New England Patriots QB Tom Brady, who led his team to an unprecedented come-from-behind victory in Super Bowl LI, will be on the cover of this year’s Madden NFL 18.
With his five Super Bowl victories, four Super Bowl MVP awards, 12 Pro bowl nominations, and his huge passing numbers, he is a lock for the Hall of Fame. But he’s never been on a Madden game cover until now. Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski was on the cover of Madden 17, making this the first time ever that teammates have been on the cover of a Madden game in back-to-back years.
Patriots fans might not like news due to the Madden Curse. Last year, it struck again, with Gronkowski sidelined with an injury that kept him out of the playoffs, including the Super Bowl
“The Madden NFL 18 cover is a great honor for me,” said Brady. “Especially since I have been playing the game since growing up next to EA headquarters in the Bay Area. I’m not one to believe in curses, so I’m ready to take the challenge head on like always! It doesn’t stand a chance!!!”
In addition to the cover news, EA also announced pre-order offers for two distinct editions of Madden NFL 18. Fans who pre-order the standard edition will receive numerous benefits*, including the choice of an Elite player from their favorite NFL team for use in Madden NFL 18 Ultimate Team, as well as five Squad Packs, redeemable at launch. In celebration of the Greatest of All Time, those looking for even more can opt for the G.O.A.T. Edition, which gets them not only what’s in the standard edition, but also one of five G.O.A.T. players of their choice for Madden NFL 18 Ultimate Team, and more.
Fans can also play the finished game before launch day: G.O.A.T. Edition owners get three-day early access, letting them start their season on Tuesday, August 22, while EA Access members can play for up to 10 hours starting Thursday, August 17 with the EA Access Play First Trial.
This weekend also marks the finals of the Madden Championship, the culmination of the first year of Madden NFL’s competitive gaming series. The top-ranked competitors of the series are all vying for their share of the $500,000 prize pool, and the right to be named the Madden NFL Champion. The 2017 Madden Championship airs live on NFL Network, Twitch, Facebook and YouTube this Sunday, May 14 at 9:00pm ET, with a re-air on NFL Network the same night at 12:00am ET.
Madden NFL 18 is developed in Orlando, Florida by EA Tiburon and will be available worldwide on August 25 for Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
