackman64

    Posted Apr 7, 2008 4:25 pm GMT

    This proposed EA boycott isn't going to be hard, considering how their games are mediocre or rehashes.

  • JDY1118

    Posted Apr 7, 2008 4:02 pm GMT

    So its going to come out for pretty much everything BUT the PC. Come on, who's going to actually buy Madden for the DS? There may be a better market for Madden on consoles, but that doesn't mean people don't play sports on their computers. Congratulations EA, you're going to have a horde of pissed off gamers knocking on your doors soon.

  • rg420

    Posted Apr 7, 2008 1:14 am GMT

    I've got it .....EA wants to buy T-2 to kill all the competition and use them to rehash their EA Sports PC Games and brind a real carrer mode....who else could bring all the corruption, gambling, and drug use in major league sports better than R* ....haha j/k

  • DeskLazer

    Posted Apr 6, 2008 5:55 pm GMT

    you know, if they actually improved madden/nhl/etc. on pc, I would've bought those games.

    case in point, I actually bought rugby 06. didn't buy 08; no change in the gameplay engine whatsoever.

    I would've bought nhl 08 on the pc. the xbox/ps3 versions were pretty damn good. then I played the pc demo and said 'ohhhhhhh, they're recycling nhl 04 for the 4th year in a row. nevermind.'

    same goes for madden. EA, if you want people to BUY your damn pc sports games [I have every nhl from the first on the PC to 2004, every fifa from the original to 2002, every madden from john madden II to madden 2004, and nba live from 95-2003. those that I had bought legally because I kept seeing improvements]. you're shooting yourselves in the foot.

    2k, please release pc versions of hockey, etc. I will BUY them. I will tell all my sports playing friends to buy them.

    do people quickly forget that there are dedicated internet leagues for the ea sports games? people are still forming leagues for games like madden 2004. you continue to abandon that which made you a powerhouse. thanks EA.

  • Narok

    Posted Apr 6, 2008 4:30 pm GMT

    They'll have to rip my computer out of my cold, dead, zombified hands.

    PC GAMING LIVES FOREVER.

  • crooks_83

    Posted Apr 6, 2008 8:58 am GMT

    It makes financial sense, I guess, because the games have been selling poorly and piracy is an issue, but EA hasn't made an effort to improve any of their titles on the PC since 2006. A quality product sells and they haven't tried to make one in years. Modding communities made up for a lot of the shortcomings in ea sports games and made PC sports gaming relevant but this is going to kill a lot of them. I guess I may have to cave and buy a console if I want to keep playing sports games.

  • yoyoman10

    Posted Apr 6, 2008 6:35 am GMT

    no you still have a choice. its called NOT BUYING THE GAME.

  • XanderMercury

    Posted Apr 5, 2008 7:13 pm GMT

    This is ridiculous. I am a PC gamer and I have both Madden and NBA Live 08 on PC. I believe it is much better than console versions, mainly because of solid graphics (depending on your video card), and a great amount of customization, such as roster updates and assorted utilities you can download and have at your disposal. Of course, there's not much left in the franchise at this rate; the only thing that seems to change each year is the roster, and maybe an added feature or two.

    And contrary to popular belief, not ALL PC gamers play WOW. Madden, Call of Duty 4, Half-Life 2, Crysis, and BioShock are just some of the most popular games. But now, thanks to this, Madden will no longer be one of those games. And that 'exclusive NFL license' won't help them one bit. That license means that they can create a football game, take a diarrhea dump on it, put it in a box and sell it, and we would have no choice but to buy it, because that's the only NFL game out there.

    -=Brian=-

  • Gastman posted Apr 5, 2008 5:50 pm GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    Gastman

    Posted Apr 5, 2008 5:50 pm GMT (hide)

    The PC suck, beside too many of the PC fanboys played WOW alot.

  • BlueFlameBat

    Posted Apr 5, 2008 2:06 pm GMT

    My computer probably wouldn't be able to handle it anyway. Besides, I hardly ever play football games.

  • endocrine

    Posted Apr 5, 2008 9:59 am GMT

    PC gaming is more tied to economic issues than consoles. This is mostly true due to the fact that a pc that can handle new games usually costs a few thousand dollars; where as a console, that came out two years ago and can play those same games costs only a few hundred. It has nothing to do with the fact that people steal pc games more than console.

  • duddooboy

    Posted Apr 5, 2008 9:24 am GMT

    Better not cancel FIFA on the PC, or they'll have gone too far.

  • athenian29

    Posted Apr 5, 2008 7:27 am GMT

    Oh, and another thing. Don't say that they just repackage the previous game year after year. Remember, they have to CHANGE the rosters.

    Oh, and avok23? They don't release FIFA first because it's their best seller. They release FIFA first because all the soccer leagues across the globe start before football does. That's also why they release baseball last; because that league doesn't start until spring of the next year.

  • athenian29

    Posted Apr 5, 2008 7:24 am GMT

    "The PC presents some very serious business challenges to us in the sports category, particularly because so many of you all are playing your favorite sports games on the PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii..."

    Woah, time out. People PLAY Madden on the Wii???

  • Reyveign

    Posted Apr 5, 2008 6:40 am GMT

    "...many of you all are playing your favorite sports games on the PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii..."

    Seems like when you pull the plug on PC games when they're multi-plaftorm titles, yes we will be.

    Never been a big fan of sports games... but it seems stupid either way that the PC version of anything multi-platform won't come out.

  • Vidican

    Posted Apr 5, 2008 12:44 am GMT

    Wow, this was a shock. The piracy is not only on PC, but also on consoles, so that isn't an excuse, and they could have made it next gen like on the 360 and PS3. Well that's it, I just hope that they will release GTA4 on PC, and together with Starcraft 2 it will be all that I need related to gaming. That and WoW

  • nfled

    Posted Apr 4, 2008 11:29 pm GMT

    Strat-O-Matic PC football is a better game anway, it's a simulation so the graphics are just X's and O's and there's no arcade element (which is a good thing in my view) but the strategy is top notch and very realistic. www.stratfanforum.com and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strat-O-Matic_Football for info.

  • NoHotAshes

    Posted Apr 4, 2008 11:13 pm GMT

    thanks alot all u cheapo pirates. i hate ea sports games, but thats not the point. its a developing trend that the pc is being left out or given poor ports, thanks to all u cheap fools who cant just buy games and illegally download them instead. again, thanks alot u cheap you know whats

  • yoyoman10

    Posted Apr 4, 2008 4:57 pm GMT

    pc gamers are to busy playing WoW to care about this crap

  • Deus632

    Posted Apr 4, 2008 3:54 pm GMT

    Just repackage Madden '08 and call it '09... they've been doing it for the past three years.

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