The 2020 Madden Bowl came to an end on May 16th, and it’ll be one to remember for a number of reasons. Raidel “Joke” Brito won the final match over Daniel “Dcroft” Mycroft in a 17-0 blowout through an unusual strategy that relied on run-only plays through the entire tournament — he didn’t throw a single pass. He didn’t even put a proper quarterback on the field, giving him more funds to put towards his other virtual players.

It’s also emotional victory for Brito. He dedicated the tournament to Taylor “SpotMe” Robertson, a a friend who died in the 2018 Madden tournament shooting in Jacksonville.

In between the network will show Road to the Madden Bowl episodes that highlight the various esports players using “exclusive features and interviews with Madden competitive stars.” It’s all part of a schedule that leads up to the Madden NFL 20 Bowl semifinals and finals on May 16th, which will air live on YouTube, Twitch and ESPN starting at 5 PM ET.

ESPN is hardly the only network diving deep into esports events right now, and Fox already aired a Madden tournament event in March. But putting up five straight hours of Madden coverage on a Sunday afternoon in April is exceptional — even if it is on ESPN2.

NOW OPEN:
Kickoff your Madden Bowl challenges + missions in @PizzaHut Stadium! #Madden20 pic.twitter.com/uN4DukxdEw

— Madden NFL 20 #StayandPlay (@EAMaddenNFL) April 20, 2020

pic.twitter.com/tBW2x2ShEM

— Madden Championship Series (@MaddenLeagueOps) April 2, 2020

Madden NFL 20 Championship Series Schedule

• Saturday, April 25

  • 2 p.m. ET – 5 p.m. ET: LIVE Madden NFL 20 Last Chance Qualifier (EA SPORTS Twitch, YouTube & ESPN app)

• Sunday, April 26

  • 12 p.m. ET: Madden NFL 20 Celebrity Tournament Championship (ESPN2)

  • 1 p.m. ET: ROAD TO THE MADDEN BOWL, Episode 1 (ESPN2)

  • 1:30 p.m. ET: ROAD TO THE MADDEN BOWL, Episode 2 (ESPN2)

  • 2 p.m. ET – 5 p.m. ET: LIVE Madden NFL 20 Last Chance Qualifier (ESPN2)

• Saturday, May 2

• Wednesday, May 6 – Saturday, May 9:

  • 5 p.m. ET – 10 p.m. ET: LIVE Madden NFL 20 Bowl Group Play (EA SPORTS Twitch, YouTube & ESPN app)

• Thursday, May 14

  • 5 p.m. ET – 9 p.m. ET: LIVE Madden NFL 20 Bowl Wild Card Play (EA SPORTS Twitch, YouTube & ESPN app)

• Friday, May 15:

  • 5 p.m. ET – 9 p.m. ET: LIVE Madden NFL 20 Bowl Quarterfinals (EA SPORTS Twitch, YouTube & ESPN app)

• Saturday, May 16:

Just a few months after EA announced its Madden NFL 19 bowl set new viewership records, it’s laid out a schedule of events for the 2020 season. Madden NFL 20 launches next week on August 2nd — or three days earlier for people who pre-order a special edition — and it’s touting the ability for players to go “from couch to champion.”

EA has announced that it’s increased the number of spots available in online eliminations, with its first Classic event scheduled to occur starting August 30th. There, fans will compete to represent one of the NFL’s 32 teams at the Club Championship in December. Then there’s the Madden NFL 20 Challenge during Super Bowl weekend and the Madden NFL 20 Bowl during next year’s draft.

The NFL and EA have aligned the esports schedule to work along with the league, seeing it as a way to keep viewers and gamers engaged. NFL VP of Gaming & Esports Rachel Hoagland said in a statement that “We view esports as a key accelerant to growing the NFL. It enables new ways for young fans to engage in the sport through Madden NFL competition.” The league has also snagged sponsors including Pizza Hut and Snickers, and this year signed up the first “virtual stadium rights deal in esports” that will put MCS Major live events in Pizza Hut Stadium.

In a world where Fortnite exists, making sure gamers still tune into your sport any way you can is probably a good strategy. More details about the esports events were announced tonight during a Twitch stream that you can watch right here.

E3 effectively began on June 8th with the start of EA’s Play event, but we won’t blame you if you missed out. With roughly three hours of game previews, that could have taken a large bite out of your weekend. Thankfully, you don’t have to watch the whole thing to get a feel for what was new. We’ve compiled all the best bits of the Play presentation into an easier-to-digest 19-minute clip. And there’s a lot to digest. Between Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order gameplay, Apex Legends‘ second season, the reveal of FIFA 20 and updates on Battlefield V, Madden NFL 20 and The Sims 4, you’ll know tons about EA’s 2019 plans by the time everything is said and done.

EA is about to kick off E3 in earnest with its pre-expo Play event, and it’s unsurprisingly offering gamers a chance to tune in. The company is streaming Play starting at 12:30PM Eastern with a slew of news on the slate. You won’t hear more about Anthem, but you can expect more news on Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, the second season of Apex Legends, as well as updates for Battlefield V and The Sims 4. Logically, you can expect to hear about EA Sports titles like FIFA 20 and Madden NFL 20. You’ll find both the stream and the schedule below.