Electronic Arts Inc. today announced Madden Ultimate Team Draft Duels, a brand new way to play Madden NFL 13. With players opening over 16 million player packs and spending nearly 8 million online hours playing games, Madden Ultimate Team – a fan-favorite mode – marries player profile collection with authentic Madden NFL gameplay. Players earn, buy, auction, and trade players to build an ultimate team of NFL legends past and present and make a run for an NFL title. Draft Duels offers a unique flavor, allowing fans to engage in a competitive drafting experience – using special Draft Duels packs – to create the supreme dream team. Big rewards await those who accept the challenge and prove themselves the ultimate draft experts. Over 1.3 million teams have already been created in Madden NFL 13, nearly double the number made in Madden NFL 12 over the same time period, and these numbers will only get bigger as Draft Duels brings a fun new wrinkle into one of the most beloved modes in Madden NFL.

“We’re excited to continue delivering fresh, engaging content to Madden NFL 13, most recently with the new Draft Duels competition in Madden Ultimate Team,” said Cam Weber, GM of American Football at EA SPORTS. “With the season in full swing we’re pleased to provide yet another way for football fans to interact with their favorite sport 24/7.”

Draft Duels brings a unique twist to Madden Ultimate Team, as fans will take turns selecting players not only from their own special Draft Duels packs, but their opponent’s Draft Duels packs as well. Each round, players choose one NFL star to add to their team, and then swap packs. This back-and-forth challenge continues until all players have been claimed, at which point a head-to-head game begins. Strategy plays an important role, as not only must fans try and craft the best team possible, but they also have to keep their opponent from claiming too many highly-rated players.

Madden Ultimate Team Draft Duels are chock full of rewards, as every match offers the opportunity to claim coins and/or player profile packs based on who drafted the best team and who wins the head-to-head matchup. The bigger the match the better the prizes, with the biggest competitions offering huge coin payouts or exclusive player profile packs. Best of all, no one goes home empty-handed after a Draft Duel, as each fan gets to keep all the players they selected for their team.

Madden Ultimate Team Draft Duels create exciting, unpredictable matches that test not only on-field skills, but strategic prowess as well. This rewarding new mode gives fans an intriguing new way to enjoy Madden NFL 13.

Madden NFL 13 is rated “E” for Everyone by the ESRB and is available for $59.99 on the Xbox 360 video game system and PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system. Madden NFL 13 is developed in Orlando, Florida by EA Tiburon. To learn more about Madden NFL 13, visit http://www.easports.com/madden-nfl.