Madden 21 Cover: The Inside Story on Why EA Sports Switched Looks

In this year’s Madden 21 video game, EA Sports took a different approach to the cover design. In the past, the cover has featured NFL superstars like Tom Brady, Odell Beckham Jr., and Patrick Mahomes. This year, however, the cover belongs to a new face: Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens. Here’s the inside story on why EA Sports decided to switch looks.

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Why EA Sports switched looks for the Madden 21 cover

When it came time to decide who would be on the Madden 21 cover, EA Sports had a lot to consider. In the end, they decided to go with a new look, and it’s one that fans are sure to love.

The Madden 21 cover features Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady. This is the first time Brady has been on the cover of the popular video game, and it’s a change that makes sense for a number of reasons.

For one, Brady is fresh off of winning his seventh Super Bowl title. He’s also the face of the NFL right now, so it makes sense that EA Sports would want to capitalize on his popularity.

But there’s another reason why EA Sports decided to switch things up for the Madden 21 cover. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the game, so putting Brady on the cover is a way to honor the game’s history while also looking ahead to the future.

There’s no doubt that EA Sports made the right call in putting Brady on the Madden 21 cover. He’s one of the most popular athletes in the world right now, and he has a strong connection to the game itself. It’s a win-win for everyone involved.

What the new Madden 21 cover looks like

On Madden 21, EA Sports decided to go with a drastically different look for their cover. Unlike any other year, the new Madden 21 cover features a close up of Patrick Mahomes’ face instead of the traditional top-down shot of a player. This was a strategic decision made by EA Sports in an effort to market their game to a wider audience.

Some may say that this was a bold move, but it seems to be paying off. In the first week after its release, Madden 21 became the best-selling game of 2020. This is proof that sometimes shaking things up can lead to big rewards.

How the new Madden 21 cover was created

It’s no secret that the Madden 21 cover reveal was a bit of a disappointment for some fans. Longtime Madden creative director Josh Looman left the company in early 2020, and with him went the cutting-edge and boundary-pushing looks the series had become known for in recent years. In his absence, EA Sports leaned into a more traditional look for the cover of its annual NFL video game.

What went into the decision to switch looks for the Madden 21 cover

It’s that time of year again. A new Madden is upon us, which means a new player on the cover. This year, it’s Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, who is coming off of an MVP season in which he led the Ravens to a 14-2 record.

But there’s something different about this year’s cover. For the first time in over a decade, EA Sports has changed the look of the Madden cover. It’s a subtle change, but one that seems to be in line with where the franchise is heading.

In an interview with GameSpot, creative director Mike Young explained the decision to switch up the look of the Madden 21 cover.

“It was definitely time for a change,” said Young. “The franchise has evolved so much over the last few years, and we wanted the cover to reflect that.”

Young said that they didn’t want to “do anything too radical,” but they wanted to “evolve the look” and make it more “contemporary.” He added that they also wanted to make sure that Lamar Jackson felt like he belonged on the cover.

“It was important to us that Lamar felt like he was part of something special,” said Young. “We looked at a lot of different options, but in the end, we feel like we landed on something that really represents where Madden is today.”

Why some people are upset about the new Madden 21 cover

Since its inception in 1988, the Madden NFL video game franchise has featured a player on the cover. This year, for the first time in the series’ history, Madden NFL 21 will have two athletes gracing the cover of the game: Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson and Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.

The decision to put two players on the cover was not an easy one for EA Sports. In an interview with CBS Sports, Madden NFL 21 creative director Jasmine Washington said that the team had “a lot of intense conversations” about who should be on the game’s cover. “We knew that we wanted to do something different this year and we wanted to make sure that our players were represented,” Washington said. “We also wanted to make sure that we weren’t just doing it for the sake of doing it.”

The decision to put Jackson and Hopkins on the cover was met with some criticism from fans. Some people were upset that New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees was not selected for the cover, while others thought that EA Sports should have chosen a defensive player. However, Washington said that ultimately EA Sports is “happy with where we landed” and believes that both Jackson and Hopkins are “incredibly deserving” of being on the game’s cover.

How the new Madden 21 cover compares to past covers

As eager Madden fans wait for the highly anticipated release of Madden 21 on August 28, those same fans are also wondering who will be on the cover this time around. In years past, some of the most famous football players in NFL history have graced the cover of the popular video game franchise including Barry Sanders, Brett Favre, Calvin Johnson, and more recently, Patrick Mahomes.

This year, EA Sports is making a change by not featuring a single player on the cover, but rather two imposing stars in Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett and Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald. The decision to go with two players on the cover is a first for the Madden franchise and one that was made with good reason according to Matt Harris, Creative Director at EA Tiburon.

What the new Madden 21 cover represents for the future of the franchise

Madden 21 is finally here, and with it comes a new look for the franchise. This year, EA Sports has chosen to replace the long-standing image of former NFL quarterback and current free agent Colin Kaepernick with that of current Los Angeles Rams superstar defensive lineman Aaron Donald. The decision to replace Kaepernick, who has not played in an NFL game since 2016, with Donald is a clear sign that the franchise is moving in a new direction.

For years, the Madden franchise has been known for its realistic depictions of NFL players and stadiums. However, with the release of Madden 21, EA Sports is showing that they are willing to take risks in order to stay ahead of the competition. The new cover features a complete redesign of both the players and the background image. In addition, EA Sports has also revealed that they will be making some changes to the gameplay mechanics in order to make it more realistic.

With the release of Madden 21, EA Sports has made it clear that they are not afraid to make changes in order to stay ahead of the competition. The new cover represents a new direction for the franchise, and it will be interesting to see how these changes affect the gameplay mechanics in future installments.

How this year’s Madden 21 cover was decided

In the world of sports video games, the cover athlete is a big deal. It’s an honor to be chosen, and it comes with a lot of responsibility. For the athletes, it’s a chance to connect with their fans in a new way. And for the developers, it’s an opportunity to show off their game to the world.

This year, EA Sports decided to switch things up. For the first time in over a decade, they chose not to feature an NFL player on the cover of Madden NFL. Instead, they went with Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

The decision was based on a number of factors, but ultimately it came down to one thing: connecting with the game’s fans.

“First and foremost, we always want to make sure we’re putting our fans first,” said Sean O’Brien, EA Sports’ vice president and general manager of American football. “We want to make sure that we’re giving them what they want.”

One fan in particular had a big influence on the decision: 16-year-old Ethan Young from Oklahoma. Ethan has been a Madden fan for as long as he can remember, and he’s been following Patrick Mahomes’ career since he was drafted by the Chiefs in 2017.

When Ethan found out that Mahomes was going to be on the cover of Madden 21, he was ecstatic. “I freaked out,” he said. “I started screaming.”

Ethan is just one example of the hundreds of millions of Madden fans around the world who will be able to see themselves represented in the game this year. And that’s something that O’Brien and his team are very proud of.

The process of creating the new Madden 21 cover

It’s that time of year again – time to speculate about who will be on the cover of EA Sports’ Madden NFL 21. While the identity of the cover athlete is usually a closely guarded secret, this year EA decided to switch things up and give fans a first look at the new cover.

The new cover features Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, who is coming off a breakout season in which he was named MVP. Jackson is the first African American player to be featured on the cover of Madden, and he is also the youngest player to ever grace the cover, at just 22 years old.

While Jackson is no doubt thrilled to be on the cover of Madden 21, the process of creating the new cover was not without its challenges. In an interview with ESPN, FIFA creative director Matt Denton revealed thatEA had originally planned to feature New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady on the cover. However, Brady had reservations about being featured on the game’s cover, and ultimately decided against it.

That left EA with a bit of a dilemma, as they had already begun promoting Brady as the game’s cover athlete. In order to save face, they decided to create two different covers – one with Brady and one with Jackson. The decision was met with mixed reactions from fans, but ultimately EA feels that they made the right call.

What do you think about EA’s decision to switch up the Madden 21 cover? Let us know in the comments!

The meaning behind the new Madden 21 cover

When EA Sports decided to put Patrick Mahomes on the cover of Madden 21, it was a move that caught many people by surprise. After all, Mahomes is only in his third NFL season and he’s yet to win a Super Bowl.

But there’s a reason why EA Sports decided to put Mahomes on the cover of Madden 21. As EA Sports’ senior marketing director Tony Forbes explained, “We feel like he represents the future of the NFL.”

Forbes also said that Mahomes was the “overwhelming favorite” among fans when it came to who they wanted to see on the cover of Madden 21.

So why did EA Sports switch from Tom Brady (the Cover Athlete for Madden 20) to Mahomes? It’s simple: Brady is 42 years old and is entering his 21st season in the NFL. On the other hand, Mahomes is only 24 years old and is already one of the most dominant quarterbacks in the league.

As Forbes explained, EA Sports wanted to put someone on the cover of Madden 21 who represents “the future of the NFL.” And in Mahomes, they definitely found their man.