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Damian Lillard trail-blazes to NBA Live 15's cover
The cover athlete of NBA Live 15 is Portalnd Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard, the NBA revealed via Twitter today. Lillard was voted by his peers to play in the NBA All-Star Game this year and led Portland to the playoffs in April before eventually losing to the now-champion San Antonio Spurs. NBA Live 15 will launch October 7 for Xbox One and PS4. It will be the second game since the series' resurgence last year, which underwhelmed at its launch. NBA Live Executive Producer Sean O'Brien even apologized to fans in June, admitting that the first entry in four years "fell short in two major areas" as the first game for PS4 and Xbox One. NBA Live 14 was also the first to launch since NBA Live 10 arrived in October 2009, as both NBA Live 13 and NBA Elite 11 were canceled in September 2012 and November 2010, respectively. [Image: EA Sports]
FIFA 15's global cover star just lost the World Cup
FIFA 15's cover athlete is Barcelona's Lionel Messi, marking the Argentinian footballer's third consecutive year on the series' box (his fourth being 2012's FIFA Street). Messi will be the lone global star on the game's cover, though EA says regional editions will include local heroes alongside him. Messi's cover spot follows Argentina's loss to Germany in the 2014 World Cup final match yesterday. Joystiq's own Sinan Kubba could be heard across the globe shouting, "I told you so!" to yours truly about the championship results - meaning I must now must pay my side of the bet with an unfortunate selfie in a Messi jersey. Check out large versions of the next-gen and PC cover art in the gallery below and join us after the break for that selfie and some hearty pointing and laughing. FIFA 15 will launch September 23 in North America, September 25 in Europe and one day later in the UK for Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. [Image: EA Sports]
John Cena sucks up the spotlight on WWE 2K15's cover
2K Sports revealed the cover art for WWE 2K15 this week, the second game in the series from the publisher. The cover art features the face of the WWE and current champion John Cena, posing in a way that indicates he's contemplating his unwavering commitment to his unchanging "never give up" persona. Fans will have the chance to make Cena give up via submission when WWE 2K15 launches on October 28 in North America and October 31 internationally. The game is in development by Yukes and Visual Concepts for PS4, Xbox One, PS3 and Xbox 360, and will be the first WWE game to step into the next generation's squared circle. [Image: 2K Sports]
EA names Bruins' Bergeron as NHL 15 cover athlete
Boston Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron was named the cover athlete of NHL 15 this week, EA Sports announced. Bergeron's claim to the front of the box was earned after winning a cover vote that started back in early May and eventually garnered 10 million total votes from fans. Bergeron defeated Montreal Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban in the contest's final round. The vote, in which fans were able to participate by using hashtags on Twitter, drew ire from the community when it was revealed that small-print language in the contest's terms allowed EA and the NHL to pick an athlete other than the winner of the vote. EA told SB Nation last month that the language in the terms is standard for contests like the NHL 15 vote and used only to protect "the integrity of the fan vote" from those that might auto-generate votes for their favorite player. NHL 15 will launch September 9 for Xbox One, PS4, PS3 and Xbox 360. While the game will include some flashy new features for the next-gen consoles, those versions will not receive the 94 Anniversary mode. [Image: EA Sports]
Madden 15 cover art wants a high-five
Madden NFL 15's cover art, which features Seattle Seahawks cornerback and Super Bowl champion Richard Sherman, appeared on Amazon's listing for the game today. EA Sports confirmed to Joystiq that the box art is legitimate, though we're not entirely sure what Sherman's pose is supposed to indicate. As a rare defensive player on the cover of a game that emphasizes an "overhaul" on that side of the ball, perhaps Sherman is posing to tell the offense to stop in their tracks? Or he's about to shout "Jumanji" at a stampeding herd of exotic animals? Maybe Sherman is directing traffic at a crosswalk or is in need of a high-five? The star defender's pose on the cover is lost on us, though one thing is certain: Madden 15 will launch August 26 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Check out larger versions of the box art in our gallery below. [Image: EA Sports]
Madden 15 cover vote starts, rookies packed into Ultimate Team
EA Sports kicked off its cover athlete vote for Madden NFL 15 during the first round of the NFL Draft last night, and is slated to end after four rounds of voting on June 6. The vote features just 16 candidates this year instead of the standard 32, which is an even more rapid decrease from Madden 25's two brackets of 64 football players. The first round's eight match-ups can be found after the break. The developers at EA Tiburon also celebrated the first round of the NFL Draft by inserting each of the first round's 32 draftees into Madden Ultimate Team card packs in Madden 25, starting today. It makes for a fine opportunity to check out the digital versions of each recruit without having to wait to play as them in Madden 15, which is due to arrive August 26 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Just don't trust Madden to predict which rookies will be picked by teams in the draft, it won't go well.
NBA 2K15 nets MVP cover athlete Kevin Durant
2K Sports announced its cover athlete for NBA 2K15 today, and it's none other than Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant. Durant was recently crowned the NBA's most valuable player, so there really is no better basketball player to have on the game's cover. NBA 2K15 will launch October 7 in North America and October 10 internationally. The basketball sim is in development by Visual Concepts for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC. The last entry in the series, NBA 2K14, was the first to arrive on Xbox One and PS4 at each console's launch following its current-gen and PC release in early October 2013. The game suffered major server issues, which locked players out of MyTeam and NBA Today content entirely, even after the next-gen versions received a sizable patch. As of February, Take-Two had shipped more than five million copies of the game. [Image: 2K Sports]
Madden NFL 15 hitting current and next-gen turf August 26
The next game in EA Sports' treasured football series, Madden NFL 15, will launch August 26 in North America and August 29 in Europe, the publisher announced today. The game will arrive simultaneously for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Madden 15 will include "an entirely new broadcast presentation that delivers Madden NFL game day like never before with dramatic all-new camera angles, as well as dynamic pre-game and halftime features," according to the announcement. EA will begin a cover athlete vote on May 8, starting with a special announcement at the NFL Draft. The accompanying release date trailer features Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly, who may be a popular choice for voters as he's the reigning NFL defensive player of the year. [Image: EA Sports]
Alexander Gustafsson selected as EA Sports UFC co-cover fighter
Swedish fighter Alexander "The Mauler" Gustafsson won EA Sports' cover athlete fan vote for EA Sports UFC. As a result, the number one UFC light heavyweight contender will stand next to current reigning light heavyweight champion Jon "Bones" Jones on the cover of the game, who is also shown in two new screens for the game issued by EA this week. Gustafsson beat Georges St-Pierre in the final round of the voting process, which accumulated over 11 million votes during the entire campaign, according to EA. The cover athlete vote began in early November with 16 fighters, which included heavy favorites like Ronda Rousey and Johny Hendricks. EA Sports UFC will launch in spring 2014 on Xbox One and PS4.
EA Sports UFC cover vote hits final round
EA Sports UFC's four-round co-cover athlete vote entered its final round today. The last two contestants left are Georges St-Pierre and Alexander Gustafsson, one of which will join reigning light heavyweight champion Jon "Bones" Jones on the cover of the PS4 and Xbox One game in 2014. The cover vote began earlier this month with 16 fighters, with heavy favorites like Ronda Rousey and Johny Hendricks exiting the fan vote in the first and second rounds, respectively. St-Pierre may be the new favorite to win a spot on the game's cover following his decision to step away from mixed martial arts for an undisclosed time after his successful welterweight championship defense against Hendricks at the UFC 167 event in Las Vegas. Coincidentally, St-Pierre's fans voted him past Hendricks in the second round of the EA Sports UFC cover athlete vote, which ends on December 1.
MLB 14 The Show on PS4 has far more faces in the virtual crowd
MLB 14: The Show will launch in spring 2014 for PS4, PS3 and Vita, Sony announced. Detroit Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera will be featured on the game's cover. Developer Sony San Diego unveiled a teaser trailer that boasts the ways that the game will take advantage of the PS4's graphical upgrades. For instance, MLB 14: The Show designer and community manager Ramone Russell notes that the PS3 only allowed for 42 different character models for fans in the virtual crowd for the game, whereas the PS4 allows for over a thousand. Russell says the game will also be "feature complete" on the next-gen system, and won't lose the series' Road to the Show and franchise modes in its transition to the PS4. Speaking of which, Sony added that starting with MLB 14: The Show, players will be able to carry their save files over to subsequent releases in the series, giving players' Road to the Show athletes and other career mode efforts life beyond the annual game's limited life cycle.
Jon Jones to share EA Sports UFC cover with fan-voted fighter
Falling in line with other sports games, EA Sports UFC will be embroiled in its own cover athlete contest, EA Sports announced. The winner of the four-round cover vote held on UFC's official site, which ends December 1, will share the game's box art with current light heavyweight champion Jon "Bones" Jones. The 16 candidates to share the spotlight with Jones are as follows: Demetrious Johnson, Chris Weidman, Dominick Cruz, Junior Dos Santos, Urijah Faber, Chael Sonnen, Jose Aldo, Michael Bisping, Anthony Pettis, Alex Gustafsson, Ben Henderson, Daniel Cormier, Georges St-Pierre, Ronda Rousey, Johny Hendricks and Miesha Tate. We like Rousey's odds at winning the vote as the women's bantamweight champion and the figurehead for the rising popularity of women's MMA, the representation of which is a core part of EA Sports UFC's feature set. We wouldn't be opposed to seeing a cheeky Chael Sonnen sharing the cover with the man he can't seem to overcome, however. EA Sports UFC will launch in spring 2014 on PS4 and Xbox One.
Deep Silver publishing NASCAR 14 in early 2014, starts cover vote contest
Deep Silver will publish the next iteration of developer Eutechnyx's licensed racing game in early 2014, NASCAR 14. Coming to PS3 and Xbox 360, the game will feature drop-in, drop-out online multiplayer races for up to 16 players as well as online league play with challenges, rankings and "dynamic statistics" support. Players can also play through the game's career mode, acquiring sponsorship and building their cars up to win races. NASCAR 14 is the first entry in the series published by Deep Silver, as Activision handled the distribution of the series since the 2011 release of NASCAR: The Game 2011, which followed EA's cancellation of the series in September 2009. Eutechnyx announced plans to self-publish the series in June, prior to Deep Silver picking up the game's publishing rights. Deep Silver launched a Facebook app to allow fans to vote on NASCAR 14's cover driver. The winning driver will be announced in early December.
WWE 2K14 alternate cover art contest wins with Daniel Bryan entries
Both winners of 2K Sports' alternate cover art contest for WWE 2K14 featured Daniel Bryan in their entries, the developer announced today. The winners, Mike Rodriguez of Corona, CA and Alexis Zankowitch of Saint-Martin-le-Vinoux, France will see their art appear as an insert on the inside of every copy of the game in their respective regions. The cover art on the front of every box features Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. 2K Sports also recently unveiled the game's 30 Years of WrestleMania mode, which has players completing over 45 matches across the event's 30-year history. WWE 2K14 is slated to launch October 29 in North America and November 1 internationally on PS3 and Xbox 360. %Gallery-196046%
Cavaliers' Kyrie Irving is the cover athlete for NBA Live 14
Kyrie Irving has been named NBA Live 14's cover athlete, EA announced. Irving was the first overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft and proceeded to become the rookie of the year for the 2012 season. Coming to Xbox One and PlayStation 4 this fall, NBA Live 14 will be the first installment in EA's basketball series in four years, as both NBA Live 13 and NBA Elite 11 were canceled in September 2012 and November 2010, respectively. The last game that actually launched in the series was NBA Live 10, back in October 2009. As point guard for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Irving is an interesting choice, given that former Cavaliers and current Miami Heat forward Lebron James was selected by 2K Sports as the cover star for NBA 2K14. James was also drafted by the Cavaliers as the first overall pick in 2003 and played for the team until 2010, when he infamously announced his departure to join the Heat in his TV special, "The Decision."
FIFA 14 to feature Messi and Chicharito on North American cover
The North American cover for FIFA 14 will feature both Lionel Messi and Manchester United's Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez, EA Sports announced. Fans in the US will have the option of the dual-athlete cover or the global cover, which only features Messi. Hernandez will also have his own solo cover art for the game in Mexico. The FIFA cover was announced as part of a multi-year endorsement deal signed by Hernandez with EA Sports. The publisher noted that Hernandez will specifically appear on Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the game. EA Sports also recently announced that New Jersey Devils goalie Martin Brodeur won the cover vote for NHL 14. The FIFA series has a distinct trend in terms of its cover athletes. Messi seems much more distraught this year compared to the FIFA 13 cover. It's likely that he's fully taken over the "angry shouting guy" duties previously held by Wayne Rooney as recently as FIFA 12. If the trend holds up, we await a ticked-off Chicharito on the box for FIFA 15.
Devils' Martin Brodeur named NHL 14 cover athlete
EA Sports' NHL series will see a goalie on the box for the first time since NHL 97, as Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils won the annual cover vote to become the cover athlete for NHL 14. Brodeur beat out runner-up Sergei Bobrovsky, Columbus Blue Jackets goalie. Brobrovsky won this year's Vezina Trophy, which is given to the goaltender that is considered the best in the league. The cover vote tallied over 22 million votes, though EA has not revealed how the votes break down. NHL 14 is coming to Xbox 360 and PS3 in North America on September 10, and will launch worldwide on September 13. %Gallery-192736%
Alternate cover art contest for WWE 2K14 announced
Sports video games such as EA's Madden and NHL series have held cover athlete votes to determine the athlete gracing the cover of the latest game. 2K Sports took that a step further by announcing a cover art contest for WWE 2K14 today. Fans that enter the contest have a chance to see their entry as an alternate piece of cover art that ships on the inside of the game's case, since The Rock has already been announced as the game's primary cover wrestler. The contest rules also note that the winner will receive a copy of WWE 2K14, and one runner-up will receive a copy of the game as well. Head over to 2K Sports' contest site to download assets for individual wrestlers, as well as those red, fiery background images seen on the covers of 2K Sports games. To enter your custom cover for the game, you'll need to tweet a link to your image with the hashtag #wwe2k14cover.
NCAA Football 14 to include offline-only Kinect support
While Kinect integration isn't all that new for EA Sports, as both Madden 13 and FIFA 13 included support for the device last year, the Xbox 360 cover art for NCAA Football 14 includes the "Better with Kinect" banner at the top. EA Sports told Joystiq that Kinect support will be for offline play only, and will be "similar to what we've done in Madden, focused on pre-play voice commands."Check out the hi-res versions of the game's box art, which features speedy-looking Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson, in the gallery below. NCAA 14 will sprint to Xbox 360 and PS3 on July 9. %Gallery-186626%
Pirates' Andrew McCutchen wins MLB 13 The Show cover athlete vote
Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen was announced as the winner of the MLB 13: The Show cover athlete vote held on the MLB's official site. McCutchen garnered over 100,000 votes in the five-day poll.Second place went to New York Yankees pitcher C.C. Sabathia, who received just under 90,000 votes, while Detroit Tigers third baseman and triple crown winner Miguel Cabrera got third with 76,000 votes.MLB 13: The Show is set to launch March 5 for PS3 and Vita.
