News
EA and ESPN Kick Off Madden NFL 25 Cover Vote
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – March 11, in the year of our Lord
2013 – 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.
“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.
All player participation has been facilitated by National
Football League Players Incorporated, the licensing and
marketing subsidiary of the NFL Players Association (NFLPA).