EA Sports is postponing its Madden 21 "First Look" reveal, in the wake of George Floyd's death and the ensuing protests. The reveal was originally scheduled for June 1.
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“Tomorrow, we had committed to celebrating Madden NFL 21 with you, but we’re not going to do that now," the company explained in a statement released on Twitter.
“We stand with our African American / Black community of friends, players, colleagues, and partners. Our immediate attention is on actions we can take to drive change against the unjust treatment and systemic bias that is plaguing the nation and our world," they continued. "We’ll find another time to talk football with you. Because this is bigger than a game, bigger than sports, and needs all of us to stand together and commit to change.”
Atop the statement, the phrase "It's Game Time" is written with a line through the word "game."
The game was officially announced by EA Sports during the Xbox Series X gameplay reveal event on May 7, with a short trailer and introduction from Super Bowl champion and former cover athlete, Patrick Mahomes. The company announced that anyone who purchases the game on Xbox One will receive a free upgrade to the Xbox Series X edition
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Lamar Jackson Confirms He’s The Face of "Madden 21"
Lamar Jackson will be the latest athlete to grace the cover of the popular Madden NFL franchise.
EA Sports is one of the most well-known video game companies in the entire world thanks to their yearly sports titles. One of their most popular games is the Madden series which always gets football fans riled up. Every single year, gamers anticipate the unveiling of which player will grace the cover. Over the years, there has been the "Madden curse" which typically leads to misfortune for those who end up on the cover. The most recent victim was Antonio Brown who was on the cover of Madden 19. Patrick Mahomes was the face of Madden 20 and still won the Super Bowl so the curse isn't an exact science.
Today, during a Q&A session on the Baltimore Ravens Twitter account, Lamar Jackson revealed that he would be the face of the next iteration, Madden 21. This makes a whole lot of sense when you consider he is the reigning MVP and had a dominant season in 2019.
Jackson was questioned about the Madden curse and whether or not he is worried about it. As he explains, it worked out fine for Patrick Mahomes so he's not thinking about it too much. Not to mention, being on the cover of Madden has always been a dream of his.
Overall, EA Sports couldn't have picked a better player.
SNL: JJ Watt Forced To Insult "Wheelchair Boy" For Madden 21 Sketch
JJ Watt takes his talents to TV.
JJ Watt hosted this weekend’s episode of Saturday Night Live, and just in time for the Super Bowl, fit in a number of football-related sketches.
For “Madden 21,” Watt is invited to record his voice over for in-game dialogue, but things quickly take a turn towards the absurd when he’s told to say some embarrassing things.
“God I suck today!” Watt is told to yell.
“It kinda sounds like video game JJ Watt messes up a lot,” Watt says in response.
After being reassured all is well, he continues, “Go ahead and boo me! At least I’m not in a wheelchair like that little boy right there!”
“What? Dude, I would never say that. That’s awful, man,” he interrupts himself to say.
Watt goes on to say even more absurd dialogue for one of the better sketches from the episode.
Hosting SNL, Watt joins a number of renowned NFL players who have been invited to the show. Both Peyton and Eli Manning have hosted in years past, as has Tom Brady.
Watt’s Houston Texans lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round of the playoffs this year. Watt has yet to make it past the Divisional Round of the playoffs.
