Forget 
the oddsmakers, if you really want to know who’s going to win the big game, break out your copy of Madden.
The long-running Electronic Arts videogame franchise, in its annual prediction of the Super Bowl last week, not only predicted the New England Patriots’ last minute comeback to defeat the Seattle Seahawks, it nailed the final 28-24 score. And that was just the start of its Nostradamus-like qualities.
Apple’s 
footprint in the video game world is getting bigger. And that could be good news for the company’s bottom line.
Gaming makes up the lion’s share of the mobile software world, with consumers buying games more frequently than any other type of app. And with the recent launch of the large screen iPhone 6 Plus and Thursday’s expected introduction of a souped-up iPad, Apple could become an even larger player in the category.
Frank 
Gibeau and his team at EA Mobile spent their Tuesday like a lot of other tech enthusiasts: Grumbling about the quality of Apple’s stream of the iPhone 6 and Apple Watch reveal.
The group gathered en masse in a conference room, as it does with every Apple reveal, to watch a broadcast that faded in and out (and occasionally came through in Chinese). But while the rest of us were gnashing our teeth in frustration, the mobile teams were already riffing on ideas about what they could do with the technology being introduced.
The 
“Madden” football franchise may not be the crown jewel at Electronic Arts anymore, but it still shines pretty bright. And this year, EA is counting on that shine to help it launch the company’s boldest digital push to date.
“Madden 15,” the 26th installment in the long-running series, officially hits store shelves on Aug. 26, but superfans of the game were able to start playing on Aug. 21 by subscribing to EA Access, a just-launched Netflix-like service that lets fans play back catalog EA games and get early looks at new titles for $5 per month or $30 per year.
Did 
Madden rank this year’s crop of players by the numbers?
Some fans are questioning the methodology of the storied franchise after seeing how the game stacked up certain high-profile players.
Clint 
Dempsey led the men’s U.S. soccer team further than many people expected it would go in the 2014 World Cup. Now Electronic Arts is hoping he’ll lead people to the latest installment of FIFA.
EA has named Dempsey as the cover athlete for FIFA 15 in America (which will also feature Lionel Messi of Argentina).
Attention 
Las Vegas oddsmakers: be very afraid of Electronic Arts.
Back on June 3, the company told us all that Germany was going to win the World Cup – and with Deutschland’s victory yesterday, its FIFA franchise secured a spot as one of the best seers of World Cup victory since the dearly departed Paul the Octopus.
John 
Madden’s coaching days ended in 1978, but today’s rookie quarterbacks are still learning from him…or the game that bears his name, at least.
Teddy Bridgewater, rookie quarterback with the Minnesota Vikings, has a bit of downtime these days. Minicamp is over and it’ll be another month before the team converges on training camp. So to keep sharp, he’s playing a lot of EA’s best-known franchise.
Hang 
onto your wallet. Valve’s coming after your money again.
The annual Steam Summer sale, a blowout event designed to trigger the impulse nodes of your gamer brain, is on. And, as always, the deals are tempting.
As 
World Cup fever grips the nation, interest in EA’s FIFA soccer games is on the rise as well — and that’s bringing out the scam artists.
A popular Instagram account offering new and exclusive characters for FIFA 14 and 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil turned out to be a fake, designed to steal users’ Xbox Live and/or Origin game service log-in details.
Chris Morris: Journalist 