Sega Almost Had a Legit Madden Competitor — Until EA 'Sabotaged' It
EA founder Trip Hawkins unpacks some Madden lore that didn’t make it into the new Amazon movie .
Trip Hawkins, the founder of Electronic Arts, was fearless in taking risks and betting big. After Atari's decline, Hawkins aimed to create a football simulation game, starting with tabletop and later computer versions for Apple II and Commodore 64. In David O. Russell's film Madden, Hawkins is portrayed as a persistent figure who approached NFL coach John Madden in 1977, persuading him to support his football game idea.
Despite Madden's distraction, Hawkins continued his efforts, eventually securing a partnership with Sega to release Madden Football on the 16-bit Sega Genesis console, avoiding Nintendo's licensing restrictions. The film highlights the intense competition between EA and Sega during the early 1990s console wars, with Hawkins strategically sabotaging Sega's Joe Montana Football to ensure Madden Football's success.
The game, with a smaller number of plays, still outsold Joe Montana Football, demonstrating EA's dominance in the market. Hawkins viewed the project as fulfilling his lifelong dream, despite the financial challenges.
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