▲
1
▼
The Madden curse was an urban legend which claimed that athletes who appeared on the box of Madden games would either under-perform or sustain an injury in the season following their game's release. After a 16-year streak of "bad luck" starting from Garrison Hearst's appearance on the box of Madden NFL 99 in 1998, the first Madden game to feature a cover athlete and not John Madden himself, the "curse" would finally be broken in 2014, when Calvin Johnson managed to have one of the best seasons in his career following his appearance on the box of Madden NFL 15. Although the streak ended, the curse would strike sporadically over the continuing years, but so far has not begun another continuing streak of bad luck. In 2010, a film adaptation of the Madden curse was announced by EA, but no news has surfaced on it since and it was presumably cancelled.
[Below sources provided by Rocko & Heffer.]
Article on Madden curse's history with list of "cursed" NFL players:
https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/what-is-the-madden-curse/
Film announcement:
https://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/ea-cultivating-madden-curse/
Article on Madden curse's history with list of "cursed" NFL players:
https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/what-is-the-madden-curse/
Film announcement:
https://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/ea-cultivating-madden-curse/
Related Games
Madden NFL 06
Madden NFL 15
Madden NFL 12
Madden NFL 98
Madden NFL 08
Madden NFL 09
Madden NFL 13
Madden NFL 96
Madden NFL 15
Madden NFL 2001
Madden NFL 16
Madden NFL 2000
John Madden Football
John Madden Football '93
NHL 2004
EA Sports F1 2001
FIFA 2001: Major League Soccer
FIFA 14
NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cup
SSX
NHL 96
NHL 16
2002 FIFA World Cup
NBA Live 95
FIFA Soccer 97
NBA Live 2003
SSX Snowboarder
FIFA Soccer 64
Tiger Woods 99 PGA Tour Golf
2006 FIFA World Cup
NHL 13
Fight Night Round 2
EA Sports F1 2001
FIFA 23
NASCAR 06: Total Team Control
Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3
Theme Park World
Mario Golf
Homefront: The Revolution
Silent Hill 3
Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel
Dead Space 2
Batman: Arkham City
Cube World
Angry Birds Seasons
Max Payne
Eternights
Fortnite
The Godfather
Sexy Parodius