EA Resurrecting NFL Blitz As Downloadable Title

EA has announced a new, EA Tiburon-developed version of Midway's popular arcade American football franchise NFL Blitz will be coming to Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network in January. The Blitz franchise is known for fast-paced, simplified seven-on-seven gameplay and over-the-top hits and tackles, as opposed to the realism and deeper tactical decision-making of EA's bet-selling Madden NFL series. New features in the revamp include co-operative and competitive online gameplay, HD graphics, a single-player "gauntlet" challenge mode and unlockable players to be used on customizable teams. NFL Blitz first appeared in arcades in 1997 and was subsequently ported to systems from the Nintendo 64 and Game Boy Color to the PlayStation 2 and Xbox over multiple annual updates through 2003. After EA acquired the exclusive rights to the NFL license in late 2004, Midway spun the series off into Blitz: The League, featuring unlicensed player and team names and an increased focus on locker room storylines. EA's relaunch for the series follow's a similar EA Tiburon-led revival for Midway's NBA Jam series, following the company's acquisition of Jam and NFL Blitz creator Mark Turmell last year. Turmell has since left EA for social game maker Zynga.