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1. Competition Overview

This Madden Championship Series (“MCS”) is sponsored by Electronic Arts Inc. (“EA”), 209 Redwood Shores Parkway, Redwood City, CA 94065 and is governed by these 2022-2023 Official Rules (“Official Rules”).

The MCS is a series of competitive video game events (“Events”) conducted using EA SPORTS™ Madden NFL 23 (“Game”) for the Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 consoles (“Supported Platforms”).

During Events, eligible players who qualify and/or are invited to compete in the Event (“Competitors”) engage in gameplay that may be broadcasted over the internet or other media, as well as involve competition at live venues (“Live Events”).

The following is the current list of Events in this year’s MCS:

• The 2022 MCS Ultimate Kickoff
• The 2022 MCS Ultimate Thanksgiving
• The 2022 MCS Ultimate Wild Card
• The 2023 MCS Last Chance Qualifier
• The 2023 MCS Ultimate Madden Bowl

Additional Events will be added to these Official Rules as they are announced.

All federal, state, provincial, and local laws and regulations apply.

Any third party that operates another video game competition incorporating the Game is the sponsor of such competition and will determine the applicable terms and conditions for participation in those events. Non-MCS competitions are governed by separate terms and conditions for participation.

2. Eligibility and Registration

2.1 Eligibility

Players in the MCS must:

• Be at least sixteen (16) years old upon acceptance of the Event-specific rules for the MCS Events that they wish to compete in (“Event Rules”).
• Accept these Official Rules and the Event Rules for Events that they wish to compete in (see Section 2.2 for a list of all Event Rules).
• For players under the age of majority in their territory of residence, a parent or legal guardian must review and consent to these Official Rules (as well as any Event Rules) on their behalf, and accompany them to any in-person Live Events.
• Be a resident of the United States, United Kingdom, Mexico, Germany, or Canada . 
• Have a valid EA account (https://www.ea.com/register) registered with the Madden Rewards. Program (https://www.easports.com/madden-nfl/mut-rewards).
• Own or have access to the Game on a Supported Platform and have connected it to their valid EA Account.
• Have a valid and active account for their preferred Supported Platform (“Platform Username”).
• Agree to EA’s User Agreement (https://terms.ea.com, “User Agreement”) and acknowledge that EA’s Privacy and Cookie Policy (https://privacy.ea.com, “Privacy and Cookie Policy”) applies.

2.2 Event-Specific Rules

Refer to the following documents to see registration requirements, deadlines, gameplay rules, prizes, and other details related to individual Events:

• The 2022 MCS Ultimate Kickoff
• The 2022 MCS Ultimate Thanksgiving
• The 2022 MCS Ultimate Wild Card
• The 2023 MCS Last Chance Qualifier
• The 2023 MCS Ultimate Madden Bowl

Additional documents will be added to this section as new MCS Events are announced.

2.3 Acceptance of Official Rules; Changes to the MCS and Official Rules

To compete in the Events, Competitors must accept these Official Rules as well as the Event Rules for the respective Event.

These Official Rules and all Event Rules may be updated by EA without notice as necessary, including without limitation, to add further clarity, correct errors, comply with changes in applicable law, or address matters that arise after their publication.  

EA reserves the right to cancel, suspend and/or modify the MCS, or any part of it, if any fraud, technical failures or any other factor impairs the integrity or proper operation of the MCS, as determined by EA in its sole discretion. EA reserves the right to disqualify any Competitor at any time for any reason, including without limited to, for tampering with the operation of the Competition, or acting in violation of these Official Rules. Any attempt by any person to deliberately undermine the legitimate operation of the MCS may be a violation of criminal and civil law, and EA reserves the right to seek damages and other remedies (including attorneys’ fees) from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law.

By participating in the MCS, Competitors agree to be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of EA and Event Officials (defined below in Section 5.1).

2.4 Proof of Residency

Competitors may be required to provide proof of residency in an eligible country to compete in the MCS. The sufficiency of any such proof or documentation will be determined by EA (or its agent) in its sole discretion. 

Competitors who participate in Live Events will be required to sign and return a Declaration of Eligibility, and must certify their country of permanent residence by providing a government-issued identification, such as a driver’s license, identification card, or work visa with a photo, name and physical address in an eligible country.

Competitors under the age of majority in their territory of residence may provide a school identification card if government-issued identification is not available and their parent or legal guardian must also provide government-issued identification.

2.5 Employees and Conflicts of Interest

Employees of EA and its respective affiliates, subsidiaries, representatives, advertising, promotion, and publicity agencies, vendors, Battlefy, Inc., former employees of EA who participated in the development of the Game, and the immediate family members and persons living in the same household of each as well as the National Football League, its member professional football clubs, NFL Ventures, Inc., NFL Ventures, L.P., NFL Properties LLC, NFL Enterprises LLC and each of their respective subsidiaries, affiliates, shareholders, officers, directors, agents, representatives and employees (collectively, the “NFL Entities”) are not eligible.

3. MCS Structure and Schedule

3.1 MCS Entry Process

To participate in the MCS, a Competitor's EA Account must be registered as described in Section 2 above and used to play online in affiliated qualifying events.

The following MCS Events also have additional registration requirements in order to participate:

• The 2022 MCS Ultimate Kickoff
• The 2022 MCS Ultimate Thanksgiving
• The 2022 MCS Ultimate Wild Card
• The 2023 MCS Last Chance Qualifier
• The 2023 MCS Ultimate Madden Bowl

3.2 Progression through the MCS

To progress through the MCS, a Competitor may:

• Accumulate MCS Series Points (“MCS Points”) by competing in MCS Events.
• Compete in a Premier Event (described in Section 3.7 below) to be held between September 2022 and December 2022 for a chance to participate in the LCQ. 
• Compete in the Last Chance Qualifier event (“LCQ”) to be held in January 2023 for a chance to qualify for the Ultimate Madden Bowl.
• Compete at the Ultimate Madden Bowl in February 2023 to determine the final champion of the 2022-2023 MCS.

3.3 EA Majors 

EA Majors are milestone tournaments that occur over the course of the MCS and a primary means for determining who will be invited to compete at the Ultimate Madden Bowl. The first three (3) EA Majors ( MCS Ultimate Kickoff, MCS Ultimate Thanksgiving, and MCS Ultimate Wild Card) will consist of an elimination phase for qualifying eligible players (“Elimination”) and proceed to a live finals phase (“Live Finals”) to determine the winner of the event (see Section 4 for additional information about each Live Final).

There will be four (4) EA Majors during the MCS:

• The 2022 MCS Ultimate Kickoff in August/September 2022 with Madden NFL 23 Ultimate Team gameplay (“MUT”);
• The 2022 MCS Ultimate Thanksgiving in October/November 2022 with MUT;
• The 2023 MCS Ultimate Wild Card in December/January 2023 with MUT; and
• The 2023 Ultimate Madden Bowl in January/February 2023 with MUT. 

3.4 MCS Points

MCS Points are points that players can earn by progressing to the elimination phases of three (3) EA Majors.

MCS Points serve as a leaderboard for the MCS and determine final seeding for the players who qualify to compete in the Ultimate Madden Bowl. The amounts of MCS Points players earn at the EA Majors corresponds to their final placement at those events (see Section 5.2 for details).

Players can view their MCS point totals at maddenchampionship.com.

3.5 Last Chance Qualifier

The LCQ is an opportunity to qualify to participate in the Ultimate Madden Bowl for players who have not accumulated sufficient MCS points in the EA Majors.

The LCQ is an online tournament to be held in January 2023. 

During the LCQ, players will compete on an open leaderboard to determine the top sixty-four (64) players (thirty-two (32) per Supported Platform). These sixty-four (64) players will advance to the online elimination stage and compete in six (6) rounds of single elimination gameplay to determine the two (2) players (one (1) per Supported Platform) that will join the other twelve (12) Competitors proceeding to the Ultimate Madden Bowl.

3.6 MCS Finals: The Ultimate Madden Bowl

The Ultimate Madden Bowl is invitation-only. In January 2023, fourteen (14) Competitors will be invited to participate in the Ultimate Madden Bowl as follows:

• Twelve (12) Competitors consisting of the players with the highest MCS Point totals as of January 15, 2023.
• Two (2) Competitors to advance from the LCQ event. 

See Ultimate Madden Bowl Event Rules for additional details about the Ultimate Madden Bowl event structure.

3.7 Premier Events

“Premier Events” include up to 8 events sponsored by third parties, with varying numbers of participants.

Eligibility and details will vary for each Premier Event. Please refer to the applicable Premier Event website for more information. Players not registered to compete in the MCS are allowed to compete in Premier Events, but only eligible, Competitors registered to compete in the MCS will be allocated a Seat (defined below) to the LCQ.

Players will not earn MCS Points in a Premier Event. Instead, they will play for a reserved seat in the LCQ.

4. Participation in Live Events

4.1 Travel for In-Person Live Events

EA may provide travel accommodations at EA’s expense for some Competitors who qualify (or are invited) to compete in a Live Event. For Competitors with travel expenses paid by EA, the selection of transportation carriers, hotels, and/or related transfers, will be at EA's sole discretion. EA reserves the right to provide ground transportation instead of airfare based on a Competitor’s travel distance from a Live Event. If a Competitor requests special travel or accommodation plans, such as different travel dates, different carriers, or departure/arrival cities other than the designated city for the tournament, and if the cost of the special travel request exceeds that of the standard tournament travel plans, EA may require the Competitor to cover the difference in cost.

See the Event Rules for specific travel requirements.

4.2 Declaration of Eligibility and Request for Biographic Information

In order to participate in Live Events, receive travel accommodations to in-person Live Events, and/or receive equipment from EA to participate in online-only Live Events, Competitors must sign a Declaration of Eligibility and complete the Request for Biographic Information. Declaration of Eligibility will be sent to Competitors at the email addresses associated with the EA Accounts used to register for Events as described in Section 2 of these Official Rules. If a Competitor does not complete and return the Declaration of Eligibility and Request for Biographic Information within two (2) business days of attempted notification, fails to sign and/or return the Declaration of Eligibility within the required time period, refuses travel, is ineligible to accept travel, or is unavailable to travel during the required dates listed in Event Rules for the specific Event, the Competitor forfeits travel accommodations, as well as their place in the respective Event.

If a Competitor is a minor in his or her territory of residence, the Competitor’s parent or legal guardian will be required to sign all necessary documents to accept travel and must accompany the Competitor to the Live Event. In these instances, travel accommodations will include additional airfare for one (1) parent or legal guardian. Competitor and parent/legal guardian must travel together on the same itinerary and will share hotel accommodations.

4.3 Other Details Related to Travel and Accommodations

Receiving travel accommodations is contingent upon compliance with these Official Rules. In the event a Competitor is disqualified, or travel is forfeited for any reason, EA may award that Competitor’s transportation, accommodations, current placement in the Event, and/or the prize associated with Competitor’s current placement to an alternate player. 

Incidentals for travel, including, without limitation: telephone calls, facsimile charges, Internet charges, spa/beauty salon services, laundry, tours/excursions, gift shop purchases, hotel processing fees, airline service charges and any other expenses not mentioned in these Official Rules are the sole responsibility of the Competitor or parent/guardian, and the Competitor may be asked to account for any such incidental charges by providing the applicable hotel with a credit card. Hotel and airfare cannot be used separately. Travel and accommodations are subject to availability and certain restrictions. Any extra nights’ stay and any additional costs associated with an extended stay are the sole responsibility of the Competitor and his or her parent/guardian. Valid passport and/or other travel documentation may be required, which is the responsibility of each Competitor. Additional restrictions may apply.

4.4 Background Checks

In order to participate in a Live Event, potential prize winners may first be required to submit to a background check and provide the necessary information that EA requests to be eligible to receive a prize. EA reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify any potential winner based on such background check if EA determines, in its sole discretion, that awarding a prize to such winner might reflect negatively on EA.  

5. Prizes

5.1 Cash Prizes at MCS Events

Competitors in the MCS will play for a total cash prize pool of One Million Seven Hundred Thousand United States Dollars (USD $1,700,000). See the following Event Rules for distribution of cash prizes for that Event.

• The 2022 MCS Ultimate Kickoff
• The 2022 MCS Ultimate Thanksgiving
• The 2022 MCS Ultimate Wild Card
• The 2023 MCS Ultimate Madden Bowl

Prizes won at Events are not transferable. No substitution of prizes for other goods and services is permitted, except that EA reserves the right to provide a substitute of approximately equal or greater value if an advertised prize is unavailable or not allowed by local law. All federal, state, provincial and local taxes, and international tariffs are the sole responsibility of the individual winner.

Winning Competitors must sign a Prize Winner Declaration within ninety (90) days of completion of the Event to claim a prize. If a winning Competitor fails to sign and/or return the Prize Winner Declaration, refuses the prize, or is ineligible to accept the prize, the Competitor forfeits the prize.

Failure to communicate banking information or delivery method to prize distribution vendor in a timely manner may result in forfeiture of the prize. If a winning Competitor is a minor in his or her state, country or province of residence, that Competitor’s parent or legal guardian (as required by law) will be required to sign all necessary documents upon verification of identification. Receiving a prize is contingent upon compliance with these Official Rules. In the event a winning Competitor is disqualified, or a prize is forfeited for any reason, EA retains the discretion to donate the applicable prize to a charity of its choosing. Potential winners may be required to provide a valid shipping address to claim a prize. Allow up to three (3) months for delivery of prizes.

In the event EA cancels or suspends the MCS pursuant to Section 2.3 above, prizes will be awarded for all Events prior to such cancellation or suspension in accordance with the applicable MCS Event Rules. 

5.2 MCS Point Awards

In addition to the cash prizes listed above, Competitors at EA Majors will receive MCS points corresponding to their final placement at the EA Majors during which they were earned, as detailed below.  

Points Awarded at the Conclusion of Elimination Rounds

*All Competitors who advance to a Live Finals would receive points based on their final placement in Live Finals

Points Awarded at the Conclusion of Live Finals

5.3 In Game Content

Competitors in the MCS will receive one (1) Madden Ultimate Team Gameday Pack (“Gameday Pack”) for each Event they register and play at least one (1) game in during any phase of Events. Competitors may receive a maximum of four (4) Gameday Packs with a maximum of one (1) Gameday Pack per Event. The list of Events are as follows:

• MCS Ultimate Kickoff
• MCS Ultimate Thanksgiving
• MCS Ultimate Wild Card
• MCS Last Chance Qualifier

Competitors will receive an email with instructions on how to claim their Gameday Pack to the email they register with for the eligible event within thirty (30) days of the conclusion of the Event.

6. Match Process at Live Events 

6.1 General Items

• AdministrationCompetitors will be briefed by designated referees and a tournament director who will have authority with respect to the operation and officiating of Live Events (“Event Officials”).
• Competitor Stage NameCompetitors will be asked to select a unique name to identify themselves for the online elimination and live broadcast (“Stage Name”). Competitor’s Stage Name can be the same as their Platform Username, but is not required to be the same. The Stage Name must be unique from other Competitors’ Stage Names and must not be deemed vulgar by Event Officials as specified in Section 7 of these Official Rules.
• Competitor ResponsibilitiesCompetitors will be allowed a brief warm-up period to get comfortable with their station set up. Competitors will be expected to be ready to begin match play at the scheduled times. If a hardware or software failure or other unexpected incident occurs in the game, both Competitors in the affected match are responsible for alerting an Event Official of the incident immediately.
• Tournament ScheduleMatches will be assigned an estimated time to start, along with a check-in time given to the Competitors to be ready to play.
• Match ResultsMatches will be played in the presence of Event Officials. Competitors should confirm the result of each match and describe any technical issues that occurred during the match to the Event Officials as soon as the match concludes.
• DisconnectionsThe result of a Competitor’s disconnection from a match depends on whether the disconnection was intentional. Whether or not a disconnection is deemed intentional or unintentional is at the sole discretion of the Event Officials.
  • If a Competitor intentionally disconnects from the match and is not able to reconnect, that Competitor will incur a loss.
  • If a Competitor unintentionally disconnects from the match and is not able to reconnect, Event Officials will determine if the match state can be restored. If the match cannot be restored, then the Event Officials will determine how to restart the game.
• Administrator PauseAt any time during a Live Event match, an Event Official may ask a Competitor to pause their game for any reason. Competitors are expected to follow this guidance promptly and within reason.
• Grace Period for Settings CheckCompetitors have until the start of the second quarter of a match to report any settings that were configured incorrectly. If a Competitor’s setting(s) was configured incorrectly, Event Officials will suspend the match, correct the setting(s), and then resume the match from the last match state.

6.2 Equipment and Accessories Provided Onsite

The Event Officials may provide the following equipment at Live Events to facilitate the tournament:

• Venue
• Tables and chairs
• Access-restricted player lounge or equivalent practice facility
• Consoles
• TV monitors
• Controllers
• Controller conversion adaptors
• Digital game codes
• Game accounts and roster content

6.3 Competitor-Owned Equipment

Competitors can bring their own controllers to be used during the MCS. All controllers must first be reviewed and approved by Event Officials prior to use during an Event.

Competitors may not have possession of any personal communication devices (such as smartphones, tablets, or other items capable of mobile communications) while they are actively engaged in a match. Event Officials will provide a storage area for all personal items.  

6.4 Practice Area and Schedule

Event Officials will provide a practice area and schedule prior to the start of an in-person Live Event.

6.5 Mercy Rules 

If the following conditions are met during a match, at the sole discretion of the Event Officials, a match may be ended early and victory awarded to the Competitor with the score advantage in the interest of continuing the MCS in a timely manner. 

• A Competitor has a thirty-two (32) or greater point lead at the end of the first half.
• A Competitor has a twenty-five (25) or greater point lead AND the losing Competitor has had at least one opportunity to possess the ball for a full drive in the second half.
• A Competitor has a twenty-four (24) point lead with possession of the ball AND the losing Competitor has had at least one opportunity to possess the ball for a full drive in the second half.

A match will not be ended early during the group stage of the MCS.

6.6 Maximum Point Differential

The maximum point differential that can be reported as a score in a group play match between two (2) Competitors is twenty-four (24) points (example: 24-0; 31-7; 66-42). When the final score differential exceeds the maximum point differential that is allowed to be reported, points will be subtracted from the winning Competitor’s score until the differential is twenty-four (24). Only scores directly reported to Event Officials are used when determining advancement from group play during Online Elimination phases of a tournament (as specified in the Event Rules).

6.7 Substitute Competitors and Default Wins 

If any Competitors fail to meet their obligations or violate rules before or during the MCS, then they may be disqualified and replaced with a substitute Competitor (depending on the phase of the MCS). Default wins will only be awarded at the discretion of an Event Official. 

6.8 Conceding a Match 

Competitors are discouraged from conceding matches during the MCS. Concessions will be allowed without penalty in emergency situations as well as situations that do not impact the placement of other Competitors outside of the current match. Competitors that concede matches during a group stage will be penalized, unless authorized by an Event Official.

7. Competitor Conduct, Prohibited Behavior, and Rule Enforcement

7.1 Expectations of Competitor Conduct

Competitors must conduct themselves in accordance with commonly accepted standards of decency, social conventions and morals, and to not commit any act or become involved in any situation or make any statement which brings disrepute, contempt, scandal, ridicule, or disdain to the Competitor, EA, the MCS, or to its Competitors and sponsors, and credible allegations thereof.

These requirements apply to live, offline, and online interactions, in and out of the MCS, including with respect to social media conduct and activity on live streams, past conduct, and during Events. All Competitors are expected to adhere to the standards of sportsmanship and the EA Rules of Conduct, available at terms.ea.com, at all times, including when not participating in EA-sanctioned events. 

EA Accounts, the leaderboard and match data may be audited, including for malicious behavior and cheating. Any Competitor may be disqualified immediately from the MCS and related competitions, at the discretion of EA or its designees, for any reason, including for any failure to comply with the User Agreement, Privacy and Cookie Policy, and Rules of Conduct, which may include but are not limited to:

• Violating any law, rule or regulation, as determined by EA in its sole discretion;
• Using any software or program that damages, interferes with or disrupts an EA service or another's computer or property;
• Using any external software designed to give the Competitor an unfair advantage;
• Interfering with or disrupting another Competitior’s participation in the MCS;
• Harassing, threatening, bullying, engaging in hate speech, repeatedly sending unwanted messages, including making personal attacks or statements about race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, heritage, etc.;
• Publishing, posting, uploading, or distributing content, or organizing/participating in any activity, group or guild that EA (acting reasonably) determines is inappropriate, abusive, hateful (e.g., expressing negative views about a person or group of people based on gender, race, immigration status, sexual orientation, religion, heritage, or similar characteristics), harassing, profane, defamatory, threatening, obscene, sexually explicit and/or exploitive, infringing, privacy-invasive, vulgar or otherwise inconsistent with the goodwill of EA or the NFL, offensive, indecent or unlawful;
• Using exploits, cheats, undocumented features, design errors or bugs in the MCS;
• Selling, buying, trading or otherwise transferring or offering to transfer an EA Account or any EA content associated with an EA Account, including EA virtual currency and other entitlements, either within an EA service or on a third party website, or in connection with any out-of-game transaction, unless expressly authorized by EA;
• Engaging in any other activity that significantly disturbs a peaceful, fair and respectful gaming environment of an EA service; or
• Promoting, encouraging or taking part in any prohibited activity described above.

Every Competitor must maintain an appropriate level of respect, in EA’s sole judgment, toward other Competitors, and the Event Officials. Threatening or inappropriate behavior towards Event Officials and/or other Competitors will not be tolerated. Competitors must follow the instructions of Event Officials at all times.

7.2 Examples of Prohibited Behaviors

The following behaviors expressly are prohibited during the MCS:

• Competitors watching video streams and/or listening to live coverage of their own match while the match is still in progress.
• Collusion, as defined in Section 7.3 of these Official Rules.
• Intentionally disconnecting from the Internet during any match;
• Abusive or disorderly behavior, including harassment, threats, and any use of harassing, negative, or profane language online
• Fighting or any physical abuse directed at any Competitor, spectator, Event Official or any other person. 
• Damage and/or abuse to game consoles, controllers, or any provided tournament equipment. 
• Taking advantage of known exploits in the Game (it is the responsibility of players to understand and avoid all current illegal exploits).
• Any action that interferes with match play, including but not limited to purposely breaking a game station, interfering with power, and abuse of in-game pausing.
• Gambling, including betting on the outcome of games.
• Soliciting and/or accepting bribes.
• Disclosing any confidential information provided by EA or any of its affiliates, including  to any other people or groups of people, and/or via social media.
• Carrying out any third-party promotional activity in connection with the MCS unless approved in advance in writing by EA.
• Failing to be available for any post-tournament awards ceremonies, interviews, and the entirety of a Live Event, as well as any promotional activities reasonably requested by EA or other sponsors.

7.3 Collusion

Any action or agreement to disadvantage other Competitors to predetermine the outcome of a match, to try to lose a match, or to limit efforts to win a match is strictly prohibited. 

Any Competitors determined by EA to be violating this rule at any phase in the MCS may be removed from the MCS. Such Competitors may be forced to forfeit or return any compensation and/or prizes and may have their EA and/or Game accounts suspended.

Examples of collusion include, but are not limited to:

• Intentionally losing a match for any reason at any portion of an Event.
• Playing on behalf of another Competitor, including using a secondary account, to aid them during any portion of an Event.
• Any form of match-fixing.
• Soft play, defined as a Competitor not giving their best effort or not taking reasonable and fair actions to gain advantages against their opponent during a match.
• Agreeing to split prize money; and
• Allowing an opponent to score more or less points than they normally would to impact the rankings.

7.4 Drug & Alcohol Policy for Live Events

Competitor use of alcohol or drugs is prohibited on any Live Event premises, and Competitors must not be under the influence of drugs or alcohol while participating in the MCS.

Smoking, including the use of eCigarettes and vaporizers, is prohibited during any Live Event except in designated areas at in-person venues. Some event venues may ban smoking entirely.

7.5 Live Event Dress Code and Apparel 

Competitors who compete in Live Events must wear attire that is appropriate under the circumstances (as determined by EA). EA and the NFL Entities will provide apparel that must be worn by Competitors during certain Live Events and/or apparel guidelines with details on what apparel would be considered acceptable at Live Events (“Apparel Guidelines”). Personal apparel choices must be submitted to EA according to the process defined in the Apparel Guidelines and approved in order to participate in Live Events. Failure to comply with the Apparel Guidelines could result in penalties as outlined in Section 7.7.

Competitors shall not wear, carry, or bear any items of a political nature, or which in EA's opinion cause controversy or reflect unfavorably upon EA, its partners, or the MCS.

Competitors shall not carry out any promotional activity or marketing of brands and services in connection with the MCS unless otherwise approved in writing by EA.

7.6 Competitor Sponsorship and Promotion

Subject to these Official Rules and EA’s right in its sole discretion to prohibit, reject, remove, blur or obscure any mark, logo or signage, Competitors in the MCS may include the display of promotional sponsors. Competitors may not display or promote any products or services in conjunction with EA, its partners, or the MCS that offer or are associated with:

• Gambling or gambling websites
• Alcohol, tobacco, and/or prescription drugs
• Madden Ultimate Team coin promoting or selling websites or companies
• Firearms or any type of weapons
• Pornographic or adult material
• High fat, salt, or sugar foods and drinks
• Products or services from direct competitors of EA, its partners, and its other subsidiary brands
• Direct competitors of the NFL’s Official Marketing Partners

The list is illustrative and non-exhaustive. EA reserves the right to add or remove any product or service from the list at any time without notice. 

7.7 Rule Enforcement and Penalties 

Violation of these Official Rules or Event Rules may, at EA's discretion, result in penalties, disqualification, change in match results, loss of winner status, and/or forfeiture of prizes. All decisions and rulings of EA or Event Officials relating to the MCS are final and binding. EA reserves the right to penalize any Competitor in the Competition at any level, at any time, for any reason. Penalties may include, but are not limited to, any or all of the following:

• Verbal warning
• An enforced 5-yard penalty (multiple enforcements allowed)
• Clock runoff for a specified amount of time
• Loss of down and a specified number of yards
• Loss of possession (i.e. forced punt)
• A deduction of points scored during a group stage
• Automatic game loss
• Disqualification from the Event

• Forfeiture of any registration fees to participate in an Event

• Loss of awards (including prize money and paid travel expenses)
• Disqualification of leaderboards that serve as qualifiers for Events
• Temporary or permanent suspension from the MCS
• Suspension of one or multiple game accounts for the EA service(s) used by the Competitor

EA also has the right to publicly announce penalties that have been levied on Competitors, and such Competitors hereby waive any right of legal action against EA, and any of its affiliates.

EA, in its sole discretion, reserves the right to disqualify any Competitor at any time, for any reason, including but not limited to tampering with the entry process or the operation of the MCS, or acting in violation of these Official Rules or in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner and reserves the right to void all associated entries. EA’s failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision.

8. General Terms

8.1 Personal Information

By participating in the MCS, all Competitors acknowledge that EA will process their personal information (including name, address, birthdate, EA Account Name, email address, Platform Username, and country of residence) (collectively, “Personal Information”) in accordance with the EA Privacy and Cookie Policy, available at https://privacy.ea.com for the purposes listed therein. If Personal Information has been collected from Competitors by another organizing entity, Competitors agree to the organizing entity transferring such Personal Information to EA. 

Personal Information will be used and processed as described in the Privacy and Cookie Policy, including for the purposes of: 

• Organizing, running, and monitoring the MCS and prize fulfillment, including for Competitors that win a prize, publishing Competitor names and countries of residence online or in any other media in connection with the MCS, as described further below; and 
• Any additional processing activities to which Competitors consent and/or acknowledge as applicable, such as sharing information with designated Event Officials, including for booking travel and soliciting feedback on the MCS, gameplay and features of the Game. 

Personal Information will be processed in the United States and potentially other countries in which EA, its subsidiaries, or third party agents operate. By entering the MCS, you consent that your Personal Information may be transferred to recipients in the United States and other countries that may not offer the same level of privacy protection as the laws in your country of residence or citizenship, as further explained in the Privacy and Cookie Policy.  

Competitors have the right to access, withdraw, and correct their Personal Information. Competitors may request such action by visiting our Privacy Portal, https://www.ea.com/privacy-portal. 

Please note that EA may request background investigations for Competitors that we invite to Live Events. EA may request Competitor consent and provide details about such investigations if applicable and necessary. 

The organizing entity for the MCS, if applicable, shall be considered a data controller for the database containing the Personal Information submitted by Competitors. Please refer to the privacy policy of such organizing entity for details regarding how your data is processed and your rights with respect to it. 

Applicability of User Agreement and Privacy and Cookie Policy: If there is any conflict between these Official Rules and either the Privacy and Cookie Policy or the User Agreement, then the Privacy Policy or User Agreement, as applicable, will control.

8.2 Release of Competitor Information

Winners List: EA will post a winner’s list online after all winners are confirmed within two (2) weeks after the end of each Event (each, a “Winners List”). See the specific Event Rules for details on where that Event’s Winners List will be posted. This Winners List will remain posted at least for three (3) months.

8.2.1.    Competitor grants to EA and the NFL Entities the right to publish and otherwise use Competitor’s statistics and rankings in connection with the MCS for any purpose, including for marketing and promotional purposes, without consent or compensation to Competitor.

8.2.2.    By accepting a prize, Competitor grants to EA and the NFL Entities the right to use their Personal Information and any other information provided by Competitor, without further consent or compensation to Competitor, for the administration, marketing and promotion of the MCS, EA, and/or the Game, unless otherwise noted below:

• Background info: Full name, country of residency, age, Platform Username(e.g., Xbox Live Gamertag, PSN ID, EA Account ID)
• Social Media info: Twitter handle, YouTube channel, Twitch account, Instagram username
• Photos: Any photos provided by Competitor to EA or photos of Competitor taken onsite at a Live Event 
• Other Information for Event Officials only: Shirt size, dietary restrictions, mobile phone number
• Any other biographical information provided by Competitor (e.g., favorite professional sports teams players)

8.2.3.    Competitors acknowledge and agree that EA may provide their Account Information (name, Online ID, age, country, game play stats and scores, and email address) to the NFL Entities for the purposes of administering any and all Events, including without limitation that the NFL Entities may contact Player by email and/or other means.

8.3 Governing Law; Release of Liability

8.3.1.    EA’s decisions will be final and binding on all matters related to the MCS.

8.3.2.    To the extent permissible by local law, the MCS is governed by the laws of the State of California and all claims must be resolved in the United States.

8.3.3.    To the extent permissible by law, Competitor agrees to release and hold harmless EA and its agents from any and all liability or any injury, loss, damage, right, claim or action of any kind arising from or in connection with the MCS or any MCS-related activity, or the receipt, acceptance, possession, use or misuse of travel or any prize won.

8.3.4.    FOR RESIDENTS OF GERMANY 

Notwithstanding any other provision herein, nothing in these Official Rules shall have the effect to deprive a Competitor of the consumer protection rights granted by the laws of your residence that cannot be derogated from by agreement. With respect to the Prize and any other products or services given by EA and its affiliates free of charge, EA shall only be liable for intent and gross negligence.In case of slight negligence, however, EA is only liable for the breach of essential contractual obligations, such as delay or impossibility of performance, which EA can be made responsible for. The liability in the event of breach of such an essential contractual obligation is limited to the typical contractual damage, whose occurrence could be expected by the EA upon conclusion of the contract on account of the circumstances known at that time. “Essential contractual obligations” are those obligations whose fulfillment is essential to enable the proper implementation of the contract and the achievement of its purpose and whose observation you as an end consumer may rely upon. The foregoing limitations of liability shall not apply in the case of explicit guarantees by the EA, in cases of malice and injuries to life, body or health as well as in the case of mandatory statutory regulations.

8.3.4.    FOR RESIDENTS OF THE UNITED KINGDOM

Notwithstanding any other provision herein, to the extent allowable under applicable law, each Competitor agrees to release and hold harmless EA and its agents from any and all liability or any injury, loss, damage, right, claim or action of any kind arising from or in connection with the MCS or any MCS-related activity or the receipt, possession, use or misuse of any prize won, except with respect to claims resulting from death or personal injury arising from EA’s negligence and with respect to claims resulting from the tort of deceit or any other liabilities that may not be excluded by law.

8.3.5.    RELEASE OF NFL ENTITIES

Competitor irrevocably waives all claims against the National Football League, its member professional football clubs, NFL Ventures, Inc., NFL Ventures, L.P., NFL Properties LLC, NFL Enterprises LLC and each of their respective subsidiaries, affiliates, shareholders, officers, directors, agents, representatives and employees (collectively, the “NFL Entities”) and agrees that the NFL Entities will have no liability or responsibility for any claims, damages, obligations, losses, injuries, costs or debt, and expenses (including but not limited to attorney’s fees) claimed to be caused by participating in the MCS or the acceptance, possession, shipping and handling, loss, use or misuse of any prize awarded. The NFL Entities have not offered or sponsored the MCS in any way.

8.3.5.    RELEASE OF CAMPBELL SOUP COMPANY

Competitor irrevocably waives all claims against Campbell Soup Company  and agrees that Campbell Soup Company will have no liability or responsibility for any claims, damages, obligations, losses, injuries, costs or debt, and expenses (including but not limited to attorney’s fees) claimed to be caused by participating in the MCS or the acceptance, possession, shipping and handling, loss, use or misuse of any prize awarded. Campbell Soup Company does not sponsor the MCS.

9. Commercial Rights

All commercial rights (including, without limitation, all marketing, and media rights) relating to the MCS are reserved for EA.

Competitors shall not associate themselves with the MCS and/or EA in any commercial manner, nor use any intellectual property rights of EA, nor shall they permit any third parties to do so, without the prior written consent of EA, which may be granted or withheld at EA’s sole discretion.

Any Competitor or a Competitor’s sponsor wishing to engage in any promotional or marketing activities with respect to the MCS, including at any MCS tournament venue, will need prior written consent from EA, which may be granted or withheld at EA’s sole discretion.

The recording and dissemination of images or footage of the MCS for commercial purposes by or on behalf of any Competitor is strictly prohibited, except when explicitly authorized by EA. 

©2022 Electronic Arts Inc.

Microsoft Corporation is not sponsoring the MCS.

Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. is not sponsoring, endorsing or otherwise associated with the MCS.

MCS Ultimate Kickoff Event Rules and Details

The Official Rules (“Official Rules”) and all provisions, details, and definitions therein (see https://www.ea.com/games/madden-nfl/madden-nfl-23/compete/about/official-rules for the Official Rules) apply to and are incorporated into these Ultimate Kickoff Event Rules.

1. Overview

The Ultimate Kickoff is the first Event in the MCS, and will be held from August 20, 2022 to September 9, 2022.

The tournament follows the following format:

• An “open” phase played amongst all Competitors who secure a spot via the Ultimate Kickoff registration portal at http://battlefy.com/madden-championship-series-2023/   
• A “Single Elimination” phase consisting of the top two hundred thirty two (232) Competitors per Supported Platform (as defined in Section 1 of the Official Rules)
• A “Live Event” phase consisting of the top eight (8) Competitors from the Single Elimination phase (four (4) per Supported Platform). 

The registered players at the Ultimate Kickoff (“Competitors”) will participate in up to two (2) days of online ladder play on August 20, 2022 and August 21, 2022 to determine Single Elimination Competitors who will play between August 27, 2022 and August 28, 2022.Those advancing to the Live Event phase will determine the winner of the Ultimate Kickoff (see Section 2 below for additional details regarding the registration process and criteria for becoming a Competitor in Ultimate Kickoff).

2. Eligibility, Registration, and Deadlines

Players must do the following to become a Competitor in the Ultimate Kickoff:

1. Meet all eligibility requirements described in Section 2 of the Official Rules. 
2. Register for, or log into, your Battlefy.com account (see https://www.battlefy.com).
   • Event Officials may require you to compete under a different name during the Ultimate Kickoff if your Battlefy.com account name is found to be in violation of Section 6 of the Official Rules.
3. Navigate to http://battlefy.com/madden-championship-series-2023/, provide your information on all form fields.
   • Battlefy.com Terms of Service (https://battlefy.com/policies/terms-of-service) and Privacy Policy (https://battlefy.com/policies/privacy-policy) will apply.
4. Players may only register once on a single Supported Platform of their choice. Registration using multiple email addresses or identities is not allowed, and any player attempting to do so may be disqualified from participating in the Ultimate Kickoff .
5. Players who have registered for the Ultimate Kickoff may cancel their registrations by emailing support@battlefy.com.

Attendance Process

• Competitors will receive instructions via email regarding how to check in online prior to the event.
• Competitors in the Ultimate Kickoff are responsible for their own equipment, connection, game content, any related expenses to attend the event.  
• Any confirmed Ultimate Kickoff Competitor who does not show up to compete at the event may face penalties including restrictions on participating in future MCS Events and other penalties as described in Section 7.7 of the Official Rules.
• The eight (8) Competitors (four (4) per Supported Platform) who advance to the final rounds of the Single Elimination phase must satisfy the requirements for attending Live Events as defined in Section 4 of the Official Rules

3. Event Structure

All games in the Ultimate Kickoff will be played using the MUT game mode.

The Ultimate Kickoff will be conducted in three (3) phases:

• Ladder Play:All Competitors will play in Ladder Play in order to be seeded into the Single Elimination portion of the event.
• Single Elimination:Two hundred thirty two (232) Competitors per Supported Platform will be seeded into the Single Elimination portion of the event.
• Live Event:Four (4) Competitors per Supported Platform will be seeded into a single elimination bracket and play until a champion is determined.

4. Prizes at the Ultimate Kickoff

A total of One Hundred Eighty Thousand United States Dollars (USD $180,000) will be awarded to Competitors based on their final placement in the Ultimate Kickoff as detailed below:

Twenty Thousand United States Dollars (USD $20,000) will be awarded in total to Competitors based on the following final placement in the Single Elimination Phase of the Ultimate Kickoff.

One Hundred Sixty Thousand United States Dollars (USD $160,000) will be awarded in total to Competitors based on the following final placement in the Live Event Phase of the Ultimate Kickoff.

See Section 5 of the Official Rules for details about how to claim prizes for the Ultimate Kickoff.

A Winner’s List for the Ultimate Kickoff will be posted at the link below for at least two (2) weeks following the end of the Event.

http://battlefy.com/madden-championship-series-2023/winners

5. Ultimate Kickoff Event Rules

5.1 Team Selection in Each Phase of the Event

Team Selection will be handled by the MUT Competitive Play a Friend event. Competitors will select their teams prior to each phase of the tournament. 

5.2 Restricted Items List

The Event Officials have the right to adjust the restricted items list as needed with no prior warning in order to ensure the fairness of the competition. Player items, playbooks, and teams that cannot be used in tournaments are listed as follows:

5.2.1 Current Restricted Items: As of August 4, 2022, there are no restricted items.

5.3 Seeding and Advancement 

Online Elimination Seeding

The following process will be used to seed Competitors into the Single Elimination Phase of the tournament based on their performance during the Ladder Play phase:

Competitors that register for the Event will be eligible to queue for a match on Battlefy.com during two (2) separate periods consisting of seven (7) hours of the open play period and one (1) additional hour to complete their final match for each of the play periods. Open play periods will be on the following dates and times:

• August 20, 2022 between 1PM and 9PM Eastern Time.
• August 21, 2022 between 1PM and 9PM Eastern Time.

A minimum number of six (6) matches (“Minimum Match Threshold”) must be played by a Competitor for their leaderboard entry to be valid. If less than two hundred thirty two (232) Competitors for a Supported Platform play less than six (6) matches, then the Minimum Match Threshold for that platform will be reduced as needed to reach two hundred thirty two (232) Competitors.

• Competitors with a minimum of six (6) matches played will be placed higher on the leaderboard than Competitors with less than six (6) matches played.
• For Competitors that play under six (6) matches, Competitors with more matches played will be placed higher on the leaderboard than Competitors with less matches played, even if those with less matches played have a higher win-loss differential.

Matchmaking in the Ladder Play Phase will preferentially select Competitors with similar scores in the current play period.

Leaderboard placement is based on win-loss differential, where one match win equates to +1 point and one match loss equates to -1 point. The top eight (8) Competitors at the end of the Ladder Play phase will receive byes into the third round of the Online Elimination phase bracket.

Ties on the leaderboard will be broken in the following ways:

• If the win-loss differential is tied, the Competitor with the most matches played will receive the higher ranking on the leaderboard.
• If two (2) or more Competitors are tied on win-loss differential and total matches played and all tied Competitors will receive seeding into the Single Elimination Phase then seeding will be randomly determined for each player.
• If two (2) or more Competitors are tied on win-loss differential and total matches played and there are fewer remaining positions in the Single Elimination Phase than there are tied Competitors a series of tiebreaking matches will be played between tied Competitors to determine which Competitor(s) will advance to the next phase.
  • Tiebreaking matches will only be played between Competitors at or above the Minimum Match Threshold of six (6) matches played during the Ladder Play Phase. 

Live Event Seeding

The following process will be used to seed Competitors into the Live Event Phase of the tournament based on their performance during the Single Elimination phase:

The Single Elimination phase will complete with four Competitors remaining. Competitors will be ranked based on their seeding from the Ladder Phase.

• Quarterfinal #1: XBox 1st Place vs PlayStation 4th Place
• Quarterfinal #2: PlayStation 2nd Place vs XBox 3rd Place
• Quarterfinal #3: PlayStation 1st Place vs XBox 4th Place
• Quarterfinal #4: Xbox 2nd Place vs PlayStation 3rd Place
• Semifinal #1: Winner of Quarterfinal #1 vs Winner of Quarterfinal #2
• Semifinal #2: Winner of Quarterfinal #3 vs Winner of Quarterfinal #4
• Final: Winner of Semifinal #1 vs Winner of Semifinal #2

6. In-Game Settings

6.1. Settings Dictated by MUT Mode

Game settings are dictated by the MUT Competitive Play a Friend event and cannot be changed.

6.2 Lineup and Depth Chart Requirements

Lineups in MUT are managed through the Game’s lineup screen. 

6.3 Additional Gameplay Rules (Online Elimination and Live Finals)

• Onside Kicks: Onside kicks are not allowed in the first half. A competitor may attempt an onside kick during the second half when they have fewer total points than their opponent.
• Excessive Offsides: Neither the offense or defense should purposefully go offsides with the intent of delaying the game nor exhibiting unsportsmanlike conduct. Intent is at the sole discretion of the tournament administration.
• Improper Audibles: Competitors may not audible out of the QB Kneel, Wildcat, Field Goal, or Punt formations.

6.4 Glitches

Any attempt to glitch the game in order to gain an advantage is prohibited:

• Procedure After a Glitch Penalty: In the event that a tournament administrator determines that a penalty was caused by an unauthorized glitch, one or more of the following actions will be taken to return the game to a fair state depending on the result of the play. All Competitors will be given guidance on how to handle penalties once they have advanced to the Online Elimination phases of the tournament.
  • If the ball wasn’t advanced by the offense OR the result of the play was in favor of the defense (turnover, sack, defensive TD), then the offense will be forced to decline the penalty (in the end, the penalty for a glitch is a loss of down).
  • If the ball was advanced by the offense, then the offense will be forced to take penalties until they are equal or behind the line of scrimmage at the start of the play where they intentionally glitched (in the end, the penalty for a glitch is a loss of down).

7. Match Process, Competitor Conduct, and Other Topics Addressed in the Official Rules

Refer back to the Official Rules for additional information regarding the following topics:

• Match Process at Live Events (see Section 6 of the Official Rules)
• Competitor Conduct, Prohibited Behavior, and Rule Enforcement (see rules Section 7 of the Official Rules)

General Terms, including Personal Information (see rules Section 8 of the Official Rules)

MCS Ultimate Thanksgiving Event Rules and Details

The Official Rules (“Official Rules”) and all provisions, details, and definitions therein (see https://www.ea.com/games/madden-nfl/madden-nfl-23/compete/about/official-rules for the Official Rules) apply to and are incorporated into these Ultimate Thanksgiving Event Rules.

1. Overview

The Ultimate Thanksgiving is the second Event in the MCS, and will be held from October 1, 2022 to November 16, 2022.

The tournament follows the following format:

• An “open” phase played amongst all players who secure a spot via the Ultimate Thanksgiving registration portal at http://battlefy.com/madden-championship-series-2023/ 
• A “Double Elimination” phase consisting of the top two hundred thirty two (232) players per Supported Platform (as defined in Section 1 of the Official Rules)
• A “Live Event” phase consisting of the top eight (8) players from the Double Elimination phase (four (4) per Supported Platform). 

The registered players at the Ultimate Thanksgiving (“Competitors”) will participate in up to four (4) days of online ladder play between October 1, 2022 and October 9, 2022 to determine Double Elimination Competitors who will play between October 15, 2022 and October 23, 2022.Those advancing to the Live Event phase will determine the winner of the Ultimate Thanksgiving (see Section 2 below for additional details regarding the registration process and criteria for becoming a Competitor in Ultimate Thanksgiving).

2. Eligibility, Registration, and Deadlines

Players must do the following to become a Competitor in the Ultimate Thanksgiving:

1. Meet all eligibility requirements described in Section 2 of the Official Rules. 
2. Register for, or log into, your Battlefy.com account (see https://www.battlefy.com).
   • Event Officials may require you to compete under a different name during the Ultimate Thanksgiving if your Battlefy.com account name is found to be in violation of Section 6 of the Official Rules.
3. Navigate to http://battlefy.com/madden-championship-series-2023/, provide your information on all form fields.
   • Battlefy.com Terms of Service (https://battlefy.com/policies/terms-of-service) and Privacy Policy (https://battlefy.com/policies/privacy-policy) will apply.
4. Players may only register once on a single Supported Platform of their choice. Registration using multiple email addresses or identities is not allowed, and any player attempting to do so may be disqualified from participating in the Ultimate Thanksgiving.
5. Players who have registered for the Ultimate Thanksgiving may cancel their registrations by emailing support@battlefy.com.

Attendance Process

• Competitors will receive instructions via email regarding how to check in online prior to the event.
• Competitors in the Ultimate Thanksgiving are responsible for their own equipment, connection, game content, any related expenses to attend the event.  
• Any confirmed Ultimate Thanksgiving Competitor who does not show up to compete at the event may face penalties including restrictions on participating in future MCS Events and other penalties as described in Section 7.7 of the Official Rules.
• The eight (8) Competitors (four (4) per Supported Platform) who advance to the final rounds of the Double Elimination phase must satisfy the requirements for attending Live Events as defined in Section 4 of the Official Rules

3. Event Structure

All games in the Ultimate Thanksgiving will be played using the MUT game mode.

The Ultimate Thanksgiving will be conducted in three (3) phases:

• Ladder Play:All Competitors will play in Ladder Play in order to be seeded into the Double Elimination portion of the event.
• Double Elimination:Two hundred thirty two (232) Competitors per Supported Platform will be seeded into the Double Elimination portion of the event.
• Live Event:Four (4) Competitors per Supported Platform will be seeded into a single elimination bracket and play until a champion is determined.

4. Prizes at the Ultimate Thanksgiving

A total of Two Hundred Sixty Thousand United States Dollars (USD $260,000) will be awarded to Competitors based on their final placement in the Ultimate Thanksgiving as detailed below:

Thirty Thousand United States Dollars (USD $30,000) will be awarded in total to Competitors based on the following final placement in the Double Elimination Phase of the Ultimate Thanksgiving.

Two Hundred Thirty Thousand United States Dollars (USD $230,000) will be awarded in total to Competitors based on the following final placement in the Live Event Phase of the Ultimate Thanksgiving.

See Section 5 of the Official Rules for details about how to claim prizes for the Ultimate Thanksgiving.

A Winner’s List for the Ultimate Thanksgiving will be posted at the link below for at least two (2) weeks following the end of the Event.

http://battlefy.com/madden-championship-series-2023/winners

5. Ultimate Thanksgiving Event Rules

5.1 Team Selection in Each Phase of the Event

Team Selection will be handled by the MUT Competitive Play a Friend event. Players will select their teams prior to each phase of the tournament. 

5.2 Restricted Items List

The Event Officials have the right to adjust the restricted items list as needed with no prior warning in order to ensure the fairness of the competition. Player items, playbooks, and teams that cannot be used in tournaments are listed as follows:

5.2.1 Current Restricted Items: As of August 4, 2022, there are no restricted items.

5.3 Seeding and Advancement 

Online Elimination Seeding

The following process will be used to seed Competitors into the Double Elimination Phase of the tournament based on their performance during the Ladder Play phase:

Competitors that register for the Event will be eligible to queue for a match on Battlefy.com during six (6) separate periods consisting of seven (7) hours of the open play period and one (1) additional hour to complete their final match for each of the play periods. Open play periods will be on the following dates and times:

• October 1, 2022 between 1PM and 9PM Eastern Time.
• October 2, 2022 between 1PM and 9PM Eastern Time.
• October 8, 2022 between 1PM and 9PM Eastern Time.
• October 9, 2022 between 1PM and 9PM Eastern Time.

A minimum number of twelve (12) matches (“Minimum Match Threshold”) must be played by a Competitor for their leaderboard entry to be valid. If less than two hundred thirty-two (232) Competitors for a Supported Platform play less than twelve (12) matches, then the Minimum Match Threshold for that platform will be reduced as needed to reach two hundred thirty-two (232) Competitors.

• Competitors with a minimum of twelve (12) matches played will be placed higher on the leaderboard than Competitors with less than twelve (12) matches played.
• For Competitors that play under twelve (12) matches, Competitors with more matches played will be placed higher on the leaderboard than Competitors with less matches played, even if those with less matches played have a higher win-loss differential.

Matchmaking in the Ladder Play Phase will preferentially select Competitors with similar scores in the current play period.

Leaderboard placement is based on win-loss differential, where one match win equates to +1 point and one match loss equates to -1 point. The top eight (8) Competitors at the end of the Ladder Play phase will receive byes into the third round of the Online Elimination phase bracket.

Ties on the leaderboard will be broken in the following ways:

• If the win-loss differential is tied, the Competitor with the most matches played will receive the higher ranking on the leaderboard.
• If two (2) or more Competitors are tied on win-loss differential and total matches played and all tied players will receive seeding into the Double Elimination Phase then seeding will be randomly determined for each Competitor.
• If two (2) or more players are tied on win-loss differential and total matches played and there are fewer remaining positions in the Double Elimination Phase than there are tied Competitors a series of tiebreaking matches will be played between tied Competitors to determine which Competitor(s) will advance to the next phase.
  • Tiebreaking matches will only be played between Competitors at or above the Minimum Match Threshold of twelve (12) matches played during the Ladder Play Phase. 

Live Event Seeding

The following process will be used to seed Competitors into the Live Event Phase of the tournament based on their performance during the Double Elimination phase:

The Double Elimination phase will complete with four Competitors remaining, two players from each the Winners and Losers Brackets. 

Competitors advancing from the Winners Bracket will be seeded 1st and 2nd for their Supported Platforms:

• The Competitor with the better seeding from the Ladder Phase will be seeded 1st for their supported platform.

Competitors advancing from the Losers Bracket will be seeded 3rd and 4th for their Supported Platforms:

• The Competitor that advanced farther in the Winners Bracket before being moved into the Losers Bracket will be seeded 3rd for their supported platform.
• In the event both the above criteria can not determine seeding the Competitor with the better seeding from the Ladder Phase will be seeded 3rd for their supported platform. 

Match Progression for Live Event is as follows:

• Quarterfinal #1: XBox 1st Seed vs PlayStation 4th Seed
• Quarterfinal #2: PlayStation 2nd Seed vs XBox 3rd Seed
• Quarterfinal #3: PlayStation 1st Seed vs XBox 4th Seed
• Quarterfinal #4: Xbox 2nd Seed vs PlayStation 3rd Seed
• Semifinal #1: Winner of Quarterfinal #1 vs Winner of Quarterfinal #2
• Semifinal #2: Winner of Quarterfinal #3 vs Winner of Quarterfinal #4
• Final: Winner of Semifinal #1 vs Winner of Semifinal #2

6. In-Game Settings

6.1. Settings Dictated by MUT Mode

Game settings are dictated by the MUT Competitive Play a Friend event and cannot be changed.

6.2 Lineup and Depth Chart Requirements

Lineups in MUT are managed through the Game’s lineup screen. 

6.3 Additional Gameplay Rules (Online Elimination and Live Finals)

• Onside Kicks: Onside kicks are not allowed in the first half. A competitor may attempt an onside kick during the second half when they have fewer total points than their opponent.
• Excessive Offsides: Neither the offense or defense should purposefully go offsides with the intent of delaying the game nor exhibiting unsportsmanlike conduct. Intent is at the sole discretion of the tournament administration.
• Improper Audibles: Competitors may not audible out of the QB Kneel, Wildcat, Field Goal, or Punt formations.

6.4 Glitches

Any attempt to glitch the game in order to gain an advantage is prohibited. This includes, but is not limited to the following situations:

• Any offsides glitch.
• Intentionally slowing down a defense at the line of scrimmage to cause an offsides penalty.
• Procedure After a Glitch Penalty: In the event that a tournament administrator determines that a penalty was caused by an unauthorized glitch, one or more of the following actions will be taken to return the game to a fair state depending on the result of the play. All Competitors will be given guidance on how to handle penalties once they have advanced to the Online Elimination phases of the tournament.
  • If the ball wasn’t advanced by the offense OR the result of the play was in favor of the defense (turnover, sack, defensive TD), then the offense will be forced to decline the penalty (in the end, the penalty for a glitch is a loss of down).
  • If the ball was advanced by the offense, then the offense will be forced to take penalties until they are equal or behind the line of scrimmage at the start of the play where they intentionally glitched (in the end, the penalty for a glitch is a loss of down).

7. Match Process, Competitor Conduct, and Other Topics Addressed in the Official Rules

Refer back to the Official Rules for additional information regarding the following topics:

• Match Process at Live Events (see Section 5 of the Official Rules)
• Competitor Conduct, Prohibited Behavior, and Rule Enforcement (see rules Section 6 of the Official Rules)
• General Terms, including Personal Information (see rules Section 7 of the Official Rules)

MCS Ultimate Wild Card Event Rules and Details

The Official Rules (“Official Rules”) and all provisions, details, and definitions therein (see https://www.ea.com/games/madden-nfl/madden-nfl-23/compete/about/official-rules for the Official Rules) apply to and are incorporated into these Ultimate Wild Card Event Rules.

1. Overview

The Ultimate Wild Card is the third Event in the MCS, and will be held from November 29, 2022 to January 11, 2023.

The tournament follows the following format:

• An “open” phase played amongst all Competitors who secure a spot via the Ultimate Wild Card registration portal at http://battlefy.com/madden-championship-series-2023/ 
• A “Double Elimination” phase consisting of the top two hundred thirty-two (232) Competitors per Supported Platform (as defined in Section 1 of the Official Rules)
• A “Live Event” phase consisting of the top eight (8) Competitors from the Double Elimination phase (four (4) per Supported Platform). 

The registered competitors at the Ultimate Wild Card (“Competitors”) will participate in up to six (6) days of online ladder play between November 29, 2022 and December 4, 2022 to determine Double Elimination Competitors who will play between December 10, 2022 and December 18, 2022.Those advancing to the Live Event phase will determine the winner of the Ultimate Wild Card (see Section 2 below for additional details regarding the registration process and criteria for becoming a Competitor in Ultimate Wild Card).

2. Eligibility, Registration, and Deadlines

Players must do the following to become a Competitor in the Ultimate Wild Card:

1. Meet all eligibility requirements described in Section 2 of the Official Rules. 
2. Register for, or log into, your Battlefy.com account (see https://www.battlefy.com).
   • Event Officials may require you to compete under a different name during the Ultimate Wild Card if your Battlefy.com account name is found to be in violation of Section 6 of the Official Rules.
3. Navigate to http://battlefy.com/madden-championship-series-2023/, provide your information on all form fields.
   • Battlefy.com Terms of Service (https://battlefy.com/policies/terms-of-service) and Privacy Policy (https://battlefy.com/policies/privacy-policy) will apply.
4. Competitors may only register once on a single Supported Platform of their choice. Registration using multiple email addresses or identities is not allowed, and any Competitor attempting to do so may be disqualified from participating in the Ultimate Wild Card .
5. Competitors who have registered for the Ultimate Wild Card may cancel their registrations by emailing support@battlefy.com.

Attendance Process

• Competitors will receive instructions via email regarding how to check in online prior to the event.
• Competitors in the Ultimate Wild Card are responsible for their own equipment, connection, game content, and any related expenses to attend the event.  
• Any confirmed Ultimate Wild Card Competitor who does not show up to compete at the event may face penalties including restrictions on participating in future MCS Events and other penalties as described in Section 7.7 of the Official Rules.
• The eight (8) Competitors (four (4) per Supported Platform) who advance to the final rounds of the Double Elimination phase must satisfy the requirements for attending Live Events as defined in Section 4 of the Official Rules

3. Event Structure

All games in the Ultimate Wild Card will be played using the MUT game mode.

The Ultimate Wild Card will be conducted in three (3) phases:

• Ladder Play:All Competitors will play in Ladder Play in order to be seeded into the Double Elimination portion of the event.
• Double Elimination:Two hundred thirty two (232) Competitors per Supported Platform will be seeded into the Double Elimination portion of the event.
• Live Event:Four (4) Competitors per Supported Platform will be seeded into a single elimination bracket and play until a champion is determined.

4. Prizes at the Ultimate Wild Card

A total of Two Hundred Sixty Thousand United States Dollars (USD $260,000) will be awarded to Competitors based on their final placement in the Ultimate Wild Card as detailed below:

Thirty Thousand United States Dollars (USD $30,000) will be awarded in total to Competitors based on the following final placement in the Double Elimination Phase of the Ultimate Wild Card.

Two Hundred Thirty Thousand United States Dollars (USD $230,000) will be awarded in total to Competitors based on the following final placement in the Live Event Phase of the Ultimate Wild Card.

See Section 5 of the Official Rules for details about how to claim prizes for the Ultimate Thanksgiving.

A Winner’s List for the Ultimate Wild Card will be posted at the link below for at least two (2) weeks following the end of the Event.

http://battlefy.com/madden-championship-series-2023/winners

5. Ultimate Wild Card Event Rules

5.1 Team Selection in Each Phase of the Event

Team Selection will be handled by the MUT Competitive Play a Friend event. Competitors will select their teams prior to each phase of the tournament. 

5.2 Restricted Items List

The Event Officials have the right to adjust the restricted items list as needed with no prior warning in order to ensure the fairness of the competition. Player items, playbooks, and teams that cannot be used in tournaments are listed as follows:

5.2.1 Current Restricted Items: As of August 4, 2022, there are no restricted items.

5.3 Seeding and Advancement 

Online Elimination Seeding

The following process will be used to seed Competitors into the Double Elimination Phase of the tournament based on their performance during the Ladder Play phase:

Competitors that register for the Event will be eligible to queue for a match on Battlefy.com during six (6) separate periods consisting of four (4) hours of the open play period and one (1) additional hour to complete their final match for each of the play periods. Open play periods will be on the following dates and times:

• November 29, 2022 between 6PM and 11PM Eastern Time.
• November 30, 2022 between 6PM and 11PM Eastern Time.
• December 1, 2022 between 6PM and 11PM Eastern Time.
• December 2, 2022 between 6PM and 11PM Eastern Time.
• December 3, 2022 between 6PM and 11PM Eastern Time.
• December 4, 2022 between 6PM and 11PM Eastern Time.

A minimum number of twelve (12) matches (“Minimum Match Threshold”) must be played by a Competitor for their leaderboard entry to be valid. If less than two hundred thirty two (232) Competitors for a Supported Platform play less than twelve (12) matches, then the Minimum Match Threshold for that platform will be reduced as needed to reach two hundred thirty two (232) Competitors.

• Competitors with a minimum of twelve (12) matches played will be placed higher on the leaderboard than Competitors with less than twelve (12) matches played.
• For Competitors that play under twelve (12) matches, Competitors with more matches played will be placed higher on the leaderboard than Competitors with less matches played, even if those with less matches played have a higher win-loss differential.

Matchmaking in the Ladder Play Phase will preferentially select Competitors with similar scores in the current play period.

Leaderboard placement is based on win-loss differential, where one match win equates to +1 point and one match loss equates to -1 point. The top eight (8) Competitors at the end of the Ladder Play phase will receive byes into the third round of the Online Elimination phase bracket.

Ties on the leaderboard will be broken in the following ways:

• If the win-loss differential is tied, the Competitor with the most matches played will receive the higher ranking on the leaderboard.
• If two (2) or more Competitors are tied on win-loss differential and total matches played and all tied players will receive seeding into the Double Elimination Phase then seeding will be randomly determined for each Competitor.
• If two (2) or more Competitors are tied on win-loss differential and total matches played and there are fewer remaining positions in the Double Elimination Phase than there are tied Competitors a series of tiebreaking matches will be played between tied Competitors to determine which Competitor(s) will advance to the next phase.
  • Tiebreaking matches will only be played between Competitors at or above the Minimum Match Threshold of twelve (12) matches played during the Ladder Play Phase. 

Live Event Seeding

The following process will be used to seed Competitors into the Live Event Phase of the tournament based on their performance during the Double Elimination phase:

The Double Elimination phase will complete with four Competitors remaining, two players from each the Winners and Losers Brackets. 

Competitors advancing from the Winners Bracket will be seeded 1st and 2nd for their Supported Platforms:

• The Competitor with the better seeding from the Ladder Phase will be seeded 1st for their supported platform.

Competitors advancing from the Losers Bracket will be seeded 3rd and 4th for their Supported Platforms:

• The Competitor that advanced farther in the Winners Bracket before being moved into the Losers Bracket will be seeded 3rd for their supported platform.
• In the event both the above criteria can not determine seeding the Competitor with the better seeding from the Ladder Phase will be seeded 3rd for their supported platform. 

Match Progression for Live Event is as follows:

• Quarterfinal #1: XBox 1st Seed vs PlayStation 4th Seed
• Quarterfinal #2: PlayStation 2nd Seed vs XBox 3rd Seed
• Quarterfinal #3: PlayStation 1st Seed vs XBox 4th Seed
• Quarterfinal #4: Xbox 2nd Seed vs PlayStation 3rd Seed
• Semifinal #1: Winner of Quarterfinal #1 vs Winner of Quarterfinal #2
• Semifinal #2: Winner of Quarterfinal #3 vs Winner of Quarterfinal #4
• Final: Winner of Semifinal #1 vs Winner of Semifinal #2

6. In-Game Settings

6.1. Settings Dictated by MUT Mode

Game settings are dictated by the MUT Competitive Play a Friend event and cannot be changed.

6.2 Lineup and Depth Chart Requirements

Lineups in MUT are managed through the Game’s lineup screen. 

6.3 Additional Gameplay Rules (Online Elimination and Live Finals)

• Onside Kicks: Onside kicks are not allowed in the first half. A competitor may attempt an onside kick during the second half when they have fewer total points than their opponent.
• Excessive Offsides: Neither the offense or defense should purposefully go offsides with the intent of delaying the game nor exhibiting unsportsmanlike conduct. Intent is at the sole discretion of the tournament administration.
• Improper Audibles: Competitors may not audible out of the QB Kneel, Wildcat, Field Goal, or Punt formations.

6.4 Glitches

Any attempt to glitch the game in order to gain an advantage is prohibited. This includes, but is not limited to the following situations:

• Any offsides glitch.
• Intentionally slowing down a defense at the line of scrimmage to cause an offsides penalty.
• Procedure After a Glitch Penalty: In the event that a tournament administrator determines that a penalty was caused by an unauthorized glitch, one or more of the following actions will be taken to return the game to a fair state depending on the result of the play. All Competitors will be given guidance on how to handle penalties once they have advanced to the Online Elimination phases of the tournament.
  • If the ball wasn’t advanced by the offense OR the result of the play was in favor of the defense (turnover, sack, defensive TD), then the offense will be forced to decline the penalty (in the end, the penalty for a glitch is a loss of down).
  • If the ball was advanced by the offense, then the offense will be forced to take penalties until they are equal or behind the line of scrimmage at the start of the play where they intentionally glitched (in the end, the penalty for a glitch is a loss of down).

7. Match Process, Competitor Conduct, and Other Topics Addressed in the Official Rules

Refer back to the Official Rules for additional information regarding the following topics:

• Match Process at Live Events (see Section 5 of the Official Rules)
• Competitor Conduct, Prohibited Behavior, and Rule Enforcement (see rules Section 6 of the Official Rules)

General Terms, including Personal Information (see rules Section 7 of the Official Rules)

MCS Last Chance Qualifier Event Rules and Details

The Official Rules (“Official Rules”) and all provisions, details, and definitions therein (see https://www.ea.com/games/madden-nfl/madden-nfl-23/compete/about/official-rules for the Official Rules) apply to and are incorporated into these Last Chance Qualifier Event Rules.

1. Overview

The Madden Last Chance Qualifier (“LCQ”) is the fourth Event in the MCS, and will be held from January 14, 2023 to January 15, 2023.

The tournament follows the following format:

• An “open” phase played amongst all players who secure a spot via the LCQ registration portal at http://battlefy.com/madden-championship-series-2023/
• A “Single Elimination” phase consisting of the top thirty two (32) players per Supported Platform (as defined in Section 1 of the Official Rules) and up to four (4) players qualified through Premier Events (as defined in Section 3.7 of the Official Rules)

The registered players at the LCQ (“Competitors”) will participate in one (1) day of online ladder play on January 14, 2023 to determine Single Elimination Competitors who will play on January 15, 2023.

The winner of the Single Elimination phase on each Supported Platform will be qualified to the Ultimate Madden Bowl.

2. Eligibility, Registration, and Deadlines

Players must do the following to become a Competitor in the LCQ:

1. Meet all eligibility requirements described in Section 2 of the Official Rules. 
2. Register for, or log into, your Battlefy.com account (see https://www.battlefy.com).
   • Event Officials may require you to compete under a different name during the LCQ if your Battlefy.com account name is found to be in violation of Section 6 of the Official Rules.
3. Navigate to http://battlefy.com/madden-championship-series-2023/, provide your information on all form fields.
   • Battlefy.com Terms of Service (https://battlefy.com/policies/terms-of-service) and Privacy Policy (https://battlefy.com/policies/privacy-policy) will apply.
4. Players may only register once on a single Supported Platform of their choice. Registration using multiple email addresses or identities is not allowed, and any player attempting to do so may be disqualified from participating in the LCQ.
5. Players who have registered for the LCQ may cancel their registrations by emailing support@battlefy.com.

Attendance Process

• Competitors will receive instructions via email regarding how to check in online prior to the event.
• Competitors in the LCQ are responsible for their own equipment, connection, game content, any related expenses to attend the event.  
• Any confirmed LCQ Competitor who does not show up to compete at the event may face penalties including restrictions on participating in future MCS Events and other penalties as described in Section 7.7 of the Official Rules.
• The two (2) Competitors (one (1) per Supported Platform) who win to the final round of the Single Elimination phase must satisfy the requirements for attending Live Events as defined in Section 4 of the Official Rules.

3. Event Structure

All games in the LCQ will be played using the MUT game mode.

The LCQ will be conducted in two (2) phases:

• Ladder Play:All Competitors will play in Ladder Play in order to be seeded into the Single Elimination portion of the event.
• Single Elimination:Thirty-six (36) Competitors per Supported Platform will be seeded into the Single Elimination portion of the event.

4. Prizes at the Last Chance Qualifier

See Section 5 of the Official Rules for details about how to claim prizes for the Ultimate Thanksgiving.

A Winner’s List for the Ultimate Wild Card will be posted at the link below for at least two (2) weeks following the end of the event.

http://battlefy.com/madden-championship-series-2023/winners

5. Last Chance Qualifier Event Rules

5.1 Team Selection in Each Phase of the Event

Team Selection will be handled by the MUT Competitive Play a Friend event. Competitors will select their teams prior to each phase of the tournament. 

5.2 Restricted Items List

The Event Officials have the right to adjust the restricted items list as needed with no prior warning in order to ensure the fairness of the competition. Player items, playbooks, and teams that cannot be used in tournaments are listed as follows:

5.2.1 Current Restricted Items: As of August 4, 2022, there are no restricted items.

5.3 Seeding and Advancement 

Online Elimination Seeding

The following process will be used to seed Competitors into the Single Elimination Phase of the tournament based on their performance during the Ladder Play phase:

Competitors that register for the Event will be eligible to queue for a match on Battlefy.com during a period consisting of seven (7) hours of the open play period and one (1) additional hour to complete their final match. Open play period will be during the following date and time:

• January 14, 2023 between 1PM and 9PM Eastern Time.

A minimum number of six (6) matches (“Minimum Match Threshold”) must be played by a Competitor for their leaderboard entry to be valid. If less than thirty two (32) Competitors for a Supported Platform play less than six (6) matches, then the Minimum Match Threshold for that platform will be reduced as needed to reach thirty two (32) Competitors.

• Competitors with a minimum of six (6) matches played will be placed higher on the leaderboard than Competitors with less than six (6) matches played.
• For Competitors that play under six (6) matches, Competitors with more matches played will be placed higher on the leaderboard than Competitors with less matches played, even if those with less matches played have a higher win-loss differential.

Matchmaking in the Ladder Play Phase will preferentially select Competitors with similar scores in the current play period.

Leaderboard placement is based on win-loss differential, where one match win equates to +1 point and one match loss equates to -1 point. The top four(4) Competitors at the end of the Ladder Play phase will receive byes into the fourth round of the Online Elimination phase bracket. The four (4) Competitors advanced from Premier Events will be seeded randomly as the lowest positions in the Elimination Phase.

Ties on the leaderboard will be broken in the following ways:

• If the win-loss differential is tied, the Competitor with the most matches played will receive the higher ranking on the leaderboard.
• If two (2) or more Competitors are tied on win-loss differential and total matches played and all tied Competitors will receive seeding into the Single Elimination Phase then seeding will be randomly determined for each Competitor.
• If two (2) or more Competitors are tied on win-loss differential and total matches played and there are fewer remaining positions in the Single Elimination Phase than there are tied Competitors a series of tiebreaking matches will be played between tied Competitors to determine which Competitor(s) will advance to the next phase.
  • Tiebreaking matches will only be played between Competitors at or above the Minimum Match Threshold of six (6) matches played during the Ladder Play Phase. 

The Elimination Phase will be played in two stages. In the first stage thirty-two (32) Competitors will be seeded into a bracket and play until 4 Competitors remain. In the second stage the four remaining Competitors will be seeded against the Top 4 Competitors from the Ladder Phase based on their seeding upon completion of the Ladder Phase.

6. In-Game Settings

6.1. Settings Dictated by MUT Mode

Game settings are dictated by the MUT Competitive Play a Friend event and can not be changed.

6.2 Lineup and Depth Chart Requirements

Lineups in MUT are managed through the Game’s lineup screen. 

6.3 Additional Gameplay Rules (Online Elimination and Live Finals)

• Onside Kicks: Onside kicks are not allowed in the first half. A competitor may attempt an onside kick during the second half when they have fewer total points than their opponent.
• Excessive Offsides: Neither the offense or defense should purposefully go offsides with the intent of delaying the game nor exhibiting unsportsmanlike conduct. Intent is at the sole discretion of the tournament administration.
• Improper Audibles: Competitors may not audible out of the QB Kneel, Wildcat, Field Goal, or Punt formations.

6.4 Glitches

Any attempt to glitch the game in order to gain an advantage is prohibited:

• Procedure After a Glitch Penalty: In the event that a tournament administrator determines that a penalty was caused by an unauthorized glitch, one or more of the following actions will be taken to return the game to a fair state depending on the result of the play. All Competitors will be given guidance on how to handle penalties once they have advanced to the Online Elimination phases of the tournament.
  • If the ball wasn’t advanced by the offense OR the result of the play was in favor of the defense (turnover, sack, defensive TD), then the offense will be forced to decline the penalty (in the end, the penalty for a glitch is a loss of down).
  • If the ball was advanced by the offense, then the offense will be forced to take penalties until they are equal or behind the line of scrimmage at the start of the play where they intentionally glitched (in the end, the penalty for a glitch is a loss of down).

7. Match Process, Competitor Conduct, and Other Topics Addressed in the Official Rules

Refer back to the Official Rules for additional information regarding the following topics:

• Match Process at Live Events (see Section 6 of the Official Rules)
• Competitor Conduct, Prohibited Behavior, and Rule Enforcement (see rules Section 7 of the Official Rules)

General Terms, including Personal Information (see rules Section 8 of the Official Rules)

Ultimate Madden Bowl Event Rules and Details

The Official Rules (“Official Rules”) and all provisions, details, and definitions therein (see https://www.ea.com/games/madden-nfl/madden-nfl-23/compete/about/official-rules for the Official Rules) apply to and are incorporated into these Ultimate Madden Bowl Event Rules.

1. Overview

The Ultimate Madden Bowl is the final event in the MCS, and will be held in January and February 2023.

Fourteen (14) players who are deemed eligible to compete (“Competitors”) will take part in the Ultimate Madden Bowl and play in the following series of elimination events until a single Competitor is crowned winner of the Ultimate Madden Bowl. The event schedule (subject to change) is as follows:  

• Single Elimination Wild Card: January 2023
• Single Elimination Quarterfinals and Semifinals: February 2023
• Single Elimination Finals: February 2023

The winner of the Ultimate Madden Bowl will be considered champion of the MCS.

2. Additional Eligibility Requirements

In addition to meeting the eligibility requirements described in Section 2 of the Official Rules, including the requirement to be at least sixteen (16) years of age as of the start of the Ultimate Madden Bowl, Competitors must advance from prior MCS Events, as described in Section 3 of the Official Rules.

3. Competitors at the Ultimate Madden Bowl

The fourteen (14) Competitors at the Ultimate Madden Bowl will consist of the following players:

• The twelve (12) Competitors with the highest MCS Point totals as of January 14, 2023.
• The two (2) Competitors to advance from the Last Chance Qualifier event.

Refer to Section 4 of the Official Rules for additional detail regarding invitations, deadline to respond, and travel to the live portion of the Ultimate Madden Bowl.

4. Prizes

One Million United States Dollars (USD $1,000,000) will be awarded in total to Competitors based on the following final placement in the Ultimate Madden Bowl.

A Winner’s List for the Ultimate Madden Bowl will be posted at the links below for at least two (2) weeks following the end of the Event.

http://battlefy.com/madden-championship-series-2023/winners

5. Ultimate Madden Bowl Event Rules

5.1 Team Selection in Each Phase of the Event

Team Selection will be handled by the MUT Competitive Play a Friend event. Competitors will select their teams prior to each phase of the tournament. 

5.2 Restricted Items List

The Event Officials have the right to adjust the restricted items list as needed with no prior warning in order to ensure the fairness of the competition. Player items, playbooks, and teams that cannot be used in tournaments are listed as follows:

5.2.1 Current Restricted Items: As of August 4, 2022, there are no restricted items.

5.3 Seeding at the Ultimate Madden Bowl

Competitors will be seeded into the Ultimate Madden Bowl by their total MCS points based on the path of qualification. Competitors that earn placement into the Ultimate Madden Bowl through the Last Chance Qualifier will be ranked lower than those that qualified through MCS points.

In the event that two players in a qualifying path are tied for MCS points, ties will be resolved in the following order. If a tie is resolved resulting in fewer players tied, the tiebreaker will restart from the first criteria between all remaining tied competitors until no additional tie is able to be resolved.

1. Head to Head Record during Live Events (Only applicable in a 2-way tie)
   • This includes the Ultimate Kickoff, Ultimate Thanksgiving and Ultimate Wildcard.
2. Highest Placement in Ultimate Wild Card
3. Highest Placement in Ultimate Thanksgiving
4. Highest Placement in Ultimate Kickoff

In the event a tie is unable to be resolved by the above criteria Competitors will be randomly seeded amongst each other. In the event that the tie that is unable to be resolved would determine an invitation to the Ultimate Madden Bowl a series of tiebreaking matches will be played. The number of matches played will be determined by the tournament administrator based on the total number of Competitors involved in the tie. If time does not permit a series of tiebreaking matches the final placements will be determined randomly by the tournament administrator.

Based on the final rankings of Competitors the Ultimate Madden Bowl matches will be as follows:

• Round 1 Match 1: MCS Points #8 vs MCS Points #9
• Round 1 Match 2: MCS Points #4 vs LCQ #1
• Round 1 Match 3: MCS Points #5 vs MCS Points #12
• Round 1 Match 4: MCS Points #7 vs MCS Points #10
• Round 1 Match 5: MCS Points #3 vs LCQ #2
• Round 1 Match 6: MCS Points #6 vs MCS Points #11
• Quarterfinals #1: MCS Points #1 vs Winner of RO12 Match 1.
• Quarterfinals #2: Winner of RO12 Match 2 vs Winner of RO12 Match 3
• Quarterfinals #3: MCS Points #2 vs Winner of RO12 Match 4
• Quarterfinals #4: Winner of RO12 Match 5 vs Winner of RO12 Match 6
• Semifinals #1: Winner of Quarterfinals #1 vs Winner of Quarterfinals #2 
• Semifinals #2: Winner of Quarterfinals #3 vs Winner of Quarterfinals #4
• Finals: Winner of Semifinals #1 vs Winner of Semifinals #2

The above order only indicates the path Competitors will progress through the Ultimate Madden Bowl. The actual order matches are played in during each round may differ from the above. 

6. In-Game Settings

6.1. Settings Dictated by MUT Mode

Game settings are dictated by the MUT Competitive Play a Friend event and cannot be changed.

6.2 Lineup and Depth Chart Requirements

Lineups in MUT are managed through the Game’s lineup screen. 

6.3 Additional Gameplay Rules

• Onside Kicks: Onside kicks are not allowed in the first half. A competitor may attempt an onside kick during the second half when they have fewer total points than their opponent.
• Excessive Offsides: Neither the offense or defense should purposefully go offsides with the intent of delaying the game nor exhibiting unsportsmanlike conduct. Intent is at the sole discretion of the tournament administration.
• Improper Audibles: Competitors may not audible out of the QB Kneel, Wildcat, Field Goal, or Punt formations.

6.4 Glitches

Any attempt to glitch the game in order to gain an advantage is prohibited:

• Procedure After a Glitch Penalty: In the event that a tournament administrator determines that a penalty was caused by an unauthorized glitch, one or more of the following actions will be taken to return the game to a fair state depending on the result of the play. All Competitors will be given guidance on how to handle penalties once they have advanced to the Online Elimination phases of the tournament.
  • If the ball wasn’t advanced by the offense OR the result of the play was in favor of the defense (turnover, sack, defensive TD), then the offense will be forced to decline the penalty (in the end, the penalty for a glitch is a loss of down).
  • If the ball was advanced by the offense, then the offense will be forced to take penalties until they are equal or behind the line of scrimmage at the start of the play where they intentionally glitched (in the end, the penalty for a glitch is a loss of down).

7. Match Process, Competitor Conduct, and Other Topics Addressed in the Official Rules

Refer back to the Official Rules for additional information regarding the following topics:

• Match Process at Live Events (see Section 6 of the Official Rules)
• Competitor Conduct, Prohibited Behavior, and Rule Enforcement (see rules Section 7 of the Official Rules)

General Terms, including Personal Information (see rules Section 8 of the Official Rules)