With the NFL going into it’s second year of allowing celebrations, it’s easy to see that players – at least, those who are scoring touchdowns – are really enjoying the opportunity to inject some of their personality into the league. In turn, it makes sense that EA Tiburon mimics this creative output in Madden NFL. The studio seems to have done this in spades, and Madden NFL 19 producer Ben Haumiller has now revealed some of the juiciest celebrations of the entire game.
While Haumiller states that it’s his job to make sure the NFL is cool with the celebrations that are pitched in the first place, there’s certainly no shortage of crazy celebrations that will be going gold with the game when it launches on August 10, 2018.
It’s one thing to simply spike the ball or even bust a move like Odell Beckham Jr., but EA Tiburon has several celebrations that are a level above: offensive lines will form up in an invisible bobsled for one celebration, and in another all of the players are fishing, reeling in one of the players on an imaginary hook. Feel like a good ol’ ka meh ha meh ha? Knock over your teammates with one. Things like this make the retro baseball swing celebration from the Madden NFL 19 trailer seem tame – and Haumiller says there’s even more to discover.
To help get inspiration for these touchdown celebrations, EA Tiburon went to this year’s Combine and set up a tent where they invited all of the rookies to show off their signature moves:
It was so funny seeing these guys go for the first time and go ‘whoa, I can celebrate’. I went to Alabama – Coach Saban? He wasn’t gonna let me celebrate” *laughs* it’s a penalty in college! We’re on the spot making them think of something like ‘Okay, you gotta do it this fall when you score!’
Of course, some players that EA Tiburon approached came with dance movies ready to go. For instance, Baker Mayfield went from being asked about celebrations to busting out a move in a matter of moments.
Beyond the zany celebrations, players will also be able to mimic common celebrations of their opposing teams when they score at the click of a button, a move which is sure to add insult to injury online.
As for Haumiller? He’s got a personal favorite:
The having the dinner one – you got a guy who’s doing the pepper grinder, the guy who’s eating, the maître d’ comes over. I love the ones where you can tell that everyone’s playing a different roll. You know the ones where the guys run in and all lie down like they’re going to sleep? That’s funny, but they’re all doing the same thing. I like the ones that are clearly choreographed.
Madden NFL 19 will release for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on August 10, 2018.
You can find John on Twitter at @Makelevi, but be sure to specify which football you’re talking about. The poor guy gets confused easily.