The cover to Madden 17 was revealed on the 6 p.m. SportsCenter on Thursday and Rob Gronkowski was granted the honor to grace the cover of one of the longest running video game franchises.
The New England Patriots’ tight end follows The Giants’ wideout Odell Beckham Jr. as the cover athlete on Madden .
EA Sports forgoed the fan vote from previous years and decided to choose the cover athlete themselves as they did for over a decade. In the past, the cover athlete coincided with gameplay features that year’s Madden aimed to change.
Speaking of gameplay, here’s the first gameplay trailer for Madden 17.
Madden 17 will focus on the ball carriers with EA’s updated running system.
According to the Madden website , a tiered system to the types of special moves different players are able to pull off is implemented. These moves are dependent on player attributes, ratings and speed.
Bigger bruising backs to be more effective with truck moves and stiff arms, while smaller, shiftier backs have more effective jukes and spins.
On defense, you can assign defenders to plug up holes in the D-Line to prevent your opponent’s run game from having a great day. New Gap Play AI brings a new level of NFL authenticity and strategy to your defensive teammates. Each of your teammates has a gap assignment on run defense that puts them in position to better defend the run.
To learn more be sure to check out the Madden website.
Madden NFL 17 will be available for Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 on Aug. 23.
What do you think of the Madden 17 cover athlete? What do you hope they change this year from last? Sound off in the comments section below.
