Madden NFL 13 has been released and the game has kicked off what is sure to be huge holiday season for gamers and video game publishers. The coming months will see the release of many blockbuster game titles, including Far Cry 3, Borderlands 2, Resident Evil 6, Dishonored, Assassin’s Creed III, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, Halo 4, and others.

Electronic Arts’ (EA) yearly sports title hit stores this morning, and sales have, predictably, been good. Of course, Madden NFL 13‘s cousin, FIFA 13, will soon follow with a release in late September. Today also saw the official release of Guild Wars 2, a highly-anticipated free-to-play MMO.

Despite its status as a yearly upgrade title, EA insists that this version of Madden is a huge step forward for the franchise.

“Madden NFL 13 is the biggest game-changer in the history of the franchise,” said Cam Weber, general manager of American Football at EA Sports. “Madden NFL 13 will deliver to our consumers the most realistic gameplay ever, and innovations like the Infinity Engine will completely redefine how fans will play Madden NFL. With deep new gameplay innovation, social integration, and an overhaul of the audio and visual presentation, Madden NFL 13 stands as a benchmark entry for the franchise.”

Versions of Madden NFL 13 are now available for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, and PlayStation Vita. The Xbox 360 version of the game includes Kinect integration for features such as pre-play audibles.