E3 2017: Madden 18 Trailer Reveals "Longshot" Story Mode Featuring House Of Cards Actor

Today during EA's E3 2017 press conference, the publisher released a new trailer for Madden NFL 18, revealing a mode called "Longshot." A story mode of sorts, Longshot follows an aspiring football player trying to make it to the NFL but having a hard time doing so.

He's on his last legs and his prospects aren't looking good. But with the help of a character played by Oscar-winning House of Cards and Moonlight actor Mahershala Ali, players will persevere and grind their way into the highest level of competition.

It looks like college football will be a part of Longshot Mode, as the trailer showed two licensed teams, Oregon and Texas. EA's NCAA Football series was put on indefinite hiatus years ago after a lawsuit. Longshot sounds familiar to FIFA's The Journey mode, which follows an up-and-coming footballer's journey to the highest level of competition. Intriguingly, EA's briefing today also confirmed that The Journey is returning for FIFA 18 and that Alex Hunter, the star of the first game, might be headed to the US to play in the MLS.

Madden 18 launches in August for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. It features New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady on the cover. We'll report back with more details on Madden 18 and its Longshot Mode in the days ahead. In the meantime, see everything EA had to announce in our EA Play press conference roundup, and check out our E3 hub for all of our event coverage.