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EA Reaches $27M Football Video Game Class Action Settlement
By Kimberly Mirando
UPDATE 1: Details on how to file a claim for the EA Football Video Game Class Action Settlement have arrived!
UPDATE 2: Payments went out to Class Members in late October 2013. Congratulations to our Top Class Actions readers who submitted a valid claim and got PAID!
Attorneys representing purchasers of Electronic Arts, Inc. football video games like Madden NFL, NCAA or Arena Football League have announced a $27 million class action lawsuit settlement has been reached over claims EA made exclusive deals with the football associations that allowed EA to monopolize the football video game market and price-gouge customers.
The proposed EA Madden Football class action settlement was filed with the court on July 19, 2012, and would establish a $27 million fund to pay out consumers who purchased Madden NFL, NCAA Football or AFL games published by EA between January 1, 2005 and the present. If the EA class action lawsuit settlement is approved by the Court, consumers who purchased sixth generation title games (GameCube, PlayStation 2 and Xbox) may receive up to $6.79 per game. Those who purchased a seventh generation title game (Wii, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3) may be entitled to as much as $1.95 per game under the terms of the proposed class action settlement.
EA must also agree not to sign an exclusive license agreement with the AFL for five years and will not renew its current agreement with the NCAA, which expires in 2014, for at least five years.
The proposed EA football game class action settlement will resolve a 2008 antitrust lawsuit that accused EA of violating antitrust and consumer protection lawsuits by holding exclusive license agreements with the NFL, NCAA and AFL to market branded football software. The alleged deal drove out competitors and enabled EA to price-gouge consumers, including by charging 70 percent more for “Madden NFL,” according to the class action lawsuit.
A Final Approval Hearing has been proposed for February 7, 2013, as well as a claim form deadline of March 5, 2013. These dates are not yet set in stone, however. Class action settlement notices may distributed by the beginning of November, which will detail how to file a claim for the EA football video game settlement.
Keep checking Top Class Actions or sign up for our newsletter to get updates for when the claims filing period begins, as well as for instructions on how to file a claim.
The EA Madden Football Class Action Lawsuit Settlement case is Geoffrey Pecover v. Electronic Arts, Case No. C08-2820, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, Oakland.
Updated October 15, 2012
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4 thoughts onEA Reaches $27M Football Video Game Class Action Settlement
got a check in FLORIDA 162.98 on a post card like
I purchased several for my grand son
They didn’t overcharge for the games. They charged the exact same MSRP amount as other new games – Gears of War, Resident Evil, other sports games. I will file my claim since I’ve bought Madden every year since the mid-90’s.
If they charged over 70% more for it, why are we only getting 4% back?
$50 x 4% = $2