Madden NFL 21: Franchise Mode Additions Missing In Action So Far

[ChaseB]

In the first edition of the Madden 21 Gridiron Notes, some folks on OS were quick...

Written By: Chase Becotte

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[PhillyPhanatic14]

Good article man. Cool to see you mention the complaints from the UT community. I have friends that are super into it and I hear that stuff from them in Madden and Fifa every year.


The biggest issue is EA refusing to invest their profits back into the game to create a better game the following year. They're pocketing nearly all of the ridiculous amount of money they make from game sales and microtransactions. I think what gets to us as gamers is that we know they're making truckloads of money and yet each year the games basically feel the same.


If we felt like the company was truly investing their profits back into the game and progress was being made in graphics, gameplay, and literally any gamemode I think things would be different.

[Broncos86]

Great article, and it reminds us all to remain objective as a whole. Myself being a heavy franchise mode guy (like many here), I instantly look for what franchise mode will receive. And seeing nothing mentioned during the trailer / gridiron notes instantly turned me off from what was presented as a whole.

That doesn't mean I don't think the additions shown were bad. But without a compelling franchise mode, those additions become rather moot for me. I just don't play Madden for the sake of the gameplay alone. I create my own stories, my own headlines in franchise mode. One of my favorite elements is the off-season, when I get to draft, sign free agents, and look to bolster my roster for the next season.

And yes, right now there are times I probably sim half the season because the gameplay just becomes repetitive in nature. And hopefully these additions to gameplay can alleviate that. But the prospect of another year with the same janky scouting process, the same terrible draft experience, general lack of immersion in franchise mode, and the complete discarding of the past in franchise mode just makes Madden less compelling for me to purchase.

We'll see what comes down the pipe, but right now I'm not holding my breath.

[jfsolo]

Great article, it was strange to read though because I am not accustom to seeing articles, posts, or videos about Madden that aren't brimming with hyperbole or tired memes.

[patsfan1993]

"It doesn’t excuse the oversight, but again, it’s better than leading folks on before pulling the rug out from under them."

Given the path this game has been on for a while now, it's not an oversight. It's a business decision.

[goalieump413]

Nice comprehensive article. My read on this...

Playing a sports game's Franchise mode reduces the time spent playing a micro-transaction mode. The more depth and detail you add to the Franchise mode, the more attractive it becomes, further reducing the chance that micro-transaction revenue will be maintained. It's a simple cash flow argument against spending resources to develop a mode that has no long term benefit to revenue.

As gamers, we could argue that a more robust Franchise mode improves the brand loyalty, but with no alternative on the market, we're arguing a point we don't have. The only way to ensure that the message gets received and acted upon is if a viable competitor were allowed to exist.

[jmurphy31]

Quote: Originally Posted by goalieump413

Nice comprehensive article. My read on this... Playing a sports game's Franchise mode reduces the time spent playing a micro-transaction mode. The more depth and detail you add to the Franchise mode, the more attractive it becomes, further reducing the chance that micro-transaction revenue will be maintained. It's a simple cash flow argument against spending resources to develop a mode that has no long term benefit to revenue. As gamers, we could argue that a more robust Franchise mode improves the brand loyalty, but with no alternative on the market, we're arguing a point we don't have. The only way to ensure that the message gets received and acted upon is if a viable competitor were allowed to exist.

This is an exceptional point I never really thought about. But it does make sense.

[Executor]

That they failed to mention franchise mode in any meaningful way even once in their first news release is so blatantly arrogant (especially towards franchise community), it's not even funny.

And even though the article here does a good job of smoothing the edges, it is obvious that at least for console gyus, mods are not the solution.