F1 EA Sport sign £50 million deal with Hamilton

[Centurion]

EA Sport sign £5 million deal with Hamilton

British Formula 1 star to front new EA titles next year

Britain's Formula One rookie Lewis Hamilton, who almost won the championship with McLaren in his debut season this year, has been snapped up to front a new videogame title by EA Sports.

That's according to a report in UK tabloid The Sun, which reports the deal as worth an estimated GBP 5 million to Hamilton.

There is currently no indication that EA's investment will result in a specific F1 title however, as Sony currently holds the FIA license for its long-standing racing series, although the report does cite "Xbox and PlayStations" as the platforms.

GamesIndustry.biz




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Very unexpected since I assumed the winner Kimi would front the up coming F1 game. On the other hand Lewis is hot at the moment and is a rising star so picking him is quite logical from a marketing perspective.

 

[Zonda]

I'm not surprised. Lewis is where the money is at.

 

[LaArtist]

what is it now?
5 or 50 million?

anyways its a shit load

 

[bum-man]

what is it now?
5 or 50 million?

anyways its a shit load

I heard it was 4 million.

 

[450SEL6.9]

This is not an F1 game because EA does not have the rights to F1. I wonder how the FIA and Sony will feel about this. A competing title featuring F1's brightest new star could dilute the sales of the official FIA F1 game. It's a risk for F1 and his team. If corporate sponsors start marketing in F1 through Hamilton as an individual, the sport's existing teams and sponsors might need to re-evaluate. Perhaps some teams are correct to not allow their drivers to do personal endorsements and deals, to protect the team sponsorship from dilution. It is a delicate balance.

I don't know why it says £50 million in the thread title and nowhere else. I also read it was £5 million in the tabloids, but they are not always reliable. They claim Briatore is also a billionaire. I think he only owns a fashion label called billionaire. Hahaha.

From one source I read that it was 5 million U.S. because £5 million, unless it is a multi-year deal, is probably more than what Tiger Woods gets for video games.

 

[Centurion]

I made a typo and changed it to 5 million. You're correct Sony hold the license so I have no idea what EA has up their sleeves. Sony and FIA probably don't like this a bit since Hamilton is a big force these days. A game with him on the front cover might heavily cannibalize a Sony game with Kimi on the cover.

If you ask me I'd say this is good news. I have always hated Sony and they should IMO not hold the license. The latest F1 game is a PS3 exclusive which is very unfair to all the F1 fans who have a PC or Xbox 360.

I hope that EA has a kick ass game in planned sponsored by Vodafone or something that will eat the heart out of Sony's current F1 game.

 

[bum-man]

To my understanding Sorny has the license up to the end of this year. So it could very well end up being an official F1 title.

 

[Centurion]

To my understanding Sorny has the license up to the end of this year. So it could very well end up being an official F1 title.

Really? Thanks for the heads up. EA is the most suitable license holder if you ask me.

 

[450SEL6.9]

A game with him on the front cover might heavily cannibalize a Sony game with Kimi on the cover.

If you ask me I'd say this is good news.

But I think it would not be such good news for F1, or any other sport, to inadvertently pit existing sponsor/rights holder vs new sponsor, which is what I think this deal could be doing. I think Uncle Ron is a lot of things, but I think he is absolutely right to not allow personal endorsements for drivers. He might let Hamy do personal endorsements though, maybe he already has.

Teams run on sponsorship money and it doesn't need their employees signing their own deals that may overshadow the team's corporate sponsorship message. I'd love to know what Sony, Max and Bernie think of this deal. Can you imagine if Hamy's game outsells the official F1 game? What kind of precedent would that set for the companies that sponsor F1 teams instead of drivers?

To my understanding Sorny has the license up to the end of this year. So it could very well end up being an official F1 title.

But if it is an official title, they would not have to pay him a dime to use him. I think as an official title, they would get the images to all the drivers and circuits from the FIA because they are selling an FIA-endorsed product. I don't think NBA players get paid when they are put on the cover of the official NBA 200X titles. The NBA owns the image and licenses that to the game maker. I think this is how it works.

 

[Centurion]

But I think it would not be such good news for F1, or any other sport, to inadvertently pit existing sponsor/rights holder vs new sponsor, which is what I think this deal could be doing. I think Uncle Ron is a lot of things, but I think he is absolutely right to not allow personal endorsements for drivers. He might let Hamy do personal endorsements though, maybe he already has.

In that sense your right. There will definitely be a conflict of interest for Hamilton and for his own sake he better not acquire too many sponsors of his own. It's like having two wifes, in the end is becomes a big mess leaving both wifes unhappy.

Like you said this can't be an official title considering the amount of money that Hamilton is getting paid. If the deal goes down I doubt that EA will let Hamilton feature on the front cover of the official game which will be sold side by side in the stores.

As a game and F1 fanatic I will follow this closely and I smell a huge debate and conflict around the corner. Max, Bernie and Sony won't like that F1 most marketable driver is taking his own path in the world of gaming. These days computer days generate huge sums of money and EA is already enjoying the success of their Tiger Woods PGA Tour game.

 

[NarutoRamen]

All I hope for is that EA doesn't have a monopoly on F1 title like they do for NFL. They make a game every year and it's the same damn thing. Sucks to keep paying $60 every year for the same game for the people who do. The last time I bought an NFL game was 2005. Madden 08 still doesn't touch NFL 2K5 for gameplay mechanics IMO.

 

[ALESI]

What A Waste Of Money & Time ?

 

[Centurion]

What A Waste Of Money & Time ?

It's not. There is a whole lot of money in sports and gaming.