An EA monopoly settlement has tripled its payout size. Electronic Arts agreed in July to pay a pool of $27 million among customers who bought Madden, NCAA Football, or Arena Football games, but fewer-than-expected claimants means more of a payout per claim.
EA is set to pay out $27 million and swear not to renew its exclusivity agreement with the NCAA, as part of the settlement for a class-action lawsuit. The 2008 suit alleged that after EA killed the budget-priced NFL 2K series by nabbing exclusive rights to the NFL, it was free to hike the prices of its own Madden games.
EA Sports announced today that former Baylor University quarterback Robert Griffin III (above) will be one of two cover athletes on NCAA Football 13. Griffin was the first Baylor student-athlete to win the Heisman Trophy. He'll appear alongside a fellow Heisman trophy winner, which will be subject to a fan vote.
Electronic Arts had a lot at stake if it had lost a lawsuit against a former Rutgers University quarterback. According to estimates, the company could have lost a billion dollars. That's a lot of zeroes. Still, EA seemed to take it lightly. "We could lose billions more if a giant meteor hits the earth," EA spokesman Jeff Brown said back then. "We're not planning for either outcome."
Brown had reason for such a confident response. EA has won the lawsuit, and Earth hasn't been struck by a giant meteor.
"Crazy, I bought every single game in that series. I usually don't "claim" things here but ... ..."
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