The big sports gaming news of the day is a shake-up over at EA Sports' Tiburon studio, where reports indicate that Madden next-gen producer David Ortiz has left the company and been replaced by long-time EA Sports producer Phil Frazier. Frazier, who most recently headed up NFL Tour--the hasty reboot of EA's arcade football franchise--has been at the helm of the Madden franchise before, so he's most likely the right man for the job based on experience.

　　Having had the pleasure of interacting with both of them during their time at EA, I'd like to wish both the departing Ortiz and Frazier lots of continued luck in their endeavors. It certainly can't be an easy job heading up one of the biggest sports games in the world and they deserve credit for having shouldered the burden.

　　As for the direction of Madden 09, though Oritz will be missed, I don't think Frazier taking over at the midway point of development will have a massive impact on the upcoming Madden. I have to believe that both the direction and the vast majority of the game's features are already set--at least in terms of conception. The rest of the year leading up to the game's summer release will be spent implementing and fine-tuning the concepts that were already set into motion after Madden NFL 08 was released.

　　Where the series will definitively feel Frazier's impact will be with next year's game, which he will most likely head from the start. As past performance has shown, Frazier isn't afraid to take the Madden series in surprising new directions. After all, it was on Frazier's watch that the Madden series (in particular Madden NFL 06) introduced new features such as Superstar mode, as well as the controversial passing cone. Perhaps the first item on Frazier's list should be to figure out a name for the game as the series enters into the double-digits--after all, Madden NFL 010 doesn't exactly roll off the tongue.