EA lays out roadmap for next two years of Madden Franchise Mode
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Just over a month ago the Madden community stood up and together forced EA Sports to address Franchise Mode in the Madden which has largely been neglected throughout this generation. Referring to it as “Classic Franchise” signaled that was going to continue in the years ahead. The #FixMaddenFranchise movement was discussed in detail on an episode of the Press Row Podcast and already there have been significant developments that are encouraging though there is a long way to go to actually seeing them through.
Regardless of the specifics of the improvements they are eyeing, EA Sports provided a baseline expectation for Madden NFL 21 post-release support and the Madden NFL 22 feature set. They have put themselves into a situation where they now must at least meet those standards as they will be undoubtedly be held accountable by consumers if they do not.
Madden NFL 21
With each update, this list may shift as our plans for M21 and M22 come more into focus. We will share with the community as the list evolves.
TUNING – Improved progression and regression of players. Improve core player progression into the future such that X-Factors and other abilities for older players work well with incoming rookie classes.
COMMISSIONER TOOLS – See a more detailed summary below.
AI PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT – The AI will make better team management decisions in the draft, free agency and trades.
PLAYOFF and SUPER BOWL PRESENTATION – Improve and refresh.
X-FACTOR / SUPERSTAR ABILITY CUSTOMIZATION – Introduce the ability to customize X-Factor and Abilities on all players, allowing you to customize your roster as you see fit.
CAREERS STATS UI – Improved UI showing historical player performances. More immersion and depth on how players have progressed in your Franchise.
TRADE LOGIC – More fidelity, depth, and authenticity.
RETIREMENT UI – Better insight into retirements each season to allow players to react/manage.
PLAYOFFS UPDATE – Add an authentic playoff bracket screen to see who’s in, who’s won and who’s up next.
Commissioner tools is a large bucket of items with a lot of opportunities and a lot of work. We see this as something we’ll continue to work on to give you more control over your Franchise in the year(s) ahead. For Madden NFL 21 and 22 we are looking at the following tools:
Commissioner Tools Priority Ranking
♦Ability to undo transactions.
♦Ability to approve trades.
♦Ability to reset a game in case of a disconnect.
Madden NFL 22
For Madden NFL 22 it is still very early. We are at the very beginning of the planning and pre-production of next year’s product. That said, we’ve been actively discussing some of the areas we’d like to focus on, stemming from your feedback and player engagement. Here are few of the areas, while not fully committed yet, we are exploring creatively:
♦Coaching and staff management
♦Scouting improvements
♦New scenario engine enhancements
♦New team chemistry system
♦Commissioner Tools improvements
♦MORE CONTENT – Examples: Relocation/Branding Assets for Franchise – New uniforms, names, and logos to relocation options for more variety and depth in deeper careers.
♦Plus other key additions that we’ll reveal as we get deeper into the year for Madden NFL 22 development season.