‘Madden NFL 24’ cover reveal: Josh Allen becomes first Bills player to be featured on cover of game

Just after the 35th anniversary of the first “Madden NFL” video game hitting shelves, EA Sports is making new history, announcing Wednesday that star quarterback Josh Allen will grace the cover of this year’s “Madden NFL 24,” becoming the first Buffalo Bills player to ever be the game’s featured athlete.

The new “Madden,” set for an Aug. 18 worldwide release, commemorates one of the game’s most dynamic players at the most important position, with Allen fresh off his third straight season with at least 40 combined touchdowns. It also comes just a year after the NFL rallied around Allen’s team following the tragedy-turned-inspiration of Damar Hamlin.

Allen follows Hall of Fame coach John Madden, who was honored on last year’s cover, in a long, prestigious line of athletes to be featured on the front of the annual series. He is the fifth QB to appear on the cover in the last six years, after Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady, who appeared twice (once alongside Mahomes).

Besides paying respects to Allen and the Bills, “Madden NFL 24″ will also feature:

• The return of Superstar Mode: Last seen from 2006-2013, this create-a-player journey runs from the combine and team interviews to a fully fledged NFL career, featuring new mini-games and customizable avatars
• An updated Franchise Mode: Contract restructures, an all-new trade system and training-camp mini-games are some of the features added this year, as well as a new relocation feature enabling use of new cities and uniforms
• Improved FieldSENSE: Controls will now be more apparent in throwing, catching and tackling functions, while new character-build technology is meant to improve the fluidity of athletic motion graphics