Earlier today came the news that Madden 09 had "gone gold" through an official EA press release. Generally having "gone gold" means that a game is completed, has cleared certification, and is ready to be mass produced. Those announcements tend to come very close to the release date of the game, so hearing that Madden 09 had done so was a big surprise. Through correspondence with producer Phil Frazier I have learned in that sense Madden 09 has not gone gold. The game is completed (no further...

In a surprising announcement today EA Sports has stated that Madden 09 has gone gold. That means the game is complete and can be sent out to be mass produced. Knowing this the game must have been submitted for certification weeks ago. In most cases "gone gold" announcements are made 7-14 days prior to the release date, so this news was not expected a month and a half in advance. The ongoing producer discussions have made it seem as though adjustments were still being made, though at this po...

Tomorrow the 26th I will be up at EA Canada's Burnaby studio for the NBA Live 09 Community Event. Time will be had with the game and producers. This is still early in the development process so the opportunity is there for the feedback given to be acted on. Last year the early event proved to be very beneficial which led to the desire to hold it once again under similar circumstances. You can actually look back to that event as the first sign of what has since materialized with EA actively pur...