Madden NFL 15 Cover Prominently Features Equipment Not in the Game

The official cover art for Madden NFL 15 made its way to retailers yesterday. Putting aside that the cover art is awful – hopefully the petition and lobbying from Sherman to get the entire LOB on the cover will lead to a change – it features front and center Vapor Jet gloves and shoes that still have not been added to the series. Nike took over the license two years ago yet those items have yet to replace the old Reebok equipment. Screenshots and videos have shown that they aren’t included this year and EA Sports has refused comment on why that is the case.

It’s one thing for the latest equipment to not to be included in the game even after two years. While that affects authenticity the majority of consumers may not notice or really care. However one would think Nike and the NFL would be on EA about taking care of it, especially when they’ve been placed on the cover in a manner which attracts attention to them. While not as embarrassing as having an intro video that features a crucial surprise onside kick in a Super Bowl, and not having surprise onside kicks in the game, it certainly still reflects poorly on them.