Midway has announced that its upcoming next-generation version of
Blitz: The League will feature controversial former NFL linebacker Bill Romanowski, as its co-cover athlete alongside former New York Giants linebacker Lawrence “L.T.” Taylor. The pair will be featured on the cover of
Blitz: The League for the Xbox 360, as well as
Blitz: The League Overtime for the PSP.
Along with contributing his image for the game's packaging, Bill Romanowski will also be featured as the voice and personality of one of the League's most hated linebackers, Bruno Batagglia. Bruno is the franchise player for the Baltimore Bearcats and plays a central role in the game's storyline.
Midway Games' answer to the EA-imposed strictures on professional football games,
Blitz: The League is a football game based on fictionalized teams to avoid EA's exclusivity deal with ESPN and the NFL. Currently available for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox,
Blitz: The League is scheduled to ship for the Xbox 360 in October, and
Blitz: The League Overtime for the PSP is currently slated to ship the following month in November.
The four–time Super Bowl champion himself earned a reputation during his 16 NFL seasons as a source of controversy, with numerous altercations with opponents and fellow teammates. The player also became embroiled in drug use allegations in 2000, and was indicted by a grand jury in Denver, a charge of which he was later acquitted. Romanowski has also the focus of a civil lawsuit filed by Marcus Williams, who was forced to retire following being punched in the face by the linebacker during a pre-season scrimmage in 2003.
"With over one million games sold to–date,
Blitz: The League has been an enormous success for Midway," said Steve Allison, chief marketing officer, Midway. "We are excited to have Bill Romanowski, arguably one of the most feared and talented defensive football players of his time, working in conjunction with Midway to bring fans the first
Blitz title on next generation systems."
