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EA Sports Football Class Action Lawsuit Goes Ahead
If you're one of the millions who've bought a Madden NFL title or other EA Sports football game since 2005, you're eligible to join the class action lawsuit against the company.
The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, Oakland Division (what? A football lawsuit in Oakland that doesn't involve Al Davis? Weird) has certified class action status to a lawsuit originally filed in 2008 (Pecover v. Electronic Arts) alleging that EA Sports' exclusive NFL/NFLPA deal for the Madden franchise has caused gamers to be overcharged. Anyone who has bought an EA Sports Madden NFL, NCAA, or Arena Football title since January 1, 2005 is eligible to join the lawsuit.
The crux of the lawsuit is this: Before Electronic Arts secured the exclusive NFL/NFLPA deal in 2004, rival 2K Sports was charging only $20 for NFL 2K5. EA Sports countered this by lowering the price of Madden NFL 2005 twice to $30 (at the time, most new video games were $50). When the NFL deal was struck and the 2K franchise ceased making games, EA brought its price tag back up to $50. According to the lawsuit the exclusivity deal was an anticompetitive action that caused a seventy percent increase in the price of the games and left the public with no alternative.
This is just one of the many EA Sports lawsuits currently on courthouse dockets at the moment, including:
- Madden Creator Sues EA for Millions
- 6,000 Former Players Sue EA Over Madden
- Jim Brown Appeals EA Lawsuit Decision
For more info, check out the court documents here.
[Thanks for the news tip from Chris K.]
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