The annual release of Madden Football has become as reliable as death and Barbara Walters Specials, however the premiere sports franchise did not take to the field easily. EA's initial choice was not John Madden, but Joe Montana who had to reject the offer due to an endorsement deal with Atari. Ultimately a skeptical Madden would only agree if the game featured all 22 players instead of the proposed seven man rosters for each team. After years of programming related delays, John Madden Football was finally released on Apple II in 1988. The title initially sold well, but the franchise didn't achieve blockbuster status until 1990 when it was released for Sega Genesis, which provided a more fast-paced arcade-like experience.