Microsoft Stores

Microsoft Rallies for the Big Game with NFL and Xbox Fan Experiences

Microsoft and the NFL have come together this year to bring the best experiences to loyal fans in celebration of the Big Game. From high-stakes Madden NFL 17 tournaments to special appearances by NFL football legends at local Microsoft Stores to exclusive hands-on activations at the NFL Experience in Houston – there’s something for every NFL fan looking to score big this week. Here’s a rundown of plays happening off the field:

Madden Bowl Finals

Watch the final competitors play for $250,000 at the Madden Bowl Live Finals, the 2nd event in the Madden Championship Series, presented by McDonald’s and powered by Xbox. The EA SPORTS announcement of the Madden NFL Championship Series last year at EA Play, along with the $1,000,000 prize pool, made major waves in the entire gaming community. The second event in the Madden Championship Series, the Madden Bowl, is now down to 4 competitors ready to compete in the Live Finals, which culminates this Friday, February 3 in Houston, Texas during Super Bowl week to battle it out for the biggest share of the event’s $250,000 prize.

Finalists will use a variant of Madden Ultimate Team (MUT) (currently the most-used style of competitive play in Madden) called “Salary Cap” to build their rosters. This allows them to test their team building skills in addition to their sharp reflexes and play calling ability. Competitors have access to both current NFL players and a large pool of legends, which allows for dream pairings on the field.

Catch the action live on twitch.tv/eamaddennfl on Friday, February 3 with the semi-finals starting at 4 p.m. CT and the finals starting at 8:30 p.m. CT.

Fan Tournament Championship Event at Microsoft Store

On Friday, February 3, four dedicated gamers from across the country will travel to Houston to go head-to-head on the digital field of Madden NFL 17 for a chance to win tickets to Super Bowl LI. The bracket-style tournament kicked off earlier this month and concludes with a final championship round at the Microsoft Store at Houston Galleria. The final four who advanced from more than one thousand hopefuls will represent their hometowns. Those in the Houston area can come cheer them on and meet Hall of Fame Quarterback Warren Moon who will emcee the event and kick off the Super Bowl weekend at the Microsoft Store. Please visit Microsoft Store Facebook event page for details.

NFL Player Appearances at Microsoft Store

Football fans in Atlanta, Boston and Houston gearing up for the big game will have the opportunity to meet a football legend at their local Microsoft Store this week. The first 100 lucky fans at each store will get to meet and receive an autographed photo from former Atlanta Falcon and New England Patriot players including:

  • Roddy White at the Microsoft Store at Lenox Square (Atlanta) on Thursday, February 2 (6-8 p.m. local time)
  • Lawyer Milloy at the Microsoft Store at Prudential Center (Boston) on Friday, February 3 (6-8 p.m. local time)
  • Matt Light at the Microsoft Store at Baybrook Mall (Houston) on Friday, February 3 (6-8 p.m. local time)
  • Tony Gonzalez at the Microsoft Store at The Woodlands Mall (Houston) on Saturday, February 4 (11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. local time)

Creators Lab at NFLX

Microsoft Creator’s Lab at NFLX

This year’s Microsoft NFLX activation is the ‘Microsoft Creator’s Lab’, a product showcase featuring a suite of Microsoft Surface products powered by Windows 10, fans can use their creativity to design their own custom football art, 3D objects, and more on Paint 3D and Sketchable and watch them come to life in an immersive projection dome.

Game Before The Game NFL Xbox

Game Before the Game at NFLX

On Tuesday night, the New England Patriots’ Martellus Bennett squared off against Vic Beasley of the Atlanta Falcons in Microsoft’s “Game Before The Game” event at the NFL Experience in Houston, TX. Featuring a guest-appearance by celebrity analyst Deion Sanders, the two competed against one another in EA Sports Madden NFL 17 on Xbox One S for the chance to hold bragging rights heading into Sunday’s Big Game.

After plenty of trash talk and tons of highlight-worthy plays, Beasley’s Falcons prevailed over Bennett and the Patriots in a lopsided affair, 41-11 in front of hundreds of fans.

Cleats NFL

Fans Design Custom Cleats for Two NFL Players

Be on the lookout during the Big Game for a pair of customized cleats chosen by Atlanta Falcons Devonta Freeman and New England Patriots Malcolm Butler. The cleat designs were created by participants at Microsoft’s NFLX location where fans used the Sketchable touchscreen drawing application on Microsoft’s new Surface Studio and Surface Hub devices to create the two winning designs. The cleats were brought to life by world-renowned cleat artist Marcus Rivero as he airbrushed the cleats in front of a live audience.

Come join us at these exciting events this week as we ramp up for the Big Game on Sunday!