Blitz: The League

by Midway Games, Point of View · Blitz: The League series

2005 · Wii, PS2, XBOX

Blitz: The League is an American football game by Midway as an unlicensed extension of their NFL Blitz series. Released after the NFL signed an exclusive licensing deal with Electronic Arts, it was released in October 2005 for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. This game is the first in the Blitz series to receive an "M" rating by the ESRB due to the graphic violence, explicit language, and drug use depicted. Lawrence Taylor, who provides voice acting for the game, serves as its official spokesman. In 2006, a second version of the game was released on the Xbox 360 in October. In December 2006, a portable version was released on the PlayStation Portable (under the title Blitz: Overtime). These versions included the voicework and likeness of former pro linebacker Bill Romanowski. The game was originally intended to be a Wii launch title, but the Wii-version was delayed and eventually canceled. On January 22, 2007, the game was refused classificatio by the Office of Film and Literature Classification in Australia, effectively banning the game there. The game was banned as the use of drugs was related to incentives and rewards.