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 - New Features Unveiled for Madden NFL 13 during Kickoff Event in Times Square
REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- 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. For more information about Madden NFL 13 please visit http://www.ea.com/madden-nfl. To download assets pertaining to the Madden NFL 13 Cover Vote please visit http://maddennfl13.newslinevine.com or www.info.ea.com.
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, Fight Night boxing, EA SPORTS MMA 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.
About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA) is a global leader in digital interactive entertainment. The Company's game franchises are offered as both packaged goods products and online services delivered through Internet-connected consoles, personal computers, mobile phones and tablets. EA has more than 100 million registered players and operates in 75 countries.
In fiscal 2011, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.6 billion. Headquartered in Redwood City, California, EA is recognized for critically acclaimed, high-quality blockbuster franchises such as The Sims™, Madden NFL, FIFA Soccer, Need for Speed™, Battlefield™, and Mass Effect™. More information about EA is available at http://info.ea.com.
EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS Active, The Sims and Need for Speed are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. Mass Effect is a trademark of EA International (Studio and Publishing) Ltd. Battlefield is a trademark of EA Digital Illusions CE AB. John Madden, NFL, FIFA, NHL, NBA, NCAA, Tiger Woods, and PGA TOUR are trademarks of their respective owners and used with permission. Twitter is a registered trademark of Twitter, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Officially Licensed Product of NFL PLAYERS Incorporated.
About SportsNation
SportsNation is a live sports television show born from the Internet, fueled by fan interaction and focused on fun. The show, which has the youngest and most male audience on the ESPN network, features discussions of the day's hottest sports topics but also smaller stories that generate buzz on the Web but are overlooked by other shows. Feeding off the theory that if two heads are better than one, 200,000 heads are better than two, SportsNation engages hundreds of thousands of sports fans across the country via ESPN.com's SportsNation page (http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/).
About ESPN Games and EA
ESPN's long-standing relationship with EA produces deep brand integrations into console gaming titles such as EA SPORTS NCAA Football 12 and Fight Night Champion. Additionally, the relationship in 2011 produced the biggest ESPN poll vote ever for the Madden NFL 12 cover vote, logging nearly 13 million votes, the most ESPN votes ever for a joint collaboration. The Emmy award-winning EA Virtual Playbook also most recently extended to boxing and golf in 2011.
EA SPORTS
Julie Foster, 407-386-5184
jfoster@ea.com
or
Fleishman-Hillard
Carol Quito, 415-318-4109
carol.quito@fleishman.com
Source: Electronic Arts Inc.
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. For more information about Madden NFL 13 please visit http://www.ea.com/madden-nfl. To download assets pertaining to the Madden NFL 13 Cover Vote please visit http://maddennfl13.newslinevine.com or www.info.ea.com.
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, Fight Night boxing, EA SPORTS MMA 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.
About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA) is a global leader in digital interactive entertainment. The Company's game franchises are offered as both packaged goods products and online services delivered through Internet-connected consoles, personal computers, mobile phones and tablets. EA has more than 100 million registered players and operates in 75 countries.
In fiscal 2011, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.6 billion. Headquartered in Redwood City, California, EA is recognized for critically acclaimed, high-quality blockbuster franchises such as The Sims™, Madden NFL, FIFA Soccer, Need for Speed™, Battlefield™, and Mass Effect™. More information about EA is available at http://info.ea.com.
EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS Active, The Sims and Need for Speed are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. Mass Effect is a trademark of EA International (Studio and Publishing) Ltd. Battlefield is a trademark of EA Digital Illusions CE AB. John Madden, NFL, FIFA, NHL, NBA, NCAA, Tiger Woods, and PGA TOUR are trademarks of their respective owners and used with permission. Twitter is a registered trademark of Twitter, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Officially Licensed Product of NFL PLAYERS Incorporated.
About SportsNation
SportsNation is a live sports television show born from the Internet, fueled by fan interaction and focused on fun. The show, which has the youngest and most male audience on the ESPN network, features discussions of the day's hottest sports topics but also smaller stories that generate buzz on the Web but are overlooked by other shows. Feeding off the theory that if two heads are better than one, 200,000 heads are better than two, SportsNation engages hundreds of thousands of sports fans across the country via ESPN.com's SportsNation page (http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/).
About ESPN Games and EA
ESPN's long-standing relationship with EA produces deep brand integrations into console gaming titles such as EA SPORTS NCAA Football 12 and Fight Night Champion. Additionally, the relationship in 2011 produced the biggest ESPN poll vote ever for the Madden NFL 12 cover vote, logging nearly 13 million votes, the most ESPN votes ever for a joint collaboration. The Emmy award-winning EA Virtual Playbook also most recently extended to boxing and golf in 2011.
EA SPORTS
Julie Foster, 407-386-5184
jfoster@ea.com
or
Fleishman-Hillard
Carol Quito, 415-318-4109
carol.quito@fleishman.com
Source: Electronic Arts Inc.