Madden's Concussion-Free Fantasy World Will Look Even Stranger This NFL Season

Content warning: This article mentions self-harm.

Longtime players of EA Sports games may recall how the publisher's famous slogan, "It's in the game," is actually a shortened version of the full sentiment one would hear upon booting up any of its many sports games across several decades: "If it's in the game, it's in the game." This simple phrase worked well for a long time as a way to tout authenticity. If you're seeing it on the field (or rink, court, et al), you can bet it'll be in the video game simulation. That was the promise anyway.

But it worked. The soundbyte is iconic; I can still hear it in my head even as EA dropped the first half of that slogan years ago, and today, the Madden team's North Star is, arguably more than ever, authenticity. It's a word that comes up constantly whenever I speak to members of the EA Orlando (formerly Tiburon) team. But this year's NFL season is set to introduce a stark contrast between what's in the game and what's in the game: Guardian Caps.

Madden's Concussion-Free Fantasy World Will Look Even Stranger This NFL Season

Madden's Concussion-Free Fantasy World Will Look Even Stranger This NFL Season

Madden's Concussion-Free Fantasy World Will Look Even Stranger This NFL Season

Madden's Concussion-Free Fantasy World Will Look Even Stranger This NFL Season

Madden's Concussion-Free Fantasy World Will Look Even Stranger This NFL Season