Despite its lack of an NFL licence (the teams are
instead loosely based on the colours and locations
of real NFL teams of the time), Madden immediately
resonated with fans of the sport, thanks to its large
number of plays and faithful reproduction of the
pace and flow of the real thing.JOHN MADDEN
FOOTBALL 1990As we know, Electronic Arts owes its
fortune to its yearly updates of sports
franchises such as FIFA, Madden
and NHL. But the company also owes
its entire existence to them, too. Trip
Hawkins’ main motivation for founding
the company in 1982 was because he
wanted to make computerised versions
of the Strat-O-Matic tabletop sports
sims he enjoyed in his youth.
Hawkins immediately set about
making this happen, approaching NFL
commentator John Madden in 1984
about the possibility of endorsing an
American football game. Madden notonly agreed, but got deeply involved
in the developmental process, only
agreeing to put his name to the game
if it featured 11 players a side – a
feat that frazzled the chips of most
1980s computers. After a protracted
developmental process – it was
known internally as ‘Trip’s Folly’ – the
first Madden launched on the Apple II
computer in 1988. But it was on the
Mega Drive, two years later, that the
series found popularity, leading to
the creation of three other series that
continue to make their presence known
today – FIFA, NHL and PGA Tour.Classic Developer EA’s industry-conquering
formula of annual updates began life on Sega
Founded 1982
Headquarters Redwood City, California
Years active 1982-current
Lead platform Mega Drive