For years, it seemed like a game, this ongoing NFL videogame tussle between Sega and EA. Sure there was always an undercurrent of rivalry between the two companies, and few could ignore the David vs. Goliath comparisons. Last Monday, however, by signing an exclusive NFL license for the next five years, it seems EA's Goliath grabbed the sling of ESPN's David and stomped the little guy flat.

　　2004 may have been the year that things heated up in the ongoing tussle between the two companies, but it's possible to trace the feud back for several years. Our latest feature, The Battle for the NFL, traces a timeline of the clash between the two biggest names in football videogames; from the year 2001, when Sega first released their console games on multiple next generation consoles, through the intervening years of online contention and licensing struggles, and culminating this year, when the fight transformed into a price war and finally, EA's latest bombshell.

　　Of course, as compelling a history as this is, the most interesting aspect of the story is what happens next. Will EA rest on its laurels, confident in its now-assured market domination? Or will it make full use of its exclusive license and release new twists on the football genre we haven't thought of yet? On the other hand, what about the Sega/Visual Concepts tandem? If you were at the helm of either company, what would be your strategy for the next generation of football titles?

　　The playing field has changed and, at least for now, we've got more questions than answers. Given the power, how would you shape the future of football videogames?