The Old School Challenges the New School in the Biggest Cover Vote
Yet with Winner to be Revealed Live on SportsNation on April 24
REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Electronic
Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) and ESPN today announced the official players
and brackets for the Madden NFL 25 Cover Vote. The vote will
include two brackets, one composed of 32 new-school NFL stars and one of
32 old-school NFL legends, with the winner of each bracket facing off in
the finals for the right to appear on the cover. The Madden NFL Cover
Vote has proven to be extremely popular with the fans, garnering over 33
million votes since its introduction in 2011.
The new school vs. old school format is especially fitting for the 25th
anniversary of the Madden NFL franchise, as this edition of the
game both celebrates the past while laying a strong foundation for the
future. The name Madden NFL 25 was chosen in celebration of the
franchise's silver anniversary, and the game will launch on August 27.
Throughout the competition, fans can vote for all their favorites by
visiting ESPN.com/MaddenVote
starting today with all 32 old-school and new-school matchups. And, for
the first time ever, SportsNation will debut a limited window of
live Twitter voting during their show every Tuesday from 4-5 p.m. ET on
ESPN2. Voting starts now and will continue up until the reveal of the
winner on Wednesday, April 24.
The first round of the competition promises to offer plenty of
excitement, with several high-profile matchups. In the old-school
bracket Hall-of-Famer Curtis Martin takes on former Pittsburgh Steeler
Jerome Bettis in a battle between two of the top running backs of the
previous decade; while in the new-school bracket feared Broncos
linebacker Von Miller will do his best to prevent New York Giants wide
receiver Victor Cruz from salsa dancing into the next round.
Over the past week ESPN has hosted a special Wild Card Round via Twitter
with Hall of Fame wide receivers Cris Carter and Jerry Rice going
toe-to-toe to decide who would earn the last slot in the old-school
bracket. Today Jerry Rice took the honors, and will test himself against
former Jacksonville Jaguars running back Fred Taylor in the opening
round.
Fans can tune into SportsNation every Wednesday at 4pm ET on ESPN
2 to get the weekly results of the Madden NFL 25 Cover Vote, and
watch hosts Marcellus Wiley and Charissa Thompson as they provide
in-depth analysis and debate the results. Cover Vote participants and
other special guests will also be appearing on SportsNation and
other ESPN programming for the duration of the campaign to make their
case and attempt to earn fan votes.
"Madden NFL 25 will be a culmination of 25 years of innovation
when it launches in August and there is no better way to honor our
incredible history than by engaging our fans in the ultimate debate of
old school vs. new school," said Anthony Stevenson, Senior Director of
Marketing at EA SPORTS. "Our fans' passion has built the Madden NFL franchise
into what it has become, so it's only fitting that they decide who
should be the face of this special year of Madden NFL; whether it
be one of the NFL's brightest young stars or an all-time legend of the
game."
"The Madden NFL 25 cover vote is the perfect marriage between two
strong brands coming together to put fans in control of what they're
most passionate about and giving them a platform for their voices to be
heard," said Brian Dailey, Director of Games and Partnerships for ESPN.
"Engagement has been strong in our last two Madden cover votes,
accounting for some of ESPN's most successful social activations to
date, and we anticipate that to continue with the 25th
anniversary."
"The Madden NFL 25 cover vote includes an incredible collection
of young NFL stars and some of the best legends to ever play the game,
so it is sure to spark great debate over the next month on SportsNation,"
noted Jamie Horowitz, Vice President of Original Programming and
Production for ESPN. "Our viewers are extremely passionate about their
favorite players and teams so we're looking forward to seeing how the
vote turns out on ESPN.com and Twitter."
To celebrate the start of Madden NFL 25 Cover Vote, EA SPORTS and
ESPN hosted a live bracket reveal on SportsNation at LA Live. The
star-studded event featured visits from San Francisco 49ers quarterback
Colin Kaepernick and former San Francisco wide receiver Jerry Rice
making their cases for the new school and the old school, alongside a
musical performance by Kendrick Lamar. The event provided a high-energy
start for the Cover Vote and set the tone for an exciting competition.
Fans will also have the opportunity to win a trip for two to the Madden
NFL 25 Cover Shoot on Wednesday, April 24 and tickets to the first
round of the 2013 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 25 in New York City.
Starting today and through March 18 users will be able to click on the
Xbox 360 Madden NFL 25 Play and Win banner on the Xbox Live
dashboard to gain access to the various ways to enter to win. Full rules
and details can be found here.
Embraced by fans and honored by critics for 25 years, Madden NFL is
known as the NFL's "33rd Franchise" due to its authentic
gameplay, the development team's unparalleled access to NFL resources
and its prominent place in NFL culture.
Madden NFL 25 is developed in Orlando, Florida by EA Tiburon and
will be available for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system
and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system for $59.99 and can be
preordered at GameStop.
To learn more about Madden NFL 25, visit http://www.easports.com/madden-nfl.
Fans are also invited to become
a Madden Insider for exclusive information on Facebook including the
latest news, original content and more for Madden NFL 25.
All player participation has been facilitated by National Football
League Players Incorporated, the licensing and marketing subsidiary of
the NFL Players Association (NFLPA).
EA SPORTS is one of the leading sports entertainment brands in the
world, with top-selling videogame franchises, award-winning interactive
technology, fan programs and cross-platform digital experiences. EA
SPORTS creates connected experiences that ignite the emotion of sports
through industry-leading sports videogames, including Madden NFL
football, FIFA Soccer, NHL® hockey, NBA LIVE basketball,
NCAA® Football, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® golf, SSX™
and Fight Night boxing.
For more information about EA SPORTS, including news, video, blogs,
forums and game apps, please visit www.easports.com
to connect, share and compete.
About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: EA) is a global leader in digital interactive
entertainment. The Company delivers games, content and online services
for Internet-connected consoles, personal computers, mobile phones,
tablets and social networks. EA has more than 275 million registered
players and operates in 75 countries.
In fiscal 2012, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $4.1 billion.
Headquartered in Redwood City, California, EA is recognized for a
portfolio of critically acclaimed, high-quality blockbuster brands such
as The Sims™, Madden NFL, FIFA Soccer, Need for Speed™, Battlefield™ and
Mass Effect™. More information about EA is available at http://info.ea.com.
The Sims and Need for Speed are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. Mass
Effect is a trademark of EA International (Studio and Publishing) Ltd.
Battlefield is a trademark of EA Digital Illusions CE AB. John Madden,
NFL, FIFA, NHL, NBA, NCAA, Tiger Woods, and PGA TOUR are the property of
their respective owners and used with permission. All other trademarks
are the property of their respective owners.
Electronic Arts Inc.
Adam Tanielian, 407-386-5824
Sr.
Director of Communications
atanielian@ea.com
Brad
Hilderbrand, 407-386-4246
Communications Specialist
bhilderbrand@ea.com
or
Fleishman-Hillard
Matt
Faust, 415-318-4073
Matt.Faust@fleishman.com
Source: Electronic Arts Inc.
News Provided by Acquire Media