John Madden
Madden NFL 23: EA SPORTS pays tribute to the legendary Raiders coach with 3 unique covers
EA SPORTS reveals the cover of its annual football release, paying tribute to the legendary coach who gave his name to the franchise and died last year.
John Madden, coach, commentator and Football Hall of Fame inductee, will grace the cover of Madden NFL 23. Last week we had the opportunity to travel to Orlando, Florida to visit the offices of EA Tiburon, home of the developers of titles such as Madden Mobile, Madden NFL, NBA LIVE, NBA LIVE Mobile among other games to witness the unveiling of this cover.
John Madden will be the cover
3 different images of the legendary coach will illustrate the different versions of Madden 23, after 20 years of absence in the video game that has borne his name for decades. There is no better tribute to honor his memory after his tragic departure on December 28, 2021. “His presence is unmissable, because his football philosophies represent what fans want in the game.”
These covers highlight him as both a broadcaster and NFL coach through the artwork created by Philly-based artist Chuck Styles. It is important to highlight that each of the illustrations created reflect the passion of this legendary character who created the legendary "All-Madden" team.
At this reception, Mike Mahar, EA Sports Senior Producer for Madden NFL, emphasized that the development team was very excited to welcome journalists from around the world for the first time to unveil the cover after 2 years of pandemic.
His return as a commentator
Although John Madden may be gone, he will still be with us in video games. One of the surprises of this announcement is the insertion of the coach's iconic voice in the game through remastered audio clips that will remind us of his days as a commentator.
Madden Day
Finally, this June 1 will be considered "Madden Day" or #MaddenDay, on the occasion of the release date of the original video game in 1988. However, to celebrate it, in addition to presenting the cover of Madden NFL 23, the Californian company will officially dedicate a completely renovated playing field at Electronic Arts headquarters in Redwood Shores. This field will be named "John Madden Field" in a ceremony that will be officiated by EA's CEO, members of the Madden family, company employees and others.