| Madden NFL | |
|---|---|
.png){kind=logo} Madden NFL series logo (2020–present) | |
| Genre | Sports (American football) |
| Developers | EA Orlando Visual Concepts High Score Productions Blue Sky Productions Electronic Arts D.C. True, Ltd. Park Place Productions Bethesda Softworks Halestorm Tiertex Design Studios Stormfront Studios Exient Entertainment Budcat Creations Floodgate Entertainment infiniteMonkeys Hudson Soft |
| Publishers | EA Sports THQ Black Pearl Software Malibu Games Hudson Soft |
| Platforms | Amiga,Super NES,Genesis/Mega Drive,Game Gear,3DO,Nintendo 64,GameCube,Wii,Wii U,Game Boy,Game Boy Color,Game Boy Advance,Nintendo DS,Windows,macOS,MS-DOS,PlayStation,PlayStation 2PlayStation 3,PlayStation 4,PlayStation 5,PlayStation Portable,PlayStation Vita,Saturn,Xbox,Xbox 360,Xbox One,Xbox Series X/S,iOS,Nintendo 3DS,Android,BlackBerry PlayBook,Arcade,Nintendo Switch 2 |
| First release | John Madden Football June 1, 1988 |
| Latest release | Madden NFL 26 August 14, 2025 |
EA Madden NFL (known asJohn Madden Football until 1993) is anAmerican footballsports video game series developed byEA Orlando forEA Sports. The franchise, named afterPro Football Hall of Fame coach and commentatorJohn Madden, has sold more than 130 million copies as of 2018.[1] From 2004 until 2022, it was the only officially licensedNational Football League (NFL) video game series, and has influenced many players and coaches of the physical sport. Among the series' features are detailed playbooks and player statistics and voice commentary in the style of a realNFL television broadcast. As of 2013[update] the franchise has generated over $4 billion in sales, making it one of the most profitable video game franchises on the market.
Electronic Arts (EA) founderTrip Hawkins conceived the series and approached Madden in 1984 for his endorsement and expertise. Because of Madden's insistence that the game be as realistic as possible, the first version ofJohn Madden Football did not appear until 1988. EA has released annual versions since 1990 with the number used in each release generally representing the year after the game's release date; for example,Madden NFL 2005 was released in 2004, ahead of the2004 NFL season.
The real reason that I founded Electronic Arts was because I wanted to make computerized versions of games like Strat-O-Matic.
— Trip Hawkins[2]
Trip Hawkins created a clone of theStrat-O-Matic paper and dice-based football simulation game as a teenager. The game was unsuccessful due to its complexity, and he hoped to one day delegate its rules to a computer. AtHarvard College, where Hawkins played football for theCrimson, he wrote a football simulation for thePDP-11 minicomputer which, he later said, predicted that theMiami Dolphins would defeat theMinnesota Vikings 23–6 (actually 24–7) in the1974 Super Bowl.[3][4] After founding Electronic Arts in 1982[3]—"The real reason that I founded [it] was because I wanted to make computerized versions of games like Strat-O-Matic", Hawkins later said[2][5]—the company began designing a microcomputer football game. Hawkins first approached his favorite playerJoe Montana to endorse the proposed game but the quarterback already had an endorsement deal withAtari, Inc., and his second choice,Cal coachJoe Kapp, demanded up-front royalties far in excess of what Hawkins was willing to pay.[3]
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In 1984, Hawkins approached former NFL coach and then-announcerJohn Madden. Hawkins and game producerJoe Ybarra arranged a follow-up meeting with Madden during anAmtrak train trip over two days because of Madden'sfear of flying.[3][6][7][8] The EA executives promised that the proposed game would be a sophisticated football simulation and they asked the retired Oakland Raiders coach for his endorsement and expertise. Madden knew nothing about computers beyond histelestrator but agreed; he had taught a class at theUniversity of California, Berkeley, called "Football for Fans", and envisioned the program as a tool for teaching and testing plays.[3][9][10] (Madden would continue to see the game as an educational tool. When asked in 2012 to describeMadden NFL, he called it "a way for people to learn the game and participate in the game at a pretty sophisticated level".[8]) Hawkins and Ybarra during the train trip learned football plays and strategies from Madden from sunrise to midnight.[3]
EA likely expected Madden to endorse the game without participating in its design. Early plans envisioned six or seven players per team because of technical limitations but Madden insisted on having 11 players,[3][8] stating "I'm not putting my name on it if it's not real".[7][10] Ybarra, who had playedchess, not football, in high school, became an expert on the subject through his work, but found that 11 players overwhelmed contemporary home computers. Most projects that are as delayed asMadden are canceled; Ybarra and developer Robin Antonick needed three years, more than twice the length of the average development process. The project became known within the company as "Trip's Folly", and Madden—who had received $100,000advance against royalties that EA's outside auditors advised towrite-off because it would never be recouped—believed at times that EA had given up.[3][10]
The company hiredBethesda Softworks to finish the game, but this only got them partway to their goal. While EA used many of its designs, including contributions to their physics engine,[11] within a year Bethesda stopped working onMadden and sued EA over EA's failure to publish new versions of Bethesda'sGridiron! football game. This added to the delay.[7] After a final development push,John Madden Football debuted in 1988 for theApple II computers. Hawkins and an exhausted Ybarra ("All my memories are of pain") could move on to other projects.[3]
Contracted to provide plays,[10] Madden gave EA the1980 Raiders playbook, and EA hiredSan Francisco Examiner writer Frank Cooney, who had designed his ownfigurine football game with numerical skill ratings. Those skill ratings, also utilized in a spreadsheet based game called Grid Grade, were a precursor to player ratings in Madden Football. Although the company could not yet legally use NFL teams' or players' names, Cooney obtained real plays from NFL teams.[3] The back of the box called the game "The First Real Football Simulation" and quoted Madden: "Hey, if there aren't 11 players, it isn't real football." Documentation included diagrams of dozens of offensive and defensive plays with Madden's commentary on coaching strategies and philosophy.[12] In addition to submitting plays, Cooney worked with programmers and producers to create numerical ratings for every player so they would perform appropriately in the game, especially in man-to-man situations. In the beginning there were eight to 12 traits that were graded for each player. That number would grow to more than 200 as the game became more sophisticated. The game sold moderately well[3] but given the sophisticated playbook its interface was complex, and Madden's insistence on 11 players caused the game to run slowly.[7]
During this period, Madden turned down the opportunity to buy an "unlimited" number of options for EA stock in itsinitial public offering, a decision he later called "the dumbest thing I ever did in my life".[3][8]
In early 1990, EA hiredPark Place Productions to developMadden for theSega Genesisvideo game console. Park Place had developedABC Monday Night Football with "arcade-style, action-heavy" game play, and itsMadden also emphasizedhyperreality compared to the computer version's focus on exact simulation.[3][13] Impressed with Park Place's work, EA chose it for the GenesisMadden instead of completing an in-house version by Antonick.[14]
EAreverse engineered the console to sell the game without paying the standard $8 to $10 license fee per cartridge to Sega, then proposed a compromise of $2 per cartridge and a $2 million cap on the fee. The console maker agreed, afraid that EA would sell its reverse-engineered knowledge to other companies; the agreement saved EA $35 million over the next three years. As its own Joe Montana-endorsed football game would miss the 1990Christmas shopping season, Sega asked EA to let it sellMadden with the Montana name. EA refused, but offered an inferior alternative that lackedMadden's 3D graphics and most of its 113 plays.[3][13]Joe Montana Football sold well despite shipping after Christmas 1990, and it remained popular afterBlueSky Software took over development.[7]John Madden Football for the Genesis, however, became both the first hugely successfulMadden game—selling 400,000 copies when the company expected 75,000[14]—and the firstkiller app for EA and Sega, helping the console gain market share against theSuper NES.[3][7] From 1992 to 1994,Mega placed the game at #1 in their monthly Top 100 Mega Drive Games of All Time.
In 1990, EA producerRichard Hilleman brought in veteran sports game designerScott Orr, who had founded the mid-1980sCommodore 64 game publisher GameStar and led the design of their best-selling sports games. The team of Orr and Hilleman designed and led the development of what is today still recognizable as the modernMadden. Early versions ofMadden were created by external development studios such as Bethesda,Visual Concepts, andStormfront Studios.John Madden Football '92 also featured the ambulance which would run over any players in its path.
After Visual Concepts failed to deliverMadden NFL '96 for the newPlayStation in 1995, EA hired Tiburon Entertainment forMadden NFL '97[7] and later acquired the company, centralizing development in-house.[3] It planned to releaseJohn Madden Football as its first sports-basedarcade game, but the game was cancelled due to unenthusiastic reactions fromplay testers.[15] EA's refusal to releaseMadden and other sports titles for theDreamcast in 1999 contributed to the console's lack of success and Sega's exit from the hardware market.[7]
By 1996,Madden was the best-selling sports video game franchise, with more than eight million units sold up until then.[16]
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding to it.(September 2012) |
In 1998, Electronic Arts added "Franchise Mode" toMadden Football, giving players the ability to play multiple seasons, make off-season draft picks, and trade players.[17]Within Franchise Mode, players take on the role of general manager and manage all personnel matters, including contracts, free agency, draft picks, and hiring and firing coaches. The player also acts as a head coach-like character (although there is a head coach figure in-game), choosing which players to play, making substitutions, running practices, practicing gameplans, etc.
Players may play with any of the NFL's 32 franchises; they can choose whether or not to have trade deadlines and salary caps and if they want to start their franchise with a 49-round fantasy draft of all active NFL players. Players can also upload created teams for use in the game.
Once in game, players run training camp (individual drills for improving players' attributes), play in preseason games and compete in a regular 16-game NFL season, including playoffs and the Super Bowl. The player has the option to play any game in the simulation, including those involving other teams if they so desire, or may simulate through the games as they choose. Most versions ofMadden give a player 30 years with their franchise, sometimes with an opportunity to apply for the Hall of Fame at the end of the simulation.
Throughout the history of Franchise Mode, there have been many issues and glitches including data corruption, gameplay bugs, and developer mistakes. Franchise Mode is one of Madden's most consistently criticized game modes each year.[18][19]
Madden NFL 2000 was the first Madden to have a play editor, arcade mode, and the Madden Challenge. The game was released on August 31, 1999, for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation, Game Boy, Nintendo 64, and Classic Mac OS. The cover athletes were former Raiders Coach John Madden and the Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders in the background. This was the second Madden to have someone besides John Madden on the cover.
Madden NFL 2001 featured a segment called "Great Games" where one would be put in a situation where they control one team and would have to win the game with a set amount of time. If the player wins, they unlock either a new team or a stadium. Overall, there were more than 60 teams and over 80 stadiums inMadden NFL 2001.Tennessee Titans running backEddie George is the cover athlete.
Madden NFL 2002 featured for the first time Create-A-Team where one would make a team and play with that team in either Play Now or Franchise mode. It also featured Create-A-League mode but it never caught on. Create-A-Team was not featured inMadden NFL 13 and moving teams was first featured inMadden NFL 2004 called "Stadium" in the Franchise mode of the game.Madden NFL 2002 was the 2nd highest selling game in 2002.Minnesota Vikings quarterbackDaunte Culpepper is the cover athlete.
There are multiple modes of game play, from a quick head-to-head game to running a team for a whole season or even multiple seasons. Online play, which was a new feature forMadden NFL 2003 (in this version there are also mini-camp challenges) was only available for users of thePlayStation 2 console,Xbox console, or aMicrosoft Windows PC until early2004.St. Louis Rams running backMarshall Faulk is the cover athlete.
Also, starting withMadden NFL 2004, EA Sports created the newPlaymaker tool, using the right analog joystick found on each of the adjustments previously unavailable in prior installments of the franchise.[20] One such adjustment includes the ability to switch which direction a running play was going without changing the formation. Prior to the Playmaker tool, the Player could only call one of four available "hot routes." With Playmaker and the use of the right thumb stick, the player is given 4 additional Hot Route options. When the quarterback has the ball the Playmaker Tool can be used to make receivers alter their routes mid-play. When running the ball on offense, the runner can control the direction in which the blocker is going. Defensive alignment adjustments, however, were not available leading to obvious imbalance in favor of the Offensive player.Atlanta Falcons quarterbackMichael Vick is the cover athlete.
InMadden NFL 2005, EA Sports ran a campaign with the Theme "Fear the D" emphasising their improvements on the "other side of the ball." In an attempt to re-balance the players experience, EA gave a Playmaker Tool to the defense. Similar to the offensive Playmaker Tool, the defensive Playmaker allows the player to make pre-snap defensive adjustments. EA Sports further utilized the right analog joystick on defense by creating the "Hit Stick", an option on defense that allows the controlled player to make big hits, with a simple flick, that increases the chances the ball carrier will fumble. Also introduced for the first time is the "Formation Shift." This new feature allowed players to shift their formation in the pre-snap audible menu without actually changing the play. For example, if you call a run play up the middle out of a goal line formation, you could then call a formation shift and make your players spread out into a four wide receiver formation while still in the same running play. The problem with this new function was that EA also added a fatigue penalty for the defense causing defensive players to get more tired each time there was a formation shift. This led to players on offense calling multiple formation shifts each play making the defensive players too exhausted to keep up and force them to substitute out of the game until they are fully rested. This led to more imbalance that could only be fixed by turning off fatigue.Baltimore Ravens linebackerRay Lewis is the cover athlete.
2005 also added "EA Sports Radio", a fictional show that plays during the menu screen of Franchise mode to provide a greater sense of a storyline during gameplay. It featuresTony Bruno as the host, who often interviews players and coaches about how the season is going and also has quiz questions in which fake listeners call in to make attempts at answering football-related questions. It included mock interviews of famous NFL players and coaches throughout the in-game season. Some fans have criticizedEA Sports for not including new features to the 'programming' as the radio became stale after only two seasons in franchise mode, but the feature drew acclaim for adding content to the Franchise menu. Also added was the Newspaper where the player could look at National News from licensed USA Today and Licensed Local papers for almost each of the 32 NFL teams. Lastly, 2005 also saw the introduction of multiple progressions during franchise mode. Previously NFL players in Madden would only progress or regress at the end of each season. Now at the end of Week 5, 11, and 17 the game would use a program to "progress" players based on their performance in addition to end of season progression.
InMadden NFL 06, the "Truck Stick" was introduced. This feature allows the offensive player to lower his shoulder and break a tackle, or back juke to avoid one. Another new feature is theSuperstar Mode, which allows the player to take control of a rookie and progress through his career.[21] This includes an IQ test, interviews, workouts, the NFL Draft, hiring an agent, and other aspects of a superstar's life.Philadelphia Eagles quarterbackDonovan McNabb is the cover athlete.
EA also introduced theQB Vision feature in the 2006 installment. With this feature, a cone of spotlight emits from the quarterback during passing plays, simulating his field of vision. To make an accurate pass, the quarterback must have his intended receiver in his field of vision. Passing to a receiver not in the cone reduces pass accuracy significantly. The size of the quarterback's vision cone is directly correlated to his Awareness and Passer Accuracy rating;Brett Favre andPeyton Manning see nearly the entire field at once, whereas an inexperienced quarterback such asJ. P. Losman orKyle Boller sees only a sliver of the field.[3] This feature also allows for bigger plays and more interceptions.
Also, EA sports added theSmart Route. This means that when pressing a hot route to the corresponding receiver, you put the analog stick down and the receiver will run to the first down, and you can throw him the ball.
While current gen Madden remained the same with the exception of a "Smart Route" and "QB Vision", this was also the first year Madden was released on the next-gen Xbox 360. It was completely stripped down, almost every change made in the previous gen was wiped away.
This is an arcade game developed byGlobal VR and released in 2005. The game comes in standard and deluxe cabinets. It can be played with up to four players and includes five game modes: Exhibition, Training, Tournament, Competition, and Career. It features rosters from the 2004–2005 season.[22]
InMadden NFL 07, EA introducedLead Blocker Controls which allow users to control blockers during running plays. In addition, EA redefined the Truck Stick into theHighlight Stick. With the Highlight Stick, users can have their running backs perform different running moves and combos, instead of just bowling over defenders. Truck Stick features still exist for bigger backs, but not for smaller backs who would never realistically use them anyway. Instead, more agile backs perform acrobatic ducks and dodges to avoid tackles.[23]Seattle Seahawks running backShaun Alexander is the cover athlete.
This game is the sequel to EA Sports Madden NFL Football. Like the original, it was also developed byGlobal VR. It was released in 2006 only in arcades. This version adds QB Vision, the Hit Stick, and the Truck Stick. The rosters are also updated for the 2006–2007 season.[24]
InMadden NFL 08, theWeapons feature was added, allowing superstar players to be noticed.Randy Moss, for example, is a Go-To-Guy, allowing him to make amazing one-handed grabs.Peyton Manning is a Franchise QB. It also includes new skill drills, Hit Stick 2.0, and Ring of a Champion features.Tennessee Titans quarterbackVince Young is on the cover.Madden NFL 08 was also the lastMadden game released formacOS and the lastGameCube game ever released. It was also the last to appear on Windows untilMadden NFL 19 in 2018.
Madden NFL 09 was released on August 12, 2008. Citing business concerns, EA chose not to release the game on PC platforms.[25] The game features quarterbackBrett Favre on the front cover, initially in aGreen Bay Packers uniform, but also with a downloadable cover featuring Favre in aNew York Jets uniform.[26] Favre had retired before the start of the season as a member of the Packers, but came out of retirement late in the summer and was traded to the Jets.[27]Madden NFL 09 was the first of the series to offer online, league game play, allowing up to 32 players to compete in an online, simulated NFL season. EA Sports Senior Producer Phil Frazier, up to 32 players were able to participate in competitive games, the NFL Draft and conduct trades between their teams. The game was also the first of the series to incorporate a Madden IQ. The Madden IQ is used to automatically gauge your skills through a series of mini-games consisting of run offense, pass offense, run defense, and pass defense. At the end of each of the drills, the player receives a score ranging from rookie to all-Madden. The final Madden IQ is a mixture of those scores which is used to control the game's difficulty.[3][28][29]
Madden NFL 10 was released on August 14, 2009. It featuresArizona Cardinals wide receiverLarry Fitzgerald andPittsburgh Steelers strong safetyTroy Polamalu.[30] Compared to previous iterations, Madden NFL 10 has been extremely transparent with its development efforts, maintaining a weekly blog updates as well as a constant presence on various message boards. A new design team has also taken over the game, including members from NFL Head Coach 09. The direction of Madden NFL 10 has been shifted to much more of a realistic and simulation focus, with info already released including Procedural Awareness (a robust head tracking system), a new philosophy on player ratings, and big improvements to realism in QB play, WR/DB play, and other areas across the game. Madden 10 has several new features including the PRO-TAK animation technology, which allows up to nine man gang tackles and fumble pile-ups to help players 'fight for every yard', in this year's tagline. Madden 10 also features an in-game weekly recap show called The Extra Point. Madden 10 offers a series of multiple play packages. This allows for more options to score. This version features a completely overhauled rating system for players, featuring new categories such as throw on the run and specific ratings for short, medium, and deep passes.[31] The game's soundtrack features rap, alternative rock, rap metal and hard rock bands such asNirvana,Pantera,System of a Down, andKid Rock.
Madden NFL 11 was released on July 27, 2010 (moved up from its original release date of August 10, 2010 for promotional reasons[32]), and featuresNew Orleans Saints quarterbackDrew Brees on the cover. It features several new additions to the franchise, such as Online Team Play,[33] Online Scouting[34] and online attribute boosts for co-op play.[35] Along with these new game additions is a new rating (sponsored by Old Spice) known as Swagger.[36] Although early speculation was that this new rating would be reflective of "confidence" or "composure," it was quickly confirmed to be directly tied to a player's personality for celebrations.[37]
Madden NFL 12 was released on August 25, 2011. The release was delayed by two weeks due to theNFL lockout,[38] and featuresCleveland Brownsrunning backPeyton Hillis on the cover. However, there is a limited edition in which the cover featuresSt. Louis Rams running backMarshall Faulk.
Madden NFL 13 was released on August 28, 2012, and featuresDetroit Lionswide receiverCalvin Johnson as the cover athlete.Madden NFL 13 is the firstMadden game to be released on thePlayStation Vita, and it is also the first game in the series to haveKinect support as well as a new physics engine promoting real in game physics.[39]
Madden NFL 13 included a complete revamp to online franchise mode which became known as Connected Careers Mode (CCM). Some of the new CCM features included player contracts, the ability to trade draft picks, a salary cap, and up to 30 seasons worth of gameplay.[40]
In early 2013, EA Sports announced that the next installment of the Madden series would be released on August 27, 2013. As this installment is the 25th anniversary of the series,[41] the game is calledMadden NFL 25, instead ofMadden NFL 14 with the year like the previous versions.[42] The cover vote consisted of two brackets containing past players ("Old School") and active players ("New School").[43]
"Old School" player andPro Football Hall of FamerBarry Sanders was chosen as the cover athlete forMadden NFL 25 on the April 24, 2013, episode ofESPN'sSportsNation. The "New School" finalist wasAdrian Peterson.[44]
On March 13, 2014EA Sports posted on its website that user would be able to design and submit uniforms for Connected Careers by March 17, 2014, for "the next Madden NFL."[45] On April 28, 2014, EA announced the release of Madden 15 pre-ordering in a release video with NFL linebacker and 2013 Defensive Player of the YearLuke Kuechly. The game was released August 26 in North America and on August 29 in the EU for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3. The game featured "dramatic all-new camera angles, as well as dynamic pre-game and halftime features."[46] During the Detroit Lions 10th pick of the2014 NFL draft, Barry Sanders announced fans again would be able to vote for the cover athlete.[47] On June 6,Seattle SeahawkscornerbackRichard Sherman was announced as the cover athlete.[48]
EA decided not to have players vote for the cover athlete through a traditional bracket, but rather through collectible cards inMadden NFL Mobile, or through Ultimate Team on the console devices. On May 4, 2015, the four finalists were announced for the 2016 game cover:New England Patriots tight endRob Gronkowski,Arizona Cardinals cornerbackPatrick Peterson,New York Giants wide receiverOdell Beckham Jr. andPittsburgh Steelers wide receiverAntonio Brown. On May 13, Beckham Jr. beat out Gronkowski in a fan vote for the cover ofMadden 16. It was released on August 25, 2015.[49]
Madden NFL 17 was released on August 23, 2016. The features in the game include an upgrade of the Ground Game, a redesigned and better Franchise Mode, "Madden 365", new Ball Carrier UI Prompts, the new Path Assist and more.[50]New England Patriots tight endRob Gronkowski serves as the cover athlete.[51]
Madden NFL 18 was released on August 25, 2017.[52] The game is the first in the series to be developed in theFrostbite Engine, and it incorporates a story mode titled Longshot Mode, akin toThe Journey inFIFA 17.[53] It was announced thatNew England Patriots quarterbackTom Brady would be on the cover, marking the second consecutive year where a Patriot will be on the cover.[54] Furthermore, an enhancedG.O.A.T. edition was also announced.[55]
Madden NFL 19 was announced withPittsburgh Steelers wide receiverAntonio Brown as the cover athlete.[56] It was released on August 10, 2018. This is the first entry sinceMadden NFL 08 in 2007 to receive aWindows release.
Madden NFL 20 was announced withKansas City Chiefs quarterbackPatrick Mahomes as the cover athlete.[57] It was released on August 2, 2019. This game features an online eliminator mode calledSuperstar K.O., as well as a revamped story mode titledFace of the Franchise: QB1.
Madden NFL 21 was announced withBaltimore Ravens quarterbackLamar Jackson as the cover athlete.[58] It was released on August 28, 2020.[59] Introduced that year was a new, backyard-football inspired online mode called The Yard, similar toNBA 2k'sMyPark.
Due to theWashington Redskins announcing the retirement of the team'scontroversial moniker on July 13, 2020, EA announced on July 17 that it would be doing an update onMadden NFL 21 to remove the team's logo and name and replacing them with a generic Washington logo and name pending further developments.[60][61]
Madden NFL 22 was announced with bothTampa Bay Buccaneers quarterbackTom Brady andKansas City Chiefs quarterbackPatrick Mahomes as the cover athletes. It was the second cover appearance for both players.[62]
Madden NFL 23 was announced with head coachJohn Madden as the cover star on Madden Day (June 1, 2022, the same day the series' first installment,John Madden Football, was released) in honor of his death on December 28, 2021. The cover of the next gen version is a picture of Madden celebrating his victory as the head coach of theOakland Raiders atSuper Bowl XI. The All Madden Edition is based on the cover of the series' 1st installment,John Madden Football, made by Chuck Styles.
Madden NFL 24 was announced withBuffalo Bills quarterbackJosh Allen as the cover athlete.[63][64]
Madden NFL 25 was released in early September 2024, withSan Francisco 49ers running backChristian McCaffrey as the cover athlete.[65] It is the last entry to be released onPlayStation 4 andXbox One.[66]
Madden NFL 26 was announced in April 2025 and released on August 14, 2025, withPhiladelphia Eagles running backSaquon Barkley as the cover athlete.[67] With a simultaneous launch onNintendo Switch 2, it is the firstMadden entry to be released on a Nintendo console sinceMadden NFL 13 onWii U.[68] It is also the first entry to exclusively launch on ninth-generation home consoles.[69] 'Madden NFL 26 is also the first entry in the series to recognizelong snapper as a distinct position.[70]
Until 1993, the Madden series did not have official licenses from theNational Football League (NFL) orNational Football League Players Association (NFLPA).Madden NFL '94 was the first game in the series to include real NFL teams, andMadden NFL '95 added an NFLPA license for real players through theNational Football League Players Incorporated (NFLPI).[71] The licenses restrict EA from including certain content in currentMadden games, such as the humorous ambulance that picks up injured players in 1991'sJohn Madden Football II.[3] The NFL Coaches Association sold the rights to have NFL coaches' names appear in theMadden NFL games;Madden NFL 2001 was the first game in the series to feature this license.[72] NeitherNew England Patriots coachBill Belichick norBill Parcells appeared in the game as they are not members of the NFL Coaches Association. Likewise, non-NFLPA players (such asThurman Thomas during his playing career) do not appear in the game, instead being replaced with generic placeholders.
In 2004, EA signed an exclusive licensing rights agreement through 2009 with the NFL and the NFLPA to give the company the exclusive rights to use the NFL's teams, stadiums, and players in a video game.[73] Mike Mika, who was working onNFL 2K, described the agreement as "like a nuclear bomb going off in the game industry", canceling rival NFL projects.[10] This exclusive license prevents other rival video game developers from producing official NFL video games. The deal, reportedly worth $300 million and later extended to 2013,[3] has been widely criticized. Some competitors, such as theBlitz: The League series, have elected to continue, seeking to distinguish themselves through innovative gameplay while others, such as theNFL 2K series, have ceased production. In 2007,2K Sports releasedAll Pro Football 2K8, which used former NFL stars.
In 2020 2K gained the rights for "non-simulation football game experiences" from the NFL. The deal is said to not impact Madden which will remain the only "simulation" football game.[74]
In 2020 the NFL extended its exclusive rights with EA which were due to expire in 2022, which changed to until 2026 for a reported $1.5 billion, with a provision for an additional year of exclusivity if EA hits revenue targets.[75][76][77][78]
In August 2006,EA Sports debutedNFL Head Coach, which utilized theMadden engine to create a football management simulation. The game was criticized as buggy and unrealistic. EA Tiburon rebuilt the game from the ground up, addressing flaws and creating a proprietary engine, over the course of three years.NFL Head Coach 09 was released on August 12, 2008, bundled with the special edition ofMadden NFL 09 and as a standalone game on September 2, 2008.
Madden NFL Social was an early version ofMadden NFL Mobile forFacebook andiOS that was released November 1, 2012 and shut down September 2, 2013.
Released on November 24, 2009,[79] the game is 5-on-5 and takes the best 10 players from each of the 32 NFL teams.[80]
Madden NFL Mobile was released on August 26, 2014, and is only the third Madden game on mobile devices. The game is very similar to the Madden Ultimate Team (MUT) game mode, and the game is currently on its 9th season.
Madden NFL Football was released as a launch title for theNintendo 3DS on March 27, 2011.[81]
Voice commentary inMadden allows players or watchers to hear the game being called as if it were a real game onTV.[82] For early versions of the game, this commentary was performed by Madden himself and his play-by-play partner. Initially, this wasPat Summerall, his partner during their days atCBS andFox from the early 1980s to the early 2000s until Summerall retired; the role was then filled byAl Michaels, John's broadcast partner onMonday Night Football (2002–2005) andNBC Sunday Night Football (2006–2008). For the first Madden games on theXbox 360 andPS3, they featured a generic EA Sports radio announcer doing play-by-play. This started withMadden 06 and ended withMadden 08.[83] Other versions of those games still featured Madden's commentary.
Madden recorded thousands of lines for eachMadden game.[10]Madden NFL 09 was the last version to feature Madden's commentary, albeit in a reduced role. By that time, he felt that reciting a script covering every single scenario in the game was boring and tedious[9]—Madden recalled the long hours spent alone in the recording studio as "the most difficult part of any part that I've ever had in the game and the least amount of fun"[8]—but said that in the decision to remove him from game commentary, "I feel that something is being taken away from me".[3]
Madden and Michaels were replaced byCris Collinsworth as color commentator andTom Hammond on play-by-play inMadden NFL 09 andMadden NFL 10.Gus Johnson replaced Hammond inMadden NFL 11 andMadden NFL 12, with Collinsworth handling color commentary in both games.[84]Madden NFL 13 marked the debut of real-life announcing teamJim Nantz andPhil Simms, including them appearing in an in-booth cutscene before the game.[85] Nantz and Simms stayed untilMadden NFL 16, when they were replaced byFox'sBrandon Gaudin andCharles Davis forMadden NFL 17. Nantz continued to work as the primary play-by-play announcer forCBS, while Simms later left the CBS broadcast booth to work onThe NFL Today. Gaudin and Davis returned to the studio throughout the2016 NFL season to add new commentary relevant to each week of the season.[86]
New commentary teams were added toMadden NFL 25. In addition to Gaudin and Davis,NBC'sMike Tirico and Fox's #2 analystGreg Olsen formed one new broadcast team, whileKate Scott, the voice of thePhiladelphia 76ers andSeattle Seahawks preseason games, and Fox's #2college football analystBrock Huard formed another team.
In addition,Madden NFL 08 andMadden NFL 09 were also released in Spanish, featuringESPN Deportes announcerÁlvaro Martín providing both play-by-play and analysis.[87]
Madden recalls a time in San Francisco when aPhiladelphia Eagles player rushed into a hotel room asking, 'Where's Madden?' When people pointed to theFox commentator, the player said, 'No, not that Madden. I want the game!'
— Los Angeles Times, 2002[92]
As of 2013[update] Electronic Arts has sold more than 100 million copies ofMadden NFL, and more than five million in one year, for more than $4 billion in total sales.[93] AtEA Tiburon inOrlando, Florida a team of 30 developers and more than 100game testers works on each new game in the series,[94] which as of 2012[update] contains more than 10 million lines ofsource code.[8]
Madden, once better known forAce Hardware commercials than football despite winningSuper Bowl XI as the head coach for theOakland Raiders, is now better known forMadden NFL than as coach or broadcaster.[13][3] He received an estimated $2 to 3 million each year for his endorsement[95] but describes himself as "never a good player" ofMadden and prefers to watch others play.[8] Although Madden says that "a computer is a helluva lot smarter than me"[96] he has influenced the series' design from the first game,[10] and since retiring from broadcasting and doing video-game voice commentary in 2009 his participation in eachMadden's development has increased:[8][94]
He breaks down upcoming rules changes. He brings up concussions, helmet-to-helmet hits and gimmick quarterbacks. A digression on how theDome Patrol-eraSaints used to frustrateBill Walsh's49ers teams with short linebacker drops becomes a lecture on the obsolescence of the fullback, which then morphs into a short aside on player character.[3]
EA estimates that the series has five to seven million dedicated fans, and an underground circuit ofMadden cash tournaments exists.[8]Marshall Faulk in 2010 estimated that "50 percent on up" of NFL players areMadden players, who play in the league with or against childhood heroes they once chose to play as in the game.[5] Players typically play as themselves regardless of their electronic counterparts' abilities[92][97][5] and immediately check new releases of the game for changes in the more than 60 ratings of their talent.[98][96] They often complain to Madden and EA about allegedly inaccurate ratings (onlyEmmitt Smith has told him that the game rated him too high),[10] or ask for changes in theirin-game appearance. Such complaints began as early as 1990, confusing the broadcaster, who did not contribute the player statistics for that year's version due to lack of time.[94][95]
Coaches and players at all levels of the sport such asK. J. Wright andJoe Brady[99] say thatMadden has influenced them and recommend the game to learn football strategy and tactics, practice plays and assignments, and simulate opponents.[94][5]Teddy Bridgewater, who has usedMadden to practice plays since college atLouisville, created Brady's playbook in the game to help his backupsP. J. Walker andWill Grier.[99] Young players who grew up withMadden reportedly understand plays better than those who did not.Wired in 2010 wrote that the growing use of rookie quarterbacks and thespread offense was influenced by the game, stating that "the sport is being taken over by something you might call Maddenball — a sophisticated, high-scoring, pass-happy, youth-driven phenomenon". When theDenver Broncos'Brandon Stokley in 2009 burned six seconds of the clock with an unusual run before scoring the winning touchdown against theCincinnati Bengals,Madden designers—who were watching the game with Madden—immediately recognized his action as "what happens in the game!"[5][3][10]
Football broadcasts on television useMadden-like visual cues to more closely resemble it, and the NFL considers the series its "33rd franchise" because each week during the season EA Sports receives the same searchable film database of every play that each of the league's 32 teams do.[3][8][96] The game is the NFL's second-largest source of licensing revenue, after apparel, and an important part of the league's recruitment of children as new football fans[92]
ThePro Football Hall of Fame in 2003 opened an interactive exhibit in which visitors playMadden,[98] three years before its namesake's induction.[3]Museum of the Moving Image in New York City in early 2014 celebratedMadden NFL's 25th anniversary, with an exhibit including five playable versions of the game.[100]
In 1996,Next Generation listed the Genesis installments of the series collectively as number 30 on their "Top 100 Games of All Time", calling them "One of the best two-player games of all time, the game that reinvented EA, and, (along withSonic the Hedgehog), the game that launchedSega's 16-bit assault onNintendo."[101]
During the mid-1990s, the series came under increasing criticism for its exploitable AI in single-player mode, as certain plays would consistently trounce AI-controlled teams,[102] and came to be regarded as primarily a multiplayer experience.[103]
SinceMadden NFL 06 on the seventh generation of consoles,Electronic Arts has received criticism for not evolving the Madden games for next generation consoles, while graphics have certainly improved, certain popular features from older games in the series have been removed for unknown reasons, then some come back in newer iterations slightly altered and advertised as a new feature. Many glitches and poor balancing of the meta have been seen in the games and some gamers and reviewers think there has been little to no improvement with recent iterations ofMadden.[104] The most notable bugs affecting the community have been extensive issues with franchise mode, commentary hiccups, gameplay/physics issues, and disconnection/loss of progress problems.[105][106][107][108][109] Some reviews of recentMadden games have criticized the series for not evolving and not making changes to the series and saying older iterations of the series are better games.[110] EA has also received criticism for not improving Franchise Mode, which was one of its flagship modes and instead only focusing on Ultimate Team, its team-building card game mode introduced inMadden NFL 10 which gradually started to get monetized throughout the 2010s.[111][112] The trailer release forMadden NFL 21 on June 17, 2020, was widely panned by gamers and reviewers as seen in its like-to-dislike ratio and its user review score on Metacritic are at an all-time low, sitting at 0.2 as of January 2021.[113][111][114][115]
Prior to 1998, every annual installment of theMadden NFL series primarily featured Madden on its cover.[3][116] In 1998,Electronic Arts selectedGarrison Hearst to appear on the PAL version's cover, although Madden remained on the North American release. Beginning withEddie George in 2000, the series has usually featured one of the league's top players on every annual installment,[117] despite Madden's opposition.[3] While appearing on the cover has become an honor akin toappearing on the Wheaties box,[3] much like theSports Illustrated Cover Jinx, certain players who appeared onMadden video game box art have experienced a decline in performance or an injury. This run of misfortune forMadden cover athletes has been dubbed the "Madden curse".[118]
When asked about the Madden Curse, EA Sports'Chris Erb said, "I don't know that we believe in the curse. The players don't believe in the curse."[119]Running backShaun Alexander, who was featured on the cover ofMadden NFL 07, commented, "Do you want to be hurt and on the cover, or just hurt?" andMadden NFL 08 cover athleteVince Young expressed skepticism,[120][121] whileMadden NFL 12 cover athletePeyton Hillis attributed his subpar season that year to the curse.[122]
The perception that the curse is real has resulted in fans lobbying for their favorite players not to be on the cover, such as fans ofLaDainian Tomlinson who were strongly opposed to EA Sports' initial decision to feature him on the cover ofMadden NFL 08, so much that a fan createdSaveLTfromMadden.com to voice their disdain.[123][124][125] Tomlinson declined the offer, but later said it was solely due to contract negotiations.[125] Starting withMadden NFL 11 EA has allowed fans to choose their favorite player for the cover.[126] However, EA believes that many fans vote against their favorite player to avoid the "curse".[8] It has become so prominent that bookmakers create odds on how likely an injury will occur to the player appearing on the cover.[127]
The injuries thatMadden cover athletes experience can be attributed to the physical nature of football.[119] Critics of the curse also note several players had successful seasons when they appeared on the cover, such asMadden NFL 13'sCalvin Johnson, who set the single-season record for receiving yards,Madden NFL 18'sTom Brady, who was namedMVP, andMadden NFL 20'sPatrick Mahomes, who wonSuper Bowl LIV and was namedSuper Bowl MVP.[128][129]
In December 2010, EA announced plans to develop a comedy film based on the Madden curse.[130] However, EA Entertainment executive Pat O'Brien stated in October 2014 that EA is not working on a Madden curse movie.[131]
The Madden Bowl is a single elimination tournament held on the most current edition ofMadden NFL. It has been held since1995 during Super Bowl weekend in the host city and, in the past, participation included NFL players and celebrities. The Madden Bowl's participation has changed over the years from being an event held with athletes, musicians, and celebrities, to become an event where only NFL players who are invited to participate get a chance to play. Participants in the Madden Bowl are free to choose whichever team they like. Winners receive a Madden Bowl trophy and recognition in the upcomingMadden video game.
The 2006 Madden Bowl, held during the weekend ofSuper Bowl XL in Detroit, was televised onESPN and premiered in April 2006. Concurrently, ESPN also hosted a separate series of competitions calledMadden Nation, which was areality television show that chronicled a cross-country trip to crown the best Madden player in the United States and aired from 2005 to 2008.[132]
From 2011 to 2012, the Madden Bowl competition utilizes the new Online Team Play feature included inMadden NFL 11. Rather than competing as individuals, players form groups of three to square-off for the trophy. After this feature was discontinued, the Madden Bowl competition continued in a Head-to-Head format.
Since 2004, EA Sports has run a simulation of theSuper Bowl using the latest game in theMadden NFL series and announced the result. The game simulations conducted by EA have correctly predicted 13 of the last 22 Super Bowl winners. The company accurately predicted the final score for the 2015 game and other details, including a score of 24–14 in favor of Seattle in the third quarter, despite skepticism within EA that Seattle would lose after a double-digit lead.[135][96] The predictions were incorrect in 2008, 2011, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2023. EA also releases a computer-generated description of the simulated game as if it were a summary of the real Super Bowl. The results of the simulated and actual Super Bowl games are listed below.
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