Madden Bowl XVIII To Be Broadcast on Xbox Live, ESPN3

February 1, 2012 – Kick off Super Bowl week with the hottest party in town – EA SPORTS™ Madden Bowl XVIII at the Bud Light Hotel – and watch all the action live on ESPN3 available online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app and through ESPN on Xbox LIVE to over 71 million households nationwide through an affiliated provider. ESPN3 coverage of Madden Bowl XVIII will be hosted by Trey Wingo and Michelle Beadle, with “Blue Carpet” reporter Cassidy Hubbarth. ESPN3 coverage begins at 9:00pm EST.

Madden Bowl XVIII is the quintessential players’ tournament that showcases NFL superstars and their gaming skills on the virtual gridiron as they face off on Madden NFL 12. NFL stars attending Madden Bowl XVIII include (subject to change): Drew Brees (QB, New Orleans Saints), Larry Fitzgerald (WR, Arizona Cardinals), Matt Forte (RB, Chicago Bears), Arian Foster (RB, Houston Texans), Antonio Gates (TE, San Diego Chargers), Jimmy Graham (TE, New Orleans Saints), DeSean Jackson (WR, Philadelphia Eagles), Von Miller (LB, Denver Broncos), Tim Tebow (QB, Denver Broncos), DeMarcus Ware (LB, Dallas Cowboys) and Patrick Willis (LB, San Francisco 49ers) among others.

Before the Madden Bowl XVIII tournament, catch interviews with NFL players and members of the Madden NFL development team via the live webcast of the “Blue Carpet” at the Bud Light Hotel, with coverage starting at 7:00pm EST. Fans will be able to participate in a live discussion from Madden Bowl by using #MaddenBowl tag on Twitter. Like/Follow the EA SPORTS Madden NFL Facebook page for more details.

At the conclusion of the tournament, watch the live webcast of music performances by The Roots and Grammy-nominated hip-hop superstar Nas starting at 11:00 pm EST exclusively on the EA SPORTS Madden NFL Facebook Webcast page. For more details and to RSVP for both webcast events, visit the Madden NFL Facebook page.

The Madden Bowl tournament will use a team-play format including two teams of NFL pros, a team of NFL legends, and a team of players eligible for the upcoming 2012 NFL Draft. Competing in Madden NFL 12 on Xbox 360 using the 3-on-3 Online Team Play mode, each team member will control a set of skill players, including QB, RBs, and WRs on offense, and D-line, LBs, and CBs on defense.

Teams and players competing in Madden Bowl XVIII include (subject to change):

• All-Madden Team: Arian Foster (RB, Houston Texans), Maurice Jones-Drew (RB, Jacksonville Jaguars), and Patrick Willis (LB, San Francisco 49ers)
• Madden Legends Team: Barry Sanders (Pro Football Hall of Fame), Deion Sanders (Pro Football Hall of Fame) and Warren Sapp (DT, Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
• Madden “Clutch” Team: Drew Brees (QB, New Orleans Saints), Jimmy Graham (TE, New Orleans Saints), and Tim Tebow (QB, Denver Broncos)
• Rookie Team (2012 NFL Draft Eligible): Justin Blackmon (WR, Oklahoma State University),
Robert Griffin III (QB, Baylor University), LaMichael James (RB, University of Oregon)

Microsoft Xbox 360 “Game with Fame” at Madden Bowl XVIII
Have a chance to play Madden NFL 12 against a real NFL Pro Bowl player (player to be named later) on Xbox LIVE prior to Madden Bowl XVIII on February 2 from 6:00pm – 7:00pm EST. To participate:

• Send a friend request to “NFLBaller2012”
• On February 2, start playing Madden NFL 12 on Xbox 360 at 5:30pm EST. Don’t forget a headset.
• If you receive a game invite, get ready to play.

Madden NFL 12 is available on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®2 and PlayStation 3 computer entertainment systems, Wii™, and PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) handheld entertainment system. Madden NFL 12 is also available for download globally on mobile platforms including iPod® touch and iPad® and feature phones.

Madden NFL 12 is developed in Orlando, Florida by the EA Tiburon studio, which also produces NFL Blitz, NCAA® Football, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR®, and EA SPORTS™ MMA.

For more information about Madden NFL 12 please visit: http://maddennfl.easports.com/home.action

All player participation has been facilitated by NFL PLAYERS, the licensing and marketing subsidiary of the NFL Players Association.

Xbox, Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE are either trademarks or registered trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.

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