Reuters reports that Robin Antonick, the original Madden videogame creator, is suing EA for unpaid royalties.

According to the report Antonick alleges he signed a contract with EA in 1986 that entitled him to "royalties on derivative versions" of the Madden game made after his original version which was on Commodore 64, MS Dos and the Apple II.

While the more modern iterations of the game are a far cry from the original, Antonick still claims the core of his original creation is at the heart of every game released since, and that it was the series' 20th Anniversary celebrations that alerted him to being left out of the lucrative loop.

Only recently, as a result of publicity surrounding the 20th Anniversary of the 'Madden' videogame did Antonick become aware that Electronic Arts did not independently develop subsequent versions of its Madden NFL software," says the complaint. "Instead, according to recent statements by Electronic Arts founder Trip Hawkins, the current generation of software apparently derived from software developed by Antonick.

Given the success of the series, and the fact he signed a contract that had, up until 1992, meant he was being paid royalties for the game, it's likely he has a pretty strong case. The report goes on to say he's claiming "tens of millions" in reparations.