May 9^th, 2002 (12:00am) - In another sign of the deepening ties between sports broadcasting and sport-themed video games, Sega has signed a wide-ranging deal with ESPN.

Sega of America, the U.S. game publishing arm of Japan’s Sega Corp., on Thursday announced a promotional deal to include ESPN graphics and on-air talent in games, which could include the network’s Chris Berman, the self-styled "Swami" famed for having given a nickname to almost every major sports figure.

Under the partnership, ESPN, the sports programming arm of Walt Disney Co. , will allow its graphics, logos, and talent to be used in Sega’s basketball, baseball and hockey games, the company said.

Rival video game publisher and industry leader Electronic Arts has a similar partnership with football commentator John Madden for its best-selling line of "Madden" football games.

Starting with "NFL 2K3" title this fall, Sega games will borrow heavily from ESPN’s on-screen style. New games will be introduced by animated versions of the ESPN announcers that anchor "SportsCenter", the network’s flagship broadcast, and the ESPN logo will be included on game covers, Sega said.

The jointly branded games will also be promoted in ESPN’s magazine, through links on ESPN.com, and the use of Sega games as on-air illustration tools, as Fox Sports has done with Electronic Arts Inc.’s "Madden" series of football games.

A Sega spokeswoman said Disney will review the games to be released under the partnership, as well as ads and other promotions, before they reach the market.

"We’re all quite frankly ESPN freaks," Peter Moore, the president of Sega of America, told Reuters.

Madden recently joined the "Monday Night Football" telecast on ESPN’s sister network, ABC, and Electronic Arts has said the next Madden game will feature Madden and broadcaster partner Al Michaels and will have thematic elements from "Monday Night Football.

Sega plans to release "NFL 2K3" for game consoles and PCs around the same time as Electronic Arts releases its next "Madden game," Moore said.