Madden NFL 21 PS5 PS4 1

Back when Madden NFL 21 was under the microscope last year, EA Sports promised that it was committed to improving the popular Franchise Mode over the course of the season. Now as we near the NFL playoffs, the developer is rolling out a major update for the title that will make some minor but appreciated tweaks to the campaign.

The headline feature is a complete overhaul to the draft CPU logic. To summarise a quite complicated issue, teams like the Cincinnati Bengals would previously blow first-round picks on quarterbacks, even though it makes very little sense since they drafted Joe Burrow in real-life less than a year ago. It’s these kind of baffling decisions that the patch will address.

The update also adds in a ton of options for Franchise commissioners, allowing you to undo Free Agency signings, override team control settings, and even apply playcall cooldowns. These tweaks are obviously targeting online Franchise players primarily, but it’s also promising further improvements to trade logic and it’s added a new tile that includes historical information on your league.

Baby-steps, then, but undeniable improvements all the same. Obviously, fans are going to have to wait a lot longer for more meaningful advancements – like the ability to hire and fire coordinators – but it’s at least good to see EA Sports making the right noises and committing to enhancing the game. Plus, did you know SpongeBob SquarePants is being added today?

[source ea.com]