While there has been no word yet from developer Visual Concepts, Evil Avatar noted that both Gamestop and EB Games are now listing Sega's latest football title for a July 20th release. Prior to this change, the ship date for both Madden NFL 2005 and ESPN NFL 2K5 were constantly changing in a race to be the first 2005 football game on the market. If current release dates are to be believed, ESPN will be available two full weeks before EA's latest effort.
ESPN NFL 2K5 made headlines earlier in the year when it was revealed the title would be selling for $19.99 in order to compete with EA's Madden. Both Microsoft and Sony opted to not release their respective football franchises this year, bringing the rivalry between EA and Sega to a head as they battle for the crown of football simulation king.
