EA Buys AFL Rights

Electronic Arts took another step today in crushing Take Two's and Sega's hopes of releasing a respectable football game any time soon by agreeing with the Arena Football League (AFL) for an exclusive deal. While the first game will not be available until the 2006 season, EA has certainly positioned itself as the only game publisher that will release any respectable licensed football game in the coming years (as well as alienating many gamers). Surprisingly, Arena Football is America's fastest growing sport, so there is a huge market for Electronic Arts to capitalize on now.