Game maker Electronic Arts today publicly announced that Madden NFL 09 will be released in North America on Tuesday, August 12, with a 20th Anniversary Collector's Edition also in the mix.

The most important aspect of the Collector's Edition is that it will come bundled with NFL Head Coach 09, which was originally supposed to be a stand-alone title. In fact, the game also had a full-fledged development team working on it, but EA decided to bundle it in the Collector's Edition rather than market a two-title bundle with a $30 higher price tag. The 20th Anniversary Collector's Edition will include Madden NFL 09, additional Madden NFL gameplay, and access to additional bonus videos otherwise unavailable to gamers.


Gamers who purchase the Collector's Edition will be able to create custom plays in NFL Head Coach 09 and transfer the plays to their playbooks for use in Madden NFL 09.

EA's 20th Anniversary Collector's Edition will cost $89.99, and will be available for the Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation 3 game consoles. The regular Madden NFL 09 will also be available for the Sony PlayStation 2, Nintendo Wii and DS, and the Sony PlayStation Portable. Both game titles are being developed by the EA Tiburon studio, located in Orlando, Florida.