Kotaku’s got this post up about a promotional thing going on with Madden 08 and… um… Jostens. Yes, the jeweller.

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., – July 16, 2007 – Electronic Arts Inc and Jostens. Inc. today announced that the highly anticipated Madden NFL 08 for next generation consoles will give players the opportunity to extend the Madden NFL 08 experience to the real world by giving them the ability to purchase their own custom-designed “Ring of a Champion”. Based on the player’s Madden Gamer Level, the Ring of a Champion showcases the progress of a Madden NFL 08 gamer, and each ring can be customized to recognize the player advancements through the game. These rings are a direct representation of a player’s achievements and game skills. Madden NFL 08 will be available for purchase beginning August 14.

“We wanted our gamers to have something tangible to recognize their achievements within Madden NFL 08 and we kept coming back to Super Bowl rings,” said Madden NFL 08 Lead Producer David Ortiz. “We wanted to remain authentic to the real Super Bowl ring therefore we forged a great partnership with Jostens to allow our gamers to proudly display their Madden NFL 08 skills.”

The Ring of a Champion series will serve as a visual tracking system for a player’s success within the game…

Ok that’s about as much I can withstand in the press release. “Visual tracking system”. You mean, like a progress bar. Didn’t know I needed a visual tracking system with gold inlays but thank the gods we have cross-promotions like these to inform us.

This was born at a 2:30pm Friday lunch at a downtown patio somewhere, probably around Seattle/Vancouver, between a Jostens guy and an EA guy who were going to go play squash or something but instead opted to get stinko on Beck’s all afternoon and the Jostens guy was all like, Hey you fucker why can’t you get me a copy of Madden 08 if you work there, and the EA guy is like Naw, it doesn’t work like that, EA doesn’t even follow the code of human rights, don’t you read the paper or anything? and the Jostens guy is like The coolest thing we get to do is the Superbowl Ring job – because all they ever talk about is American football – and the EA guy is like fuck I wish we had some like, little stupid kiddie rings to put in a special edition, because our key target demo is like all over the tin box and shit, they will fork out for that Cracker Jack box crap, hey Sanchez (that’s the Jostens guy’s name) why can’t you guys make some fucking rings for us? And Sanchez says You’re such a retard Esteban (that’s the EA guy’s name), those rings are not exactly your cracker-jack box garden variety crap, and he’s getting all indignant, but then Esteban steps in to mollify him in that sanctimonious drunk-ass way that drunks do – No man, we’ll totally charge them like hundreds for the thing, it’ll fly, it’ll fly! I will make that happen, Sanchez, you just watch, fuckin’-A I’m gettin’ a promotion, and then Esteban got up, brushed off his suit, made this wobbly kind of nothing-up-my-sleeves gesture, and wandered off to the mensroom, bumping his head slightly on the doorframe as he left.

This is no cloth map that comes with Ultima III. The fancy ring costs $495 US.