#FixMaddenFranchise has been trending since last week on Twitter and for the last several years in the fans’ minds. The NFL is the most popular sporting league in America, and people take anything to do with the prestigious association, very seriously. So, it isn’t surprising when amidst a global pandemic, racially unstable society, and the highest unemployment rate in ‘forever,’ we are concerned about fixing a video game.
Dark jokes apart, it is high time that the makers of this game take things seriously. After 2013, and fans concur on this, the game has been a below-average effort on the developers’ part. It is like they wait until the very last day to work on it and then do the most basic job possible to clear sales and increase profits. Although, it might be becoming counter-intuitive since the rebellion has started among fans, and they aren’t happy at all.
A “new version” is out, and fans aren’t buying it!
Okay, we might ‘buy’ the game because we love to hate it, but we aren’t buying the whole “new version” part. The improvements and updates are nothing but patch fixes and would have quickly been done to Madden’20 itself. The sales that are happening are because of the other modes such as Madden Ultimate Team and Knockout superstar. But the bread and butter of Madden is its franchise mode. And the makers couldn’t stand a chance at success from here on now if they do not lend an ear to the fans.
Making Madden a money-making machine
There’s so much focus on Online mode and not so much on the offline one because the makers can make money from microtransactions in the online mode. The franchise mode, which fans adore, has remained untouched in seven years, and it’s time to make significant amendments. So while the people don’t mind anybody profiting, they want to pay for a product that they deserve.
Here are some changes that EA Sports should look into, to make Madden a better place for everyone:
- Give us back the Training camp
In 2004, a minicamp mode was released¬— drills as per the player’s position to improve them as they head into the regular season. Training camp provided for a fun way to prepare your players for the regular season, where an unready body costs teams. Fans stayed up all night to get gold in these drills, but after 2013, we never saw the exercises again. We have to have something like a training camp to get out ahead in the season. Currently, there are only four-pre-season games, which everybody simulates. So, a training camp will be a welcome addition.
- Revamp the drafting & scouting
Scouting and Drafting are crucial areas for football, which affect the whole season. Since the name of the mode is ‘franchise mode,’ we ought to have some semblance of being able to build one up correctly. In the current drafting situation, it is either round one or bust. Fans are tired of complaining about this and not getting anywhere with it. The rest of the rounds don’t carry any surprises or respectable talent, which does nothing but create an unrealistic vibe for the game. Since the NFL is famous for having gems come out from the later rounds like Cowboys QB Dak Prescott (Round 4) or the GOAT Tom Brady (Round 6). The drafting process has remained unchanged in almost ten years, and there’s just no way it hasn’t reached EA Sports yet.
- Where’s the depth, EA?
MLB, NFL, and NBA are the top three sports leagues. And in real life, the NFL is at the top in all aspects of the country. But virtually, the amount of success enjoyed by NFL’s virtual counterpart stands nowhere close. The versions of Madden released after 2013 don’t seem like the work of a behemoth company like EA. The player’s information, news updates, and locker room chatter all play a role in building and succeeding as a franchise. And Madden doesn’t give us anything properly. No proper scouting, no in-depth player analysis, and you aren’t even privy to the national news (only the local ones).
- Customize everything!
If you look at the franchise mode of NBA2K, Madden’s foremost foe, you’ll find everything you want Madden to be. The draft classes date back to the 1960s (when the NBA wasn’t even that great), so you can re-play history. They create expanded records and track everything. You can trade draft picks from the past five years on your team for additional transfer cache, there’s in-depth scouting, and even the off-season has been made attractive.
And we haven’t even discussed customization yet. NBA2K allows you to create a fully customizable team. You can move them anywhere and have a mascot with the name of your choice. While Madden has relocation too, but it is restrictive, and you can’t even name your team or select a city of your choice (you’ve to choose from the list). Even MLB has gotten this feature in their game.
But Madden wasn’t always this disappointing; long-term fans remember how amazing the gameplay and player analysis used to be. There were national news reports and detailed player profiles. Maybe, they just got lazy and stopped brainstorming for new ideas. It is time to get back on the drawing board EA.
