KEY POINTS

  • EA Sports has delayed the announcement of "Madden NFL 21" 
  • The game was scheduled to be announced Monday, June 1
  • The delay is EA Sport's humble support to nationwide protest over the death of George Floyd 
  • EA Sports also had their rights to publish "sim-style" NFL games until 2025

EA Sports has decided to delay the announcement of “Madden NFL 21” to an unspecified date due to the ongoing unrest over the death of George Floyd.

The sports division of Electronic Arts (EA) was scheduled to announce the game Monday (June 1), but it thought otherwise to focus more on the pressing issues that have rocked the nation for ages.

“Tomorrow, we had committed to celebrating Madden NFL 21 with you, but we're not going to do that now.

“We stand with our African American/Black community of friends, players, colleagues and partners. Our immediate attention is on actions we can take to drive change against the unjust and systemic bias that is plaguing the nation and our world,” EA Sports said in a statement, which was shared by “Madden NFL” via its official Twitter account.

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More than 89 million games of 'Madden 15' were played this year. Courtesy/EA

EA Sports added that they will another time to “talk football” to their fans while at the same time, pointing on the urgency and importance of what is happening in the country amid the tragic incident.

“Because this is bigger than a game, bigger than sports, and needs all of us to stand together and commit to change,” the studio added.

Protesters flood the streets of some of the major cities in the United States after Floyd, an African American, died while in police custody last week. A white Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, placed his knee on Floyd's neck for more than eight minutes.

ESPN said EA's Monday event was supposed to treat fans with a first-hand look at how the game has changed over the years. It also pointed out that “Madden NFL 21” will be released on next-generation consoles, but provided no further information about the iconic title.

The event was also supposed to be a celebration for EA as NFL teams unanimously approved an extension to its exclusive rights to publish “Madden” until 2025, a source told Yahoo Sports, adding that the deal will have a potential to extend until 2026 “if revenue markers are hit.”

The studio has had exclusive rights to produce “sim-style” NFL games since 2005. The arrival of “Madden 06” not only marked the 16th installment of the franchise, but it also ended its rivalry with Take-Two Interactive's “NFL 2K.”

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