Madden NFL 07 Sacks Critics with $100 Million Debut

Fans of the long-running series scooped up two million copies of the new game and logged the equivalent of 228 years worth of online play in just the first week.  Add to that 600,000 achievements unlocked, and you have a huge event for the 360 community.

The game that built EA Sports is proving that 17 years of sequels will not stall the success of this franchise.  Folks who played Madden for the first time as wee lads in the 1990s are finding their college-age sons chomping at the bit for their very own Madden experience.

Whether or not you are one of the Madden maniacs this week, you can't deny the staying power of a series with 53 million units sold to date.  And industry doomsayers should take note:  unit sales of Madden NFL 07 are up 12 percent over first-week sales last year for the 2006 installment.

"We put a ton of innovation into Madden NFL 07 from new game modes and controls to NFL Superstar Hall of Fame,” said Todd Sitrin, EA Vice President of Marketing.   “Consumers are the most meaningful judge of game quality and based on sales and the record-setting online activity, our toughest critics think Madden NFL has delivered another great game experience.”