Console NFL superstars can pretty much count on one hand the number of days before Ea Sports, the sports videogame arm of Electronic Arts, releases “Madden NFL 18,” the latest installment of the long-running football game series. In true Madden form, the new title boasts new features, a library of awesome songs to run plays with, and some hand-wringing concerns on whether or not New England Patriots quarterback (and current player on the cover) Tom Brady might suffer the “Madden Curse.” But there is another buzz being generated around “Madden NFL 18,” this being a massive online competition with the official backing of all NFL team franchises in one event, the Madden NFL Club Championship.
Madden online tournaments
EA Sports has just released an official trailer just this Monday, August 22, laying down the general gist of what to expect when throwing one’s hat in on the Madden NFL Club Championship. This is no ordinary gaming tournament either. Every single one of the 32 teams in the National Football League has signed a partnership with Electronic Arts to give official sponsorship to the best of the best players in the coming online play for “Madden NFL 18” starting from its release this coming August 25.
All interested “Madden NFL 18” players (on both the PS4 and the Xbox One) can register for the competition at the official NFL website. Once done, they could then go play online matches with other contestants.
Play format, at least in the initial qualifying rounds, is in the in-game modes MUT Salary Cap or Mut Champions, where gamers play together in three-man units to a team – one playing the quarterback, the second as running back and the third as head coach. Top players as registered on the Madden online leaderboards will advance to play in live e-sport events at both the Orlando Pro Bowl Experience and in Minneapolis this coming Super Bowl 52.
E-sports rising
Electronic or E-sports have been proving to be a steadily growing market with the same sponsorship and following as what could be expected from actual major league sporting competitions. Another gaming developer that are making inroads with full competition tournaments in partnership with pro sports teams include Take-Two Interactive, which has teamed up with the NBA for an e-league based on the “BA 2K” series.
For EA Sports' Madden NFL Club Championship, the lucky skilled players who manage to make it to the live-play tournaments will find themselves officially representing the real NFL teams in the struggle for supremacy, with over $400,000 in prizes to be given away to the winners.
