[1] Loosely based on the 1988 video game of the same title, it was the first entry in what eventually became the yearly Madden NFL series on home consoles, initially released for the Sega Genesis in 1990.

[5] As the company was also working on Joe Montana Football for Sega, they contracted out Park Place Productions to develop Madden.

[9] It became a killer app for the Genesis, helping the console gain market share against the NES.

[5][6] Computer and Video Games reviewed the Mega Drive version John Madden American Football and gave it a 95% score, praising the realism and the sound.

[12] In 2018, The Strong National Museum of Play inducted John Madden Football to its World Video Game Hall of Fame.