News
EA and ESPN Announce Calvin Johnson JR as the Fan-Voted Madden NFL 13 Cover Athlete
Nearly 20 Million Votes Cast through ESPN’s SportsNation, Shattering Last Year’s Award-Winning Campaign
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., - April 25, in the year of our
Lord 2012 - Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) and ESPN
announced today that Calvin Johnson, Jr., wide receiver for the
Detroit Lions, was selected by millions of fans across the
country to grace the cover of Madden NFL 13, which will hit
store shelves August 28. Johnson, a No. 6 seed, defeated fellow
NFL Pro Bowler Cam Newton, a No.1 seed, in a thrilling matchup
culminating in a live unveiling on ESPN’s SportsNation and a
cover photo shoot for the winner in New York City’s Times
Square. This year’s vote campaign surpassed last year’s totals
by 54% (19.6 million vs. 12.7 million), ending with Johnson
triumphing over Newton by a final margin of 52% to 48%.
Nearly 20 million votes were cast during the seven week campaign
(March 7 to April 25) through SportsNation online and via the
mobile web, marking a new engagement record for an ESPN poll.
Supported by integrations across multiple ESPN platforms,
including TV, radio, online, mobile, social media, ESPN Deportes
and more, fans rallied and supported Johnson as he beat teammate
Matt Stafford in the newly introduced play-in round. He carried
his strong momentum through the bracket of 32 all the way to
victory beating No. 11 seed Dwayne Bowe, No. 3 seed Arian
Foster, No. 2 seed Rob Gronkowski and No. 1 seed Aaron Rodgers
in the final four before triumphing over Newton in the finale.
“The Madden NFL 13 Cover Vote has been bigger and better than
ever thanks to all of our fans voting in record-setting fashion
to honor Calvin Johnson, Jr. and we are thrilled to have him be
the next face of the Madden NFL franchise,” said Anthony
Stevenson, Madden NFL 13 director of marketing. “This year’s
cover voting campaign had more rounds, more players and more
votes than ever before, generating great conversations and
debates amongst the fans and NFL players across multiple ESPN
platforms and throughout social media. The amount of support
that Johnson generated nationally and in his home market of
Detroit was staggering.”
“This is the second year SportsNation was the home for the
Madden NFL Cover Vote and it has been even more engaging than
expected,” said Jamie Horowitz, VP of Original Programming and
Production, ESPN. “SportsNation created a cross-platform
experience like no other at ESPN, launching a play-in round on
Facebook with more than 4 million votes, driving traffic to
ESPN.com for a month of record-setting voting, and culminating
with a live reveal show from New York City that was an exciting
way for Johnson to learn of the fan’s ultimate decision.”
“This campaign is the latest example of what ESPN and EA have
been doing for years together to serve sports fans,” said
Raphael Poplock, Vice President, Games and Partnerships, ESPN.
“From in-studio technology with Virtual Playbook, to authentic
ESPN broadcast treatments within EA franchise games, and
cross-platform social campaigns for the Madden NFL Cover Vote,
our relationship continues to produce successful integrations
and activations that engage fans in new and innovative ways.”
To celebrate and commemorate Johnson’s Cover Vote win and to
kick off the Madden NFL 13 season, EA SPORTS conducted a photo
shoot in New York City’s Times Square to capture the iconic
image that will appear on the cover of this year’s game.
To complement the Madden NFL 13 season kickoff, the first game
details were released via the Feature Playbook today, with
additional details to be released leading up to the game launch
on August 28.
Presentation (released 4/25) – Madden NFL 13 delivers
world-class presentation with an entirely new look and feel;
plus, new commentators bring the game’s broadcast to life.
Gameplay – Part I (released 4/25) – With a revamped passing game
and the all-new read and react defensive AI system, Madden NFL
13 achieves greater realism on the virtual gridiron on both
sides of the ball.
Audio (to be released 5/14)—Madden NFL 13 delivers a superb
audio experience that faithfully replicates NFL Sundays with a
new commentary team and the implementation of innovative
technology along with unique resources provided by NFL Films.
Gameplay – Part II (to be released 6/4) – A monumental change to
Madden NFL gameplay creates the most authentic football
experience to date, blurring the line between virtual and
reality.
Connected Careers (to be released 6/4) – With Connected Careers,
Madden NFL 13 will revolutionize the way sports video game
career modes are played.
Madden Ultimate Team (to be released 7/9) – Madden NFL 13
Ultimate Team is the definitive way to experience virtual card
collecting with new content and updates that mirror exciting NFL
events throughout the entire year.
Madden Social (TBD) – A whole new way to experience Madden
against your friends- anytime, anywhere.
Since its debut in 1989, Madden NFL has more than 95 million
units sold-in to date. Fans can visit
http://www.ea.com/madden-nfl to learn more about Madden NFL
13 pre-sale opportunities.
Madden NFL 13 is developed in Orlando, Florida by EA Tiburon and
will be available for the Xbox 360® video game system from
Microsoft, Kinect, PlayStation®3, Wii™, and PS Vita
(PlayStation®Vita) handheld entertainment system on August 28.
NFL Players Incorporated facilitated all player participation,
most notably through the use of a new mobile app developed in
partnership with Playmark, Inc. that allows players to quickly
and easily record videos to share with their fans online.
EA SPORTS™ is one of the leading sports entertainment brands in
the world, with top-selling videogame franchises, award-winning
interactive technology, global videogame competitions and
breakthrough digital experiences. EA SPORTS delivers experiences
that ignite the emotions of sport through industry-leading
sports simulation videogames, including Madden NFL football,
FIFA Soccer, NHL® hockey, NBA basketball, NCAA® Football, and
Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® golf, and EA SPORTS Active.
For more information about EA SPORTS, including news, video,
blogs, forums and game apps, please visit
www.easports.com to connect, share and compete.