Madden NFL 10 is undeniably the biggest release of August, and although it’s not a PlayStation 3 exclusive, Sony may have big plans for its launch…

Previously, we had heard a rumor that Sony might drop the price of the PS3 in accordance with this year’s Madden mania, but now, that rumor has been tweaked: according to the latest Listen UP podcast, David Ellis says the much-debated PS3 Slim will hit store shelves alongside Madden NFL 10. To be more specific, the two will actually come bundled together; feel free to download 1Up’s podcast at NextGen News, and you will hear this claim at the 01:26:14 mark:

“It’s gonna be in August. Everything I’ve heard says it’s coming in August, it’s tied with Madden.”

Sony is planning a massive 3-hour press conference for GamesCom on August 18 and Madden drops on August 14, and as further evidence, Ellis says this can be connected to Activision CEO Bobby Kotick’s threat. Kotick said unless Sony dropped the price of the PS3, his company may be forced to stop supporting the system (a whole lot of hot air, as analysts have already said), but apparently, this is because the PS3 Slim will be tied to an EA game and not an Activision title. We’re not sure how much water this theory holds, but it’s possible. The more we hear about the PS3 Slim, the more inevitable its eventual existence seems to become…

But bundled with Madden NFL 10? We wouldn’t have expected that.