Robin Antonick, co-creator of the original Madden title, is suing series owner EA for alleged unpaid royalties that date back to 1992.
Antonick, who states it was his work that formed the core Madden experience, claims he signed a contract with the game publisher back in 1986 that entitled him to royalties on derivative versions of the Madden brand.
Those royalties haven't been paid since the migration of the series onto other platforms from the early 1990s onwards. A migration that was both without his knowledge or approval.
The compliant, which was picked up which was picked up by Reuters (via MCV), states that:
"Only recently, as a result of publicity surrounding the 20th Anniversary of the 'Madden' videogame did Antonick become aware that Electronic Arts did not independently develop subsequent versions of its Madden NFL software...instead, according to recent statements by Electronic Arts founder Trip Hawkins, the current generation of software apparently derived from software developed by Antonick."
Given the franchise's continued success since the early 90s, the royalties could reach "tens of millions" of dollars.
Reuters also reports that Antonick has apparently been in confidential settlement negotiations with EA for some years, with the complaint continuing: "Electronic Arts decided that it did not want to share profits with him even though he was responsible for the development of virtually all of the ground-breaking technology at the heart of the game."