It was 2016 and EA Sports decided to do something pretty gutsy. For years, the face of the franchise was a locked-in deal. You basically knew what to expect. Lionel Messi had owned the real estate on the front of the box for four straight years, creating a sense of predictability that, honestly, was getting a bit stale for the hardcore fans. Then everything changed. The FIFA 17 game cover wasn’t just handed to a superstar via a boardroom contract; it was put up for a global vote.
Think about the stakes back then. We were moving to the Frostbite engine for the first time. The game was pivoting toward "The Journey" and Alex Hunter. EA needed a fresh face to represent this massive technical shift. They picked four ambassadors: James Rodríguez (Real Madrid), Marco Reus (Borussia Dortmund), Anthony Martial (Manchester United), and Eden Hazard (Chelsea).
People went nuts. Over 3.1 million votes were cast in two weeks.
The Global Vote That Changed Everything
When you look back at the FIFA 17 game cover, it represents a weirdly democratic moment in gaming history. Most people assumed Eden Hazard or James Rodríguez would walk away with it. James was the golden boy of the 2014 World Cup, and Hazard was arguably the best player in the Premier League at the time. But Marco Reus won.
Why? It wasn't just about Dortmund fans being loyal, though they definitely showed up. It was about the "cool factor." Reus had this specific aesthetic—the hair, the style of play, the loyalty to a club that wasn't a "super-giant" like Madrid. He felt like the underdog’s superstar.
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The vote was held on the official FIFA Cover Vote website. Fans earned extra votes by sharing their choice on social media using hashtags like #FIFA17REUS or #FIFA17HAZARD. It was a brilliant marketing play. By the time the winner was announced in late July, the hype for the game was at a fever pitch because the community felt like they actually owned a piece of the decision. Reus eventually topped the poll, and his image—clutching the ball, looking intense against a yellow and black backdrop—became the face of a new era.
Breaking the Messi Streak
You've gotta remember how dominant Messi was. From FIFA 13 to FIFA 16, he was the guy. Seeing someone else on that box felt like the end of an era. It signaled that EA was willing to move away from the "Big Two" (Messi and Ronaldo) to embrace the broader culture of European football.
Technical Shifts Behind the Cover
The FIFA 17 game cover wasn't just about a pretty face. It was a branding exercise for the Frostbite engine. If you look closely at the physical copies or the digital tiles, the lighting on Reus’s face was significantly more detailed than what we saw in FIFA 16.
EA wanted to show off the "Physical Play Overhaul" and the "Active Intelligence System." By putting a player like Reus on the front—someone known for agility, technical movement, and tactical awareness—they were subconsciously telling the player: "This game is more complex now."
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Frostbite changed the game. Literally. It allowed for much better lighting and facial animations, which were crucial for the new story mode. Reus was a perfect fit for that. He looked like a character out of a movie.
Regional Covers and the End of an Era
Interestingly, the FIFA 17 game cover was one of the last times we saw a truly global push for a single athlete with very few regional variations compared to previous years. In the past, you’d have Messi in the middle with a local star on the side—like Jordan Henderson in the UK or Clint Dempsey in the US.
For FIFA 17, EA largely stuck with Reus globally, though some promotional materials and steelbooks featured the other three ambassadors. It was a consolidation of the brand.
Why the Reus Era Matters Now
Looking back from 2026, the Reus cover feels like a time capsule. It was the peak of the "YouTube FIFA" era. Content creators like KSI and Castro1021 were at their absolute height, and the community was more vocal than ever. The fact that EA listened to those fans via a vote was a turning point. They realized that engagement was more valuable than a pre-signed contract with a single megastar.
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But it wasn't all sunshine. Some fans argued that the vote was rigged or that Reus only won because of a massive push from the German gaming community. Does it matter? Not really. The cover looked iconic.
What to Do If You're a Collector
If you're still holding onto a physical copy of FIFA 17, keep it. While sports games usually lose value the second the next version comes out, the Reus cover is special. It represents the only time the community chose the face of the game.
- Check for Steelbooks: There are limited edition steelbooks featuring the other ambassadors (Hazard, Martial, James). These are actually starting to fetch a decent price on secondary markets like eBay.
- Regional Variants: Look for the Japanese version or specific retail exclusives. They often have subtle differences in the back-of-box art.
- Digital Preservation: If you own the game digitally, remember that licenses for these older titles eventually expire. EA often delists them from stores. If you love that era of gameplay, keep it installed on an old console.
The legacy of the FIFA 17 game cover is basically a lesson in fan engagement. It showed that the community wanted to be part of the story. It wasn't just about who was the best player in the world, but who the fans actually liked playing as. Marco Reus wasn't the "best" in terms of Ballon d'Or trophies, but for that one year, he was the king of the FIFA world.
To maximize the value of your gaming collection, focus on the editions that feature the "Ambassador" branding. These were produced in lower quantities than the standard Reus retail copies. Check the spine for the product code to see if you have a first-print run, which is always more desirable for long-term archiving.