Fans were not happy when EA detailed the changes to Franchise Mode in this year’s game. Many believed that the changes were more like patch notes than actual upgrades over last year’s edition. Some of the tweaks include expanding the playoffs and updating rookie contracts. But, after recognizing how the community has taken to the news, the publisher has stated that it’s trying to bring the mode to a place where players can be happy.
EA announced new, upcoming changes late Thursday on the official Madden blog. According to the blog, EA is looking to implement more customization options with the new X-Factor feature and adjust how players can unlock it. It’s also looking to update the user interface (UI).
Overall, EA is planning to drop three different updates to Franchise Mode. The first will be in mid-November and players won’t have to restart their Franchise to implement the changes.
Here are the planned changes coming to Franchise Mode in Madden 21, courtesy of the official Madden blog:
EA also stated that it will continue to monitor feedback and the things on the above list may change as they’re implemented into the game.
Player Card Career Stats UI: A top community request for several years now, the team is revamping the statistics on the player card to include more context in season stats, like week, opponent, and outcome, while also providing what team the player was on for every year of their career.
Dev Trait Regression Tuning: The team is doing tuning work to player development traits in Franchise mode to ensure a proper balance of Superstar and X-Factor players when progressing multiple years in a Franchise.
Playoff Bracket: A visual playoff bracket will be added into the game that reflects the new Wild Card format, allowing users to see the full playoff picture.
When the announcement was made on social media, the Madden community continues to be split over these latest proposed changes. Pro-Madden players seem to generally be satisfied with these changes, while those who are fans of Franchise Mode still feel they don’t go far enough.
Wherever you fall in the argument, it seems like EA still has work to do to win back some of these players.
Madden 21 is available now for PS4, Xbox One and PC.
Are these upcoming changes to Franchise mode enough for you? What would you still like to see changed? Let us know in the comments section.
