Madden NFL 21 Announced Plus Cover Athlete Revealed

The first details on EA's annual football release are here.

Earlier today, EA Sports revealed that NFL MVP and Baltimore Ravens Quarterback Lamar Jackson will be your cover athlete Madden NFL 21. For the first time, the cover will chronicle the journey of Jackson's NFL career across the cover of the game.

In addition to this reveal, EA also showed off the first ever look at Madden NFL 21 on current generation platforms. Madden NFL 21 is looking to be released on August 28, 2020 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC via Origin and on the same day via Steam.

Madden NFL 21 includes improved ball carrier mechanics for "all out control in the running back and receiver positions," plus it also features "enhanced D-Line mechanics that make the pass rush positions more responsive and fun to play." There is now more realistic open-field tackling and new player-controlled celebrations after big plays. EA says that some of the biggest changes are actually in the "overall authenticity and presentation" that feature "new on field camera shots and improved player awareness of their positioning and surroundings."

Also new to Madden NFL 21 is Face of the Franchise: Rise to Fame, a playable documentary career campaign where players create themselves and play through their rise to fame from high school as a quarterback, to college where they can choose to pivot to running back or wide receiver, before experiencing the NFL Combine, NFL Draft, and cementing their legacy in the League. In addition, fans can expect more than 50 new Superstar X-Factor abilities, Live Playbooks 2.0, and a brand-new season of Ultimate Team content, along with other new features.

Outside of the standard $59.99 (USD) version of the game, there is an MVP Edition that includes various benefits:

3-Day Early Access
Lamar Jackson Elite Item with Power Up
17 Madden Ultimate Team (MUT) Gold Team Fantasy Packs
One Large Quicksell Training Pack
Madden Championship Series Ultimate Champion Pack
One of 32 Elite Players from Team Elite Pack
and One "Your Choice" Uniform Pack

This MVP edition will set you back $99.99. There is also a Deluxe Edition that includes the 3-day early access and 7 MUT Gold Team Fantasy Packs.

For those making the jump to next-gen consoles, EA Sports will offer a free upgrade to the PS5 and Series X releases of the game when it's released. However, this offer will be available only for a limited time.

In addition, this year, EA SPORTS will deliver distinct Madden NFL 21 experiences across current and next generation platforms. Through partnerships with Sony and Microsoft, EA SPORTS will offer Dual Entitlement, creating ways for players who purchase either an Xbox Series X or PlayStation 5 to upgrade** their copy of Madden NFL 21 from prior generation Xbox One or PlayStation 4 platforms at no additional cost. This offer will be in place all the way through the Madden NFL 21 season, up to the release of Madden NFL 22, so players can upgrade whenever they first purchase their new console within that period.

We will see more about the next-gen version of Madden NFL 21 during EA Play Live this Thursday, June 18 at 4PM (PT). Until then, enjoy this look at the current-gen version of the game. The screenshots are (presumably) from the PC version of the game, which will probably give you an idea of what to expect from the next-gen consoles.