The video game franchise formerly known as John Madden Football has been going strong since 1988—a whopping 36 years. Its latest iteration, the coolly received Madden NFL 25, dropped in August of this year. So I guess it’s about time we got a documentary. In fact, we’re getting a whole doco series.
How to watch It’s in the Game: Madden NFL in New Zealand
It’s in the Game: Madden NFL is streaming in New Zealand exclusively on Amazon Prime Video right now, with all four episodes available from the drop.
It's in the Game: Madden NFL
What is It’s in the Game: Madden NFL about?
Would have thought that was pretty clear, but just in case: this is the story of the hugely popular, extremely lucrative, and occasionally controversial Madden NFL video game franchise. It began when Electronic Arts founder Trip Hawkins sought to translate his pen and paper football game to the electronic realm, and in the process make it playable. Having been knocked back by his first two endorsement choices, Joe Montana and Joe Capp, Hawkins teamed up with legendary Oakland Raiders coach and commentator Joe Madden, and the rest is history.
A lot of history, as it turns out. The franchise has had its ups and downs, and there’s a weird feedback relationship between the games and the actual NFL, with each influencing the other. Hopefully, the series delves into all of that. And at a little under four hours, it ought to.
The cast of It’s in the Game: Madden NFL
John Madden appears via archival footage, having passed in 2021 at the ripe old age of 85, but his son Mike is on hand. So too is Trip Hawkins, with John Schaub playing the younger version of the games titan. And we can expect a whole heap of jocks and nerds in an uneasy detente. Feel free to Google that one, jocks.
It’s in the Game: Madden NFL trailer
Why we’re excited about It’s in the Game: Madden NFL
Personally, we side-eye this recent slate of films that lionise products rather than people, but this looks likely to buck that trend. Gamers and sports fans alike are probably gonna get their money’s worth out of this one.
