Metacritc’s aggregate score from the critics has Madden 21 at a 62 - compared to last year’s favorable 79. But Madden 21 is getting ripped by both critics and fans. #nfldropea /nbP5minXnrīut even last year, Madden 20 was at least received well critically. Speaking of not seeing much of a difference, this side-by-side comparison of Superbowl celebrations between Madden 17-20 is very sad. As great as Madden 08 was, you can pick up Madden 07 and not notice much of difference. It comes down to EA Sports asking fans to pay $60 for slightly refreshed versions of the previous year’s game. Madden 21’s glitches are here and they are just as infuriating as the ones in the past /kOFoIrTPQC Grounds crew get fired, /GzHqJAaTqJĪnd there were examples of actual gameplay getting impacted. There was one game where the 49ers were playing on a completely unmarked field. We’re about a week into Madden 21‘s release, and we’ve already seen some hilarious glitches hit social media. Madden 21, though, seems to be different. But this year, especially, fans are fed up with the product.ĮA Sports has an exclusive licensing deal to make the NFL video game - a deal that was renewed this year - so without competition driving product improvements, users have generally been faced with minor refreshes on an annual basis instead of complete overhauls.
More news on this will be given at EA Play Live on June 18.It seems like that NFL fans find a reason to complain about EA Sports’ Madden video game with each year’s edition.
In an FAQ, the publisher is non-committal as to whether the same offer will be available to PS4 owners upgrading to PS5.
This will mean owners of Madden on Xbox One will still be given the free upgrade, which will come with features not available on the current generation. Since Madden NFL 21 is out on August 25, considerably earlier than the next-gen console, EA is working with Microsoft on its own "Dual Entitlement" program.
The company says it made the change "having listened to our players' response," suggesting the original time constraints were not well-received.Īn interesting note is that the free upgrade is apparently not handled through Microsoft's Smart Delivery technology, which gives owners of qualifying Xbox One titles access to the Xbox Series X version. The revised statement on the EA Sports website clarifies that the offer of a free Xbox Series X upgrade has been extended "all the way through our Madden 21 season up to the release of Madden NFL 22." This refers to the ongoing protests against police brutality and racial injustice, a cause to which EA has donated more than $1 million. The publisher told Polygon it "decided to hold back consumer facing communication" to "allow more important voices to be heard." A statement on EA's website previously said players would have to buy Madden NFL 21 before Decemto be eligible for the offer, and claim the Xbox Series X version by March 31, 2021.Įffectively, this would have forced all players to buy a copy of the game this year and buy the new console within its first few months on sale.ĮA has since changed this policy, although without a public announcement.
However, Polygon reports this originally came with caveats. The publisher announced during last month's next-generation games showcase on Inside Xbox that players who purchase the game one Xbox One will receive the next-gen version at no extra cost. Electronic Arts has revised its offer around the Xbox Series X version of Madden NFL 21, promising a free upgrade until next year's game releases.