German winger Marco Reus is the fans' choice to be the primary cover athlete for "FIFA 17." He defeated Anthony Martial, Eden Hazard, and James Rodríguez for the honor, which was determined by two weeks of fan voting.
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Reus, who plays for Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund, replaces Lionel Messi, who had been the global cover athlete for the incredibly popular video game series since 2012. Reus will be joined by other players on national/regional covers. Those players will be announced at later dates.
“I’m honored to join a very distinguished group of footballers to appear on the cover of FIFA,” Reus said in a statement. “Most of all I am humbled that the fans have chosen me, and I will strive to make them proud with my performance on the pitch.”
"FIFA 17" is scheduled to release Sept. 27 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC. "FIFA 17" features a new gameplay engine and a cinematic story mode. Amazon Prime members will receive 20 percent off pre-orders for any version and edition, including the pricier Deluxe, which includes bonus Ultimate Team content.
Bryan Wiedey posts sports gaming news and analysis daily at Pastapadre.com, is co-founder of sports gaming site HitThePass.com, hosts the Press Row Podcast, and be reached on Twitter @Pastapadre.