Listen up sports fans, Electronic Arts has announced today that the next iteration of the long-running Madden NFL series will arrive in North America on August 12. To celebrate its 20th anniversary, special editions of the title will also be shipped, complete with a copy of NFL Coach 09, which includes exclusive classic Madden NFL gameplay, and an extensive library of exclusive bonus video content. Sadly, however, this addition seems destined only for the PS3 and Xbox 360, not the Nintendo Wii.

As Electronic Arts explains with each annual update of the Madden NFL series, the 2009 version will offer the most immersive gameplay, the richest online offerings and the most features of any title in the franchise to date. NFL Coach players, meanwhile, will be afforded the opportunity to import their user-designed plays over to the main Madden NFL 09 game, allowing them complete control of the field with their individualised playbooks.

“The Madden NFL franchise has a rich history, and we’re proud to be celebrating it with this definitive video game package,” says Peter Moore, president of EA.

He added:

“Featuring two deep and innovative new standalone games, as well as a host of exclusive bonus content, the Madden NFL 09 20th Anniversary Collector’s Edition is the ultimate interactive offering for both long-time Madden NFL fans and anyone who enjoys football on Sundays. I can’t think of a better way to get your NFL fix than to enjoy everything that’s unique about both Madden NFL 09 and NFL Head Coach 09, and then connecting and sharing content from both.”

“Both Madden NFL 09 and NFL Head Coach 09 are deep and unique gaming experiences that will truly immerse sports fans of all ages, skill levels and playing styles,” says Chris Erb, EA SPORTS director of marketing. “With the Madden NFL 09 20th Anniversary Collector’s Edition, we’re bringing two great NFL games together to create the definitive football offering.”

Madden NFL 09 will be available for the Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS. Will either the Wii version also include the extensive online options EA boasts of (presumably a given on the Xbox 360 and PS3 builds)? As far as we can tell so far, it’s not looking good. If this does turn out to be the case, we can only presume EA decided the console’s online support isn’t yet robust enough for what they’d like to do.