As more and more console games make their way to PC, the ones that don’t look increasingly conspicuous. And while normally I’m talking about Red Dead Redemption (yes, I’m still angry), today I’m talking about your uncle’s favorite sportsathon: Madden NFL.
Madden used to be on PC, but EA stopped bringing it over early in the Xbox 360’s lifecycle (the dark years) and none has made it to PC since Madden NFL 08. Game Informer recently asked EA the hard questions, like…Why? And will we ever see the pigskin on PC again?
EA Tiburon’s Cam Weber says, “I think with Madden in particular, it used to be a good business, and then it declined and the economics just didn’t make sense anymore. Then the compounding problem is that I guess in the last four or five years…as we get away from PC development, it becomes more and more difficult to get back to it.”
But he did end by saying that EA is “open to it,” which is the perennial non-answer for PC ports. EA Canada’s Matt Bilbey offered a bigger bone, saying that there’s a better chance of us seeing Madden on PC nowadays because EA’s Frostbite engine is centered around the PC anyway, making it easier to port.
The answer still sounds like a very soft “No” though. I’d be surprised if we see a Madden on PC anytime soon, and so I guess the EA Sports section of E3 press conferences is destined to remain the perfect bathroom-break for the mouse-and-keyboard crowd. Too bad EA put 2K’s football franchise out of business.
Author: Hayden Dingman, Games Reporter
Hayden writes about games for PCWorld and doubles as the resident Zork enthusiast.