First Madden NFL 17 Screens Show Gronk Spike, Stiff Arm

Following the game's announcement earlier this week, the first screenshots and initial details on Madden NFL 17 have emerged. The Xbox.com product page for the pro football game was recently updated with screenshots showing off NFL superstars Rob Gronkowski, Antonio Brown, and Von Miller.

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The product page also provides the official description for Madden NFL 17. It teases that the game will feature a "renewed focus" on Franchise mode and plenty of other tweaks.

"Arm your team for gridiron glory on both sides of the ball with the most balanced gameplay to date, featuring all-new ball carrier feedback cues, defender fake out mechanics and an innovative, authentic defensive AI system. Madden NFL 17 is the most complete Madden … ever," the description says.

EA will broadcast the first gameplay footage for Madden NFL 17 on the 6 PM EST edition of SpotsCenter later today, May 12. The game's cover star will also be announced during the show. Just because these screenshots show off Gronkowski, Brown, and Miller, that doesn't mean one of them will be on the cover.

For the first time since 2009, EA is not holding a fan vote to decide the cover athlete, but instead making the choice itself.

"With this election year upon us, we don't want you to lose sleep over another big decision," EA said about this decision. "So, we decided to take the pressure off this year and hand-select someone for the job."

We have also learned that there will be at least three different versions of Madden NFL 17. In addition to the standard $60 version, EA will offer an $80 Deluxe edition and a $100 Super Deluxe edition. The premium bundles come with things like one-month access to EA Access and various Ultimate Team items.

Madden NFL 17 launches on August 23, before the start of the 2016-2017 season, and is in development for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360.

What do you make of the first screens? Let us know in the comments below.