Box art for the upcoming Madden NFL 23 has been revealed, and it features the late, legendary head coach, commentator, and franchise namesake John Madden. The yearly series from EA Sports has used Madden's name for decades, and will now honor him with the coveted spot on the cover after his passing late last year.
John Madden rose to professional football fame as head coach of the Oakland Raiders, where he led the organization to 10 straight winning seasons and a victory in Super Bowl XI over the Minnesota Vikings. After retiring from coaching, Madden enjoyed an illustrious broadcast career at four major television networks, revolutionizing commentating for not only football, but other sports as well. He appeared on the cover of the original John Madden Football video game in 1988, as well as 10 subsequent releases. Following his death on December 28, 2021, fans petitioned for Madden's return to the cover, an honor usually reserved for the NFL's biggest star players.
Madden NFL 23's cover for the All Madden Edition is a recreation of the original John Madden Football box art, using the same picture of Madden. The All Madden Edition is a nod to the head coach's yearly tradition of selecting an "All-Madden" team, consisting of players which he felt best represented the sport. Two additional covers celebrate Madden's coaching and broadcasting careers, according to Electronic Arts. Today's reveal of the Madden NFL 23 covers was specifically chosen in honor of the launch of John Madden Football on June 1, 1988, and the first trailer for 23 will drop tomorrow, June 2.
After fans mourned John Madden following his death, Madden NFL 23 will celebrate his legacy in the game's first interactive experience. When the title is first launched, it will put players in a match-up between two All-Madden teams coached by different digital versions of John Madden himself, all taking place inside a recreation of Oakland Coliseum from the 1970s. Madden's broadcasting voice will return to the series through a batch of remastered audio clips during the first interactive experience.
Although John Madden is one of the most beloved coaches in NFL history, he had arguably a much larger impact from the broadcasters' booth. His emphatic and educational approach to commentating, including liberal use of a telestrator to draw diagrams for the audience, is considered a major component to the NFL's rise in popularity - a legacy continued by the world record breaking Madden NFL series. His return to the game's multiple covers for Madden NFL 23 is a fitting tribute, and a thorough celebration of his multifaceted career.
Source: Electronic Arts