The deal will give EA access to the network's programming and personalities.
The ESPN website reported that the deal will help alleviate the slight awkwardness in the relationship between ESPN/ABC and EA.
Despite the fact that ESPN had its own branded football game, John Madden and Al Michaels, who are under contract to broadcast ABC's Monday Night Football, are the voices of EA's Madden game.
Faced with tough competition from the ESPN-branded NFL 2K5, Electronic Arts secured exclusive video game rights for its Madden franchise last month that prevented other gaming companies from using NFL marks and players' names for the next five years.
"Our mission is to be in a place that is central to our fans, wherever they are watching, reading or logging on," said John Skipper, ESPN's executive vice president of advertising sales, new media and consumer products.
"Video games has become the new medium and we felt that it was crucial for us to be there in the biggest way possible."
The deal will commence in 2006, as ESPN still has one year left in its partnership with Sega.
Sports video games accounted for more than 20 per cent ($1.2billion) of the $5.8billion video game market last year, according to the NPD Group.
