Madden was released for the first time in the form
The trio of games probably wouldn't have been even possible without the virtual stardom that he earned in 1989's Tecmo Bowl, the first console game to get a license from the NFL to Madden nfl 22 coins feature players by name, photo and likeness. Today, Jackson in Tecmo Bowl and 1991's Tecmo Super Bowl is considered to be among the best video game characters, as is Michael Vick from Madden NFL 2004.
Madden was released for the first time in the form of a PC in 1988, during Jackson's sophomore season in the NFL. But due to licensing issues and a hip fracture during that 1990 NFL season, which forced him to take an early retirement from football, Jackson did not appear in Madden in the course of his career. It wasn't until 2014 that Jackson first made his Madden first appearance in Madden as a special edition participant in The Ultimate Team game mode.
In a press release on Wednesday afternoon, EA Sports announced that not only will Jackson return to the sport in the very first game ever since Madden NFL 15, but Jackson will also be given the honor of being a Madden cover player. In the next 35 years, nearly 35 years since his NFL career began at the age of 1987 Jackson will grace a special digital cover for Madden NFL 22. From Friday, players will once again be playing with him online. EA Sports also teamed up with Nike to re-create the brand's famous Bo Knows ad campaign by using a digitally rendered image of his signature footwear which is the Nike Air Bo Turf to the gaming.
Jackson is seventh running back designated as a Madden cover athlete. He follows Eddie George (Madden 2001), Marshall Faulk (Madden 2003), Shaun Alexander (Madden 2007), Peyton Hillis (Madden 12), Adrian Peterson and Barry Sanders (both Madden 25).
The cover's reveal was a few days ago. The Undefeated's Aaron Dodson caught up with Jackson to talk about the Tecmo Bowl days, how Bo Knows came to life, his Madden return, and more.
Edited for the clarity of it and its length.
What does it mean for you to be a player on the cover for the game 35 years after your career first began?
The idea has been in development off and on for years. It was time to get it just right for my brand. Working with the Madden team to iron things out, dot every i's, make sure that all the t's were crossed -- once we got that done, everything else was just a matter of going for it. I thought that somewhere in my history I had done something right to be remembered as one of the iconic sportsmen from more than cheap Mut 22 coins 30 years ago. Madden is still thinking enough of me to do things like this.