Madden 23 Memoriam: Video Game Releases Iconic Cover

Madden NFL 23 cover boy is none other than John Madden. As it should be.

To no one's surprise, the cover of Madden NFL 23 will fittingly feature ... John Madden.

The iconic broadcaster and Hall-of-Fame head coach passed away last December 28 at age 85. He hasn't graced the cover of his wildly popular video game -  which has sold more than 150 million copies - since 2000.

But 34 years to the day that Madden’s video game was launched on the Apple II, EA Sports revealed Wednesday morning that Madden will once again be the face of its game.

The Madden 23 cover. As it should be.

It’s the first time John Madden is on the cover since 2000. pic.twitter.com/0jWpOciQKt

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 1, 2022

Only two New England Patriots have been on the game's cover: Tight end Rob Gronkowski and, of course, Tom Brady. The quarterback got his own cover in 2017 and shared the space as a Buccaneer with the Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes on last year's game: Madden NFL 22.

Madden was the game's cover boy when it debuted in 1988 until first sharing the spotlight with players such as Ricky Watters (49ers running back) and Erik Williams (Cowboys offensive lineman) in 1994.

The popular video game has spanned generations and is the only officially licensed NFL video game series.

Madden has arguably influenced the game more than any other person ever has or ever will. For many fans and players alike, the video game was how they first learned about football.

Those who play the Madden 23 edition will see Madden himself every time they fire up the game. And that’s a very good thing. Plenty of young NFL fans don’t know enough about John Madden.

They’ll learn plenty about him in the new version of the game. And they’ll hear from him directly. Yes, Coach Madden’s voice is returning to the game via, according to EA Sports, “remastered audio clips that call back to his legendary days as a broadcaster.”