According to the East Bay Times, a class-action lawsuit has been filed in California and Washington D.C. against publishing giant Electronic Arts for what the plaintiffs call "anticompetitive conduct."

The suit claims EA raised the price of Madden 2006 by 70 percent after it closed an exclusive deal with the NFL, a deal that left all game publishers, including Take-Two's popular 2K football series, unable to use the NFL license in the foreseeable future.

"Electronic Arts could have continued to compete by offering a lower price and/or a higher quality product," the suit says. "Instead, Electronic Arts quickly entered into a series of exclusive agreements with the only viable sports football associations in the United States: the National Football League, the Arena Football League, and NCAA Football."

Amid fierce competition from NFL 2K5 (which retailed for just US$19.95), EA lowered the price of Madden NFL 2005 from $49.95 to $29.95.