OREANDA-NEWS. November 23, 2015. Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA), in partnership with Twitch and the NFL, is inviting fans to participate in the EA SPORTS Madden NFL Live Challenge* for their chance to prove their mastery over the competition and potentially win big prizes. Starting today, anyone in North America who participates in the new Draft Champions Ranked** mode in Madden NFL 16 will be automatically entered for a chance to compete in the next round in their effort to take home the title. Everyone will have a chance to play, as a worldwide free trial of the full game of Madden NFL 16, including Draft Champions Ranked, will be available on Xbox One and PlayStation®4 on November 20 – 23.

Throughout November and December players are encouraged to climb the Draft Champions Ranked leaderboards, and the top 64 players on Xbox One and the top 64 on PS4 will be invited to compete in the next round. Throughout January these competitors will continue to battle, culminating in the top four heading to San Francisco Super Bowl week for the finals, with the championship game taking place at the Madden Bowl venue immediately before the NFL players’ tournament. The tourney winner will take home \\$20,000, and the remaining prize money will be split among the other finalists.

“Madden NFL has a deep heritage and long tradition of competitive play; local tournaments, dorm rooms, living room couches, you name it - and our players have asked for an officially-sanctioned structure where they can truly prove themselves,” said Roy Harvey, GM of Madden NFL. “There are some amazing competitors out there, so we want to give them a chance to show their skills in an official tournament. We’ll also be streaming matches on Twitch so not only can everyone play, everyone can engage and tune in.”

Fans can also check out EA SPORTS Madden NFL Live, streaming on Fridays on Twitch and NFL.com at 12pm ET and airing on NFL Network on Saturdays at 12pm ET. Make sure to watch weekly for highlights and analysis of the tournament, as well as tips to help players succeed in the Madden NFL Live Challenge.

“Over the years, Madden NFL has amassed a huge following on Twitch as live social video continues to grow in prominence among gamers,” said Nick Allen, Twitch's Project Manager for the Madden NFL Live Challenge. “Being able to watch a major event like this from different parts of the world, while cheering via chat for our community’s top players captures the changing face of sports entertainment.”

Draft Champions Ranked delivers the excitement of a fantasy draft to Madden NFL 16 by allowing players to assemble a team of current NFL players and all-time legends over a series of quick rounds, then take their squad on the field against other drafted teams. Do you have the personnel prowess and the on-field skills to take on all comers and secure a spot in the championship rounds?

During the competition, EA SPORTS will also be hosting a special invitational tournament featuring past Madden NFL champions to fill out the other half of the finalist bracket. These elite players will square off for a spot in the finals, with four of them joining the other qualifiers in San Francisco for the grand finale. Will the ultimate Madden NFL Live Challenge victor come from the old guard? Or is there an unknown Madden NFL player out there poised to win it all?

Players looking for inspiration and insider info can check out a special event today at 4pm ET on Twitch (twitch.tv/easports), where four of the best Madden NFL 16 players will compete against one another in the new Draft Champions Ranked mode. Study the best to learn their drafting and gameplay strategies, alongside tips on the best formations, plays and tactics that will likely pay dividends when preparing for the Madden NFL Live Challenge.

Madden NFL 16 is developed in Orlando, Florida by EA Tiburon and is available now for Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360® games and entertainment system and PlayStation®3 entertainment system. To learn more about Madden NFL 16, visit http://www.easports.com/madden-nfl.

All player participation has been facilitated by NFL Players Inc., the licensing and marketing subsidiary of the NFL Players Association (NFLPA).

EA SPORTS™ is one of the leading sports entertainment brands in the world, with top-selling videogame franchises, award-winning interactive technology, fan programs and cross-platform digital experiences. EA SPORTS creates connected experiences that ignite the emotion of sports through videogames, including Madden NFL football, EA SPORTS™ FIFA, NHL® hockey, NBA LIVE basketball, Rory McIlroy PGA TOUR® golf, SSX™ and EA SPORTS UFC®.

For more information about EA SPORTS, including news, video, blogs, forums and game apps, please visit www.easports.com to connect, share and compete.

*Madden NFL Live Challenge is sponsored by Twitch. See http://www.maddenchallenge.com/rules for complete rules.

**Internet Connection Required to Play