Madden 18 Cover Star, GOAT Edition Revealed

New England Patriots QB Tom Brady, who led his team to an unprecedented come-from-behind victory in Super Bowl LI, will be on the cover of this year's Madden NFL 18.

With his five Super Bowl victories, four Super Bowl MVP awards, 12 Pro bowl nominations, and his huge passing numbers, he is a lock for the Hall of Fame. But he's never been on a Madden game cover until now. Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski was on the cover of Madden 17, making this the first time ever that teammates have been on the cover of a Madden game in back-to-back years.

Patriots fans might not take this news so well over fears about the so-called Madden Curse. Last year, it struck again, as Gronkowski was sidelined with an injury that kept him out of the playoffs, including the Super Bowl. Patriots fans will hope Brady can stay healthy.

In a statement provided by EA, Brady said, "I'm not one to believe in curses, so I'm ready to take the challenge head on like always! It doesn't stand a chance!!!"

You can check out a teaser trailer for Madden 18 above. It shows some glimpses of gameplay and teases what may be a story mode similar to FIFA 17's The Journey.

For the first time ever, this year's Madden runs on the Frostbite engine, which is also used for EA's Battlefield, Star Wars Battlefront, and FIFA franchises, among others. EA says the engine will allow EA to deliver a "significant visual leap" for player models and also crowds, stadiums, and more.

Madden NFL 18 launches on August 25 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. People who preorder will get an Elite-level player for the game's Ultimate Team mode, as well as five Squad Packs.

Additionally, there will be a GOAT Edition of Madden 18, featuring everything in the standard edition as well as one of five GOAT players of their choice for use in Ultimate Team.

The GOAT Edition unlocks three days early, starting on August 23. EA Access members can play the game even sooner, starting on August 17, but only for a total of 10 hours.

More details on Madden 18 will be announced at E3 2017 in June.