A while back I said the following:

The funny thing is that if Sega [used fictional franchises] for football, I'd not only want the game but I'd start saving up for the console just to get the game.

Way back when, few if any games were licensed by the NFL. Even Joe Montana Football and early versions of Madden had fictional teams and leagues. I had so much fun creating teams. That was half the reason I even played the games. I even created teams for computer baseball games despite the fact that MLB licensed early and often and I didn't have to.

The licensing has, in my view, taken all the imagination out of sports video games. Shouldn't it be more fun to play your own players than the guys you can watch every Sunday on TV? This obviously didn't stop me from enjoying Tecmo Superbowl, of course, but I would have enjoyed it all the more with fictional or created players.

Well, looks like Sega may be getting out of the game, but Midway has taken the ball and run with it:

Since the NFL granted an exclusive license to video games rival Electronic Arts Inc., Midway said, it can create its own football game that stretches the limits of what video game players have seen before from sports titles.

"No longer bound to the NFL license, there will be no league restrictions on content and gamers will finally experience what makes playing a football video game really fun: off-field controversies, dirty hits, excessive celebrations and much more," Midway marketing chief Steve Allison said in a statement.

Midway is the creator of the formerly successful but more recently struggling "NFL Blitz" franchise. While I never actually played the game, I've heard that the gameplay is a lot more fun (and easy). I find it interesting that it's Midway and Blitz that's going to take the plunge because I came pretty close to mentioning Blitz as the perfect example of a franchise wasting itself with NFL licensing. Blitz, from what I understand, is more action-packed than realistic, so it seems a natural fit for a fantasy group of teams and players.

According to this article, they plan on releasing it on multiple platforms, so I definitely plan to give it a go.

They are apparently looking to have some real fun with the fictionality of it all:
Blitz: Playmakers will feature a powerful story mode that, for the first time ever in a football videogame, explores the realism, lifestyle and drama found in professional football. Players will take the helm of a downtrodden football franchise and retool the players and coaching staff in a quest to guide them to the league championship. Additional features include intense multiplayer action with head-to head online play and complete customization of players, teams, stadiums and more.

Outstanding!

My only fear: If they name the teams, they're going to go with lam-o Arena/XFL/WNBA/ABA names like the Memphis Madness and the Seattle Siren.

Time will tell, though.