Now that Madden NFL 21 has officially released, fans are voicing their concerns (and outrage) about the state of the game. It's only the latest in a long streak of events that have damaged the long-running franchise's reputation. Now, Madden NFL 21 is amassing incredibly negative reviews on sites like Metacritic, where the game currently has a rating of 0.4! There are a number of reasons why fans are upset, and it's become increasingly obvious that EA needs to rethink how they manage their entire Madden series.
Some of the backlash goes back to earlier in the summer when the trailer for Madden NFL 21 released. Fans were angry that the new Madden lacked any significant changes, and things like better facial scans and improvements to Franchise Mode (which fans have asked about for years) seemed to be completely ignored. The game took a beating on social media and YouTube, but EA promised to address some of these issues before the game launched.
The controversies surrounding the game died down for a while, but then fans started criticizing Madden NFL 21's box art. The cover, which features Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, was criticized for its messy collage design. Traditionally, EA takes new photos for their Madden covers, but this year, because of COVID-19, they utilized images from the Ravens' staff photographer instead. The reasoning behind the move is completely understandable, but it still hasn't stopped some fans from hating the collage design that EA ended up going with.
Madden NFL 21's Problems Aren't Just Marketing
The franchise had already taken a hit last year, when Madden NFL 20 released with major bugs that hurt sales and reviews. Now, it seems like EA is doomed to repeat their mistake with the newest entry. Madden NFL 21 has officially released, and despite getting some significant changes to things like Madden Ultimate Team mode and a completely new mode called The Yard, the game isn't faring well with fans.
Fans are upset with the lack of changes, the continued gaming bugs that weren't fixed from past installments, and EA's repeated use of microtransactions. A patch right after the game's release fixed some bugs, but fans still complained the game was too similar to its previous installments. It's just the latest obstacle for EA and Madden to overcome, as the franchise's reputation grows worse and worse with each ing year. For now, Madden is still the NFL's official video game for several more years, but the company may end up having its license revoked if it can't recover from its sullied reputation.
If EA wants the future of its Madden series to get out of this funk, it's going to need to address the issues fans have with the games. Madden NFL 21 may be a step in the right direction, but it's going to take more than a few half-baked improvements to make fans happy. EA needs to rethink their entire model for Madden and create a product that fans will once again want to keep buying every year.