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EA's Madden NFL franchise has correctly picked the Super Bowl winner seven out of the past nine times.We don't buy into the notion that video games lead to violence, but saying the Baltimore Ravens will beat the San Francisco 49ers in the the Super Bowl? Well, in Silicon Valley, those are fighting words. Be that as it may, EA's Madden NFL 13 game, powered by an Xbox 360 console, predicted the Ravens will emerge victorious over the 49ers in a thrilling 27-24 contest, proving that they were a team of destiny.
Of course, it's not really going to go down that way, says me, a bitter New England Patriots fan who's now pulling for the 49ers. But I digress; this is about EA's simulation, and here's something 49er fans should be worried about. Over the past nine seasons, EA's Madden NFL game has been wrong just twice, incorrectly picking the Patriots to beat the Giants in 2008 (I'm still bitter about that one, too), and pegging the Steelers to beat the Packers in 2011.
"The EA Sports Madden NFL Super Bowl Prediction continues to be one of the most accurate prognosticators of the NFL’s biggest game," EA said in a statement. "The prediction has accurately called seven of the last nine Super Bowls, and was two points away from predicting the exact final score of the 2009 matchup between the Steelers and Cardinals."
In case you're wondering, Madden NFL 13 is available now for $60 on the Xbox 360, Wii U, and PlayStation 3, for $50 on the Wii, and for $40 on the PlayStation Vita.
Comments are closed on this article
MaximumMike
February 05, 2013 at 8:30am
Looks like I was wrong. The 49ers are not better than the SuperBowl referees. Refs win again. Keep the Madden machine rolling.
jgottberg
January 31, 2013 at 8:11am
Like Paul, I'm rooting for the Niners but in NO way am I bitter about the Patriots being out of it. Sorry, Paul :)
I play Madden 13 religiously and it does do a decent job of simulating games based on skillsets of different players. In my opinion, I don't think the exclusion of the pistol offense, like some posters have suggested, will have much of an impact.
But it's true, the game does do a better than average job of predicting games. I'm not a gambler but have some buddies that do. They will simulate the game they are betting on at least 9 times and then place their wager based on the winner in the best of 9.
popetorak
January 30, 2013 at 7:49pm
Damn, im on the wrong site. This must be Maximum Football not Maximum PC.
PS: The Cowboys are the best team anyway.
MaximumMike
January 31, 2013 at 8:06am
I agree. The Cowboys are the best team that all the analysts goo and gaa over every year and which can never make the playoffs, haha!
Paul_Lilly
January 30, 2013 at 10:35pm
Yes, because every post revolves around football while completely ignoring what's happening in the technology world. Or, just this one, which is about a video game simulation (computer code, if you will) correctly predicting real-life outcomes in a major sporting event seven out of nine times.
noobstix
January 30, 2013 at 7:21pm
They probably simulated the match-up with Alex Smith starting. I don't even think EA added the Pistol formation (I don't even know if there are any read-option plays out of the regular formations).
Strhopper
January 30, 2013 at 4:56pm
I haven't played madden 13 yet but I would like to know if it does a good job at simulating the "pistol" offense the Niners have been having success running here lately. I doubt it. Since this game was developed when Alex smith was the starter.
Niners all the way
vrmlbasic
January 30, 2013 at 10:50pm
Sounds like an excuse for EA to come out with close-to-launch DLC...
jgottberg
January 31, 2013 at 8:17am
They don't do DLC for Madden really... Just update some rosters, maybe put a spit polish on some menus and call it a new game. Although I will say that this year (2013) is the biggest change in a few years with regards to Franchise mode and what they now call "Connected Careers." Even at that, I love the franchise so I blindly reserve my copy every year - and well, Madden is the ONLY NFL game officailly licensed by the NFL and NFLPA. Blows.
anc51699
January 30, 2013 at 1:38pm
As a Ravens fan, this means nothing to me. All it should mean to anyone is just another prediction. Anyone can make them. Just a fun little prediction that they spit out for a lot of NFL games every year.
To Paul: The Pats had their fun last year, it's Baltimore's time now! And I'm a Ravens fan who lives/born in MA, so that was a fun weekend for me to brag to my Pats-fan friends. I feel your pain, though, I went through it last year (...damn Billy Cundiff and Sterling Moore/Lee Evans)
Paul_Lilly
January 30, 2013 at 3:13pm
I'm curious, being born in Massachusetts (as was I), how is it you came to root against the Patriots?
gordonung
January 30, 2013 at 4:02pm
Paul, you really don't understand why peple don't like the Patriots? Really?
BTW, I'm calling it for the Raiders who (as I have predicted in the past) will take the field after the Niners succomb to the flu. This will let the Raiders settle the score from the illegal hit by Siragusa on Gannon in 2001. On the flight out of New Orleans, the Raiders will then attack Foxborough in the snow and re-defeat the Pats in an unprecedented out of season game but the League will rule the game illegal because they didn't like the results at all.
Paul_Lilly
January 30, 2013 at 5:03pm
I understand the anti-Patriots sentiment outside of New England, but by someone born and bred in Massachusetts? Doesn't compute, unlike the tuck rule, which I totally get.
anc51699
January 30, 2013 at 5:47pm
I probably am one of the very few you'll see! I was born in Berkshire County, where there is actually a healthy mix of Jets, Giants, and Steeler fans in the area as well. If you were born around the Boston area, it's definately all Pats, Sox, and Bruins the closer you get to Beantown. As to how I actually came about becoming a Ravens fan, when I was a kid I used to like the Cowboys because Emmitt Smith was my favorite player, then around 2000 when the Ravens won Super Bowl 35, I saw something I liked in the team and I've been a fan ever since, even through the Elvis Grbac and Kyle Boller at QB years.
I don't hate the Pats, though: I'm a Brady fan and I like to see them do well, unless they play the Ravens.
MaximumMike
January 30, 2013 at 1:13pm
This is exactly why I refuse to buy or play anything precluded by the name "Madden." It's interesting that the Steelers vs Cardinals game was the the worst officiated game I have ever seen (and I watch a lot of football). It's also interesting that as badly as the referees were blatantly cheating for the Steelers, Madden was trying to sell the audience on it. It's also interesting that Madden hid all of the camera angles that showed clearly that Pittsburgh did not score. Please don't expect me to believe that Madden can't get whichever camera angle he wants on the screen when he wants it. Please don't expect me to believe that a player who slides over the goal line on his arms and elbows is somehow not down. Please don't expect me to believe that tucking your toe behind your calf muscle counts as having your second foot down. Please don't expect me to believe that it is coincidence that the referees forced Arizona to burn their challenges by calling the same bogus penalty twice and then ended the game on it once they were out of challenges. But I can certainly believe that Madden was able to call this game within two points of the final score, just as I can easily believe that Jerry Lawler can call WWE matches before they begin. But lets get one thing straight, even with the referees working against them, the 49ers were able to knock off the Packers and the Falcons. This SuperBowl isn't going to be so easy to fix. The real dynasty of the NFL is back, and we will dominate!
