: This isn't the SEGA Genesis, they don't have to bundle it with a Sonic the
: Hedgehog 2 to get market share. I don't even know if that'd help them
: achieve market share if they did that.

I don't necessarily disagree, but I'm trying to work through the economics here.

The goal of the Madden bundle is to sell XB1 consoles. Madden is one of the best-selling video games every year, and this year in particular there will be many sports fans buying a new next-gen console. Microsoft is giving EA a big pile of money to be able to offer Madden for free with the console. They did the same thing with Titanfall earlier this year when it was included as the free game.

Is that different than the MCC? Microsoft's number one goal right now is to get as many XB1s into homes as possible. Lots of people will buy an XB1 just to play the MCC, but even more will buy one if they get the year's top XB1 title for free with the purchase of a new console.