The Arena Football League, the second-longest running football league in U.S. history, and Electronic Arts announced today that they have signed an exclusive agreement to produce an AFL video game by the start of the 2006 AFL season.
"Once again, we are partnering with an industry leader who believes in the AFL philosophy and its growth potential. To the extent that EA helps grow the AFL, they participate in that growth through the increased value of future expansion teams," said Commissioner David Baker. "EA is the videogame industry's gold standard. Arguably, nothing is more important to reach the younger male demographic that we are so strong in than video games. For our core fan, this is akin to a network-television agreement."

"We believe that the business model the AFL has created will provide for a new football experience for videogame fans, and provide EA with an incentive to partner with the AFL to expand the league," said Larry Probst, Chairman and CEO of EA. "The AFL is a unique brand of football and we intend to deliver a unique football gaming experience from any the industry has seen before. We're pleased to be working with the league during this exciting growth-period for the AFL."
EA will bring the first product, based on the 2005 AFL 2005 season, to store shelves by the beginning of the 2006 AFL season.