Madden NFL 23 Covers Pay Tribute To The Career Of John Madden

John Madden has donated his name for the longest running NFL franchise in video games for over three decades. EA Sports honored the memory with three Madden NFL 23 covers. Following John Madden’s passing in December 2021, EA Sports made the call to dedicate this year’s game to the man who made the franchise possible in the first place. Instead of featuring an athlete on Madden NFL 23’s cover, EA Sports designed three covers that celebrated the major contributions of John Madden to football.

This first cover celebrates John Madden’s contribution to the NFL as a Coach. It features him getting carried off the field by his players after his victory in Super Bowl XI 1976. The next cover is a tribute to Madden’s time as a NFL color commentator. He did this for CBS Sports and Fox Sports. ABC Sports. NBC Sports. With a special digital edition, the Madden NFL 23 final cover is a tribute to his contribution to the NFL video games franchise. Chuck Styles from Philadelphia designed the artwork that recreates 1988 John Madden Football box art.

Trip Hawkins, the founder of Electronic Arts, first approached John Madden back in 1984 in order to bring football to video gaming. Hawkins suggested to Madden a 7-on-7 version of football, as he couldn’t believe that the 8-bit system could support 22 players at once. Madden ignored the notion of lowering player counts, insisting it couldn’t be genuine football if it wasn’t 11-on-11. The first game in the series, John Madden Football took four years to develop. It launched in 1988. Madden offered insight and suggestions on the game’s structure, the strategies teams should use, as well as the first series’ playbooks.

John Madden was the main face of series and appeared on every cover from 1999 to 2000. The franchise introduced the concept of the NFL cover athlete in 2001, when it began to use NFL stars. Madden was able to return to the cover of Madden NFL 07 for an exclusive commemorative issue. This edition celebrated his induction into NFL Hall of Fame. John Madden is featured on the regular cover for the first time since he was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame. Madden continued to be involved with the NFL’s development team. He provided insight and guidance for developers on the rules until his death, in 2021.

EA Sports will be releasing special covers to this year’s Madden NFL entry. In addition, EA Sports will also implement a First Interactive Experience that features two different versions of Coach Madden leading rival teams of All-Madden players in 1970s Oakland Coliseum. John Madden will be speaking through audio clips using remastered audio that takes us back in time to when he was a broadcaster. EA has also designated June 1 Madden Day in honor of John Madden Football’s 1988 release. EA headquarters in Redwood Shores has dedicated its newly renovated field John Maddenfield to celebrate. The ceremony will include the EA CEO and members of the Madden families.

Madden NFL 23 will be released later in the year.