New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady will be the cover athlete of Madden NFL 18

Madden NFL 18 cover art, courtesy of Electronic Arts

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For the first time in Madden NFL history, the cover athletes in back-to-back years are teammates, as the five-time Super Bowl champion follows last year's cover athlete, Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski.Madden NFL 18 will release for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One worldwide on August 25. The latest installment in the long-running sports franchise will be powered by Frostbite, which, according to EA, "delivers a significant visual leap not only to the players, but crowds, stadiums and more."Alongside today's cover reveal, Electronic Arts revealed Madden NFL 18's pre-order bonuses. Those who pre-order the standard version will receive five Squad Packs and the choice of an Elite player for use in Ultimate Team.Meanwhile, those who pre-order the G.O.A.T. Edition will get the aforementioned content in the standard edition, as well as the ability to choose one of five G.O.A.T. players for Ultimate Team. Owners of this edition will also get three-day early access to the game, allowing them to dive into the action on August 22.Additionally, EA Access members will be able to try out the game early for up to 10 hours starting August 17.Electronic Arts will share additional details about Madden NFL 18, including a new mode, at EA Play on June 10 . The publisher will showcase a number of other games as well, including Ghost Games' new Need for Speed title , as well as FIFA 18, NBA Live 18 and Star Wars Battlefront II

Alex Osborn is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter and subscribe to his YouTube channel.