Madden NFL 21 Sparks Fresh #FixMaddenFranchise Campaign

Now it will sell millions of copies.

“peddle potentially pricey cosmetics”

Do not buy it. They are “cosmetics” - stop playing Dress up doll in video games with real money.

I typically buy the new Madden on release day every year, but I'm starting to feel like I should wait a bit this year.

@Agramonte I do like playing dress up doll in video games but not for real money. Although it’s more of an ‘ooh that top looks nice’ than ‘let’s buy that f**k off massive shark head and plonk it on my car’.

Quit buying this crap.....nothing will change if you keep shoveling cash down their throat....

@nessisonett for sure, I just went to 4 different villages to get the parts for the Mongol Commander's Armor in Ghost of Tsushima. Looks amazing... I wanted it.

But put armor behind real money like AC: Odyssey, and I just ignore it.

And if people want to buy it, that is fine. But then let’s not pretend we have no idea why it is there or how to make it stop.

The only way Madden can improve is if 2K also gets the NFL license and EA feels the urgency to be the best.

🍿 Popcorn for the people who don't play Madden but want to see where this goes.

It's funny that they say franchise mode isn't a big bread winner for them. It's the only reason I buy Madden. So while it may not be a big cash cow for them, they're going to get $60 less a year from me until they give me something new. The scouting was better five years ago, when each player had a scouting report. Now it's just the same old stuff with a few number tweaks every year. It sucks that they stopped trying.

Three words...QUIT...BUYING...IT. Then they'll actually try.

@Juanalf 2K can make licensed NFL games now, just not sims.

I hope that some day EA and others will release «Madden for PS5», «FIFA for PS5» etc., perhaps for a higher price than ordinary, but with the promise that there won’t be a «new» game every year. Updates could be sold as season passes. If that was the case, I’d probably buy some or more sports games, but as it is, I haven’t bought anything since the PS3 era. Coming from a huge football fan.

@LordSteev ultimate team alone makes $1.5 billion over the sports franchises. How does your $60 look?

@Robinsad
Very small.

@Robinsad exactly

I’m a little surprised they haven’t experimented with a free to play model to get more people on ultimate team, they could then do away with the pretence of having to update it every year.

You want it fixed demand change of the license to someone else who could do better than EA, but a normal day NFL fan just buy it and it it works it works

@Juanalf 2k really have you seen WWE 20 or 21 whatever it was it was a broken train wreck, if they can't even put out a wrestling game then what hope do they have for madden. And Take Two are the publishers they are just as bad as EA look at money earned through shark cards in GTA5

Madden is a game that’s based in reality. How much can they add to the game when humanity itself is limited to what’s in the game? I mean they can pretty up the presentation and all the things around it (which is what they do every year) but as a whole what do you want them to add? Flying players? Turbo boost? The same changes the real NFL makes yearly are the same changes Madden makes.

@AhmadSumadi Exactly, so if the actual game barely changes it's the absolute last franchise that needs yearly updates. Roster changes could just be a patch. But no, they have millions of morons pouring money onto them for a yearly patch, effectively, so why stop?

@AhmadSumadi
Personally, I'd like to see more detailed scouting reports so you know who you're drafting. It would be interesting if some of the personality traits actually affected gameplay. IRL, if you scout a player you're going to know a heck of a lot more than just a rough estimate of his 3 best traits. There's a ton of room to get really deep here, and it doesn't seem like something that would cost them too much in man hours.

@get2sammyb
Yea, I hear you...and maybe my paltry $60 isn't ever going to be enough to matter, but an ocean is made up of many drops.

@HotGoomba I'll take some popcorn. Have some pizza 🍕 too.

@AhmadSumadi that's the PROBLEM. This doesn't NEED yearly updates, just some stuff with the roster, and maybe a update for rules. I could get updating it for new consoles, or if the graphics are hot trash, but not every year for no reason beyond money!

I used to buy it every year since ‘98. Haven’t bought the previous 4 versions and am skipping this year as well. EA’s handling of the NFL license is criminal and destroyed what was once a beloved franchise.

Only game mode / reason I purchase this game

@get2sammyb Oh, that is good news. Thanks for the info.

lol whenever i see a story like this, i think back to when EA bought the NFL license, and all the Madden fans were super hyped....then i smile.

ok seriously, EA doesn't care, and won't until you guys actually stop buying the game. whining about it then lining up at Gamestop on release day isn't going to solve anything, and again, as long as they get your money, EA DOESN'T CARE.

"We're going to listen to feedback and fix franchise mode." Doesn't EA say the same thing every year? With no officially licensed NFL competition on the market this will continue on forever.

If it weren't for franchise I'd never buy madden...this year looks like a NO on buying Madden.

Boycott EA and not just because of garbage Madden franchise but because they will never listen to the consumer who has made them Billionaires...

EA UFC 4 is the same. Spent more time over the last 2 years introducing ridiculous cosmetics removing game modes than releasing a polished & upgraded game.
I can’t even play the ranked mode because of the purple screen of death bug

For me the improvements will be massive. I haven't bought one since madden 92. Might try again in a couple of years and see what 30 years does.

@Ken_Kaniff
Yup, I haven't bought a Madden game in years, and at one point in my life I was a huge fan of the series. 16-bit days right up until 2005, after that it was all downhill.

Sports games are for the lowest common denominator, just like sports themselves. I'm all for feats of physical greatness, but the culture around sports is absolutely disgusting. Unfortunately, the vast majority of people, gamers especially, are the lowest common denominator. Expecting much from these games is an exercise in futility.