There will be some big changes in Madden NFL 23. On Thursday, EA Sports revealed the first official trailer for the football video game and announced that the game will be released worldwide on Aug. 19. Fans can start playing the game early via EA Play Early Access and EA Play Pro on Aug. 16.
Legendary coach John Madden is shown throughout the trailer as he’s on the cover of the game. Madden, a Super Bowl-winning head coach and Emmy Award-winning broadcaster, died at the age of 85 in December. The trailer also introduces the FieldSENSE gameplay system which will equip “players with more control at all positions in every mode,” according to the official Madden NFL 23 website. FieldSENSE “comes to life in Madden NFL 23 in four major ways, through new control mechanics that we’re calling: Hit Everything, Skill-Based Passing, 360° Cuts, and WR vs DB Battles.”
Videos by PopCulture.com
But Madden NFL 23 will be all about Madden and what he meant to the video game series and the NFL. Chuck Styles created the cover for Madden NFL 23 Hall of Fame Edition, and he said: “As someone who grew up loving football, playing in the suburbs of West Philly, it’s a full circle moment to now be able to contribute to the culture of the sport by honoring an icon like John Madden, who has influenced generations of football fans through his passion for football and unmistakable energy, through my art.”
The Madden NFL franchise has a long history of entertaining football fans. The first game, which was called John Madden Football, was released in 1988, and at the time, there were no NFL teams or players because of licensing. That changed when Madden NFL 94 was released in 1993, and the franchise became the video game of the league.
In an interview with ESPN in Jan. 2021, Madden talked about when he realized how big the game has become. “When I realized it had really gotten big was when the players would make a team in the NFL,” Madden said. “They were happy about a lot of things, but one of those things was that they would be in the game. They played the game in grammar school, high school, college, and now they are in it.” Madden NFL 23 will be available for Playstation 4, Playstation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, Origin, Stream and Epic Games Store.
