On the 34th anniversary of John Madden’s ascension to video game legend, Electronic Arts revealed that the famous coach would once again be the cover star for the series that bears his name, which he hasn’t done since Madden NFL 2000. Madden NFL 23 will have three different covers with Madden’s face, each created by popular sports artist Chuck Styles to highlight the video game icon in a different way.
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In addition to the cover, EA has detailed some of the ways that it plans to celebrate John Madden’s career in the game. Madden NFL 23 will have a special mode where players can pilot two teams each helmed by different versions of Coach Madden. This “All Madden” game will take place in a recreated 1970s version of the Oakland Coliseum, and fans will presumably be munching on a turducken in the stands.
The #Madden23 cover… Coach‼️
Full reveal June 2nd: https://t.co/M3Il0XW40c pic.twitter.com/DTI9FqA5bL
— Madden NFL 25 (@EAMaddenNFL) June 1, 2022
Players will also get to hear the voice of John Madden once again throughout all of Madden NFL 23. EA has remastered audio clips from his days as a broadcaster, and the injection of Madden’s unique verbiage should send players spiraling back to the early days of this football franchise. Further details about Madden NFL 23 will come to light on June 2 at 7 a.m. PT on the franchise’s YouTube channel.
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Outside of the game, Electronic Arts are also contributing to educational programs in John Madden’s name. The John Madden Legacy Commitment to Education will spend half of its $5 million on nonprofit organizations focusing on Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM) education. The other half will go towards the newly created EA Madden Scholarship, which supports a dozen historically Black colleges and universities.
