It might be one of the most self-congratulatory press releases to come around these parts lately (PDF), but video game mega-publisher Electronic Arts apparently has some reason to shout and dump an ice-filled cooler of Gatorade all over itself: apparently Madden NFL 07 sold more than two million copies during its first week of release, the best first-week performance in the game franchise’s 17-year history. And, in a sign of the enormous influence video games are coming to have on contemporary culture, those two million copies account for more than $100 million in revenue: that’s more than most summer Hollywood movies pull in during their first week.
Madden is the largest U.S. sports video game franchise, with North American sales exceeding 59 million copies since its debut in 1989. The popularity of the franchise is such that some are estimating it could account for five to eight percent of EA’s estimated $3 billion annual revenue this year.
EA also says that Xbox 360 players are breaking records for online play with Madden 07, with players unlocking more than 600,00 achievements and putting in more than 2 million hours of online game play during the first five days of the game’s availability.
Madden NFL 07 is rated “E” by the ESRB, and is available for the Xbox 360 ($59.99), PlayStation 2 and original Xbox ($49.99), GameCube ($39.99), Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance ($29.99); special Hall Of Fame editions are available for Xbox and PlayStation at a $10 premium.
