The NFL has been Madden-only for the last 15 years, but the league announced a deal with a new video game partner on Tuesday.
The league has struck a deal with 2K Sports to make new NFL-themed video games beginning in 2021. Per the league’s release, those games will be “non-simulation football game experiences” so they will not be the same kind of games that 2K produced before EA, the makers of Madden, got exclusive rights to video games simulating an NFL season in 2005.
“Expanding the NFL’s presence in the world of gaming has become a focus for the League as we look to grow the next generation of our fanbase and reviving our partnership with 2K was a natural step in that effort,” NFL senior vice president of consumer products Joe Ruggiero said in a statement. “2K is a worldwide leader in sports video games, with a proven track record of creating best-in-class and award-winning games and we look forward to sharing more about the projects we are working on with them in the future.”
EA released a statement after the NFL’s announcement that said “our partnership with the NFL and NFLPA remains unchanged” and that plan “new and different experiences” in the years to come.