With Super Bowl XLVII almost upon us, EA Sports has official announced the next entry in its long running virtual football franchise, Madden NFL 25.
The developer has decided to tweak the name in celebration of the series' 25th anniversary edition when it releases on Aug. 27, according to blog post the EA Sports website.
"There's no better way to celebrate and mark the culmination of 25 years of innovation than by naming this year's game Madden NFL 25," said Cam Weber, General Manager of American Football for EA SPORTS. "This year's game will push the boundaries with gameplay and feature innovations that will lay a very strong foundation for the next 25 years of this storied franchise."
There will also be a brand new fan cover vote contest that will pit the NfL's "greatest legends" against the superstars of today's NFL. The Madden NFL Cover Vote will take place across ESPN platforms and "SportsNation." The vote will feature a bracket of 32 all-time NFL greats go head-to-head against one another, as well as battling the 32 modern NFL superstars, with the winners of each bracket facing off in the last round.
"It's great to be back with another year of the award-winning Madden NFL Cover Vote for a brand-new game that will be the deepest and most innovative in the history of the franchise when it launches in August," said Anthony Stevenson, Senior Director of Marketing at EA SPORTS. "This year we're posing the ultimate question of who's more deserving; one of the NFL's all-time greats or one of today's hottest players?"
The voting will start on Monday, March 11 on ESPN.com/MaddenVote, and the live brackets will be revealed on a special edition of "SportsNation" at 4:00pm Eastern on ESPN2. Last year, Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson, Jr. received 20 million votes to become the cover athlete of Madden NFL 13.
"This is the third consecutive year EA SPORTS and ESPN have collaborated on the Madden NFL Cover Vote in its current iteration," added Raphael Poplock, Vice President of Games and Partnerships for ESPN. "Each year has brought record-setting results as NFL fans come out in droves to support their favorite players and teams, and by going big this year with legends facing off against the league's current leaders, needless to say it will be an interesting vote with much debate and discussion."
What All-time great NFL Players do you want to see in the bracket? What modern NFL players do you want to see in the contest? Let us know what you think about the cover vote and the announcement of Madden NFL 25 in the comment section below...
Take a look at Ravens' linebacker Ray Lewis giving Madden NFL 13 gamers one last speech before the Super Bowl in a new trailer titled "Leave Your Legacy."