EA released the Madden NFL 21 reveal trailer, but many fans of the series aren't happy with what the developer had to show them. The company will likely share a bigger look at the game at its EA Play event later this week, but EA could have a lot to do to get them to feel excited about the game.
On social media and in the comments underneath the new Madden NFL 21 trailer, fans are voicing their concerns about the game and the whole Madden NFL series. Many are frustrated that despite having asked for updates to modes such as Franchise Mode for years, EA has chosen to make controllable endzone celebrations one of the highlighted features in the game. One Madden NFL fan joked that they are going to "buy two copies just because they added that after wanting it for so long."
On YouTube, a user named UnboxedTechPro wrote a huge list of updates that they would like to see in Madden NFL 21. The comment, which has been liked more than 5,000 times, suggests things such as better face scans, team mascots, and fixes for major game bugs and throwing animations. The list isn't small, but most of the features on the list don't seem like a tall ask. Fans saw some huge Madden NFL 20 bugs, so fixes for these and changes that would make games feel more like real-life NFL matchups could really get fans excited about the new release.
In a gridiron notes post on the game's official site, EA did confirm that Madden NFL 21 would have features like Face of the Franchise, better tackles, and character moves being available using the right analog stick. None of these seem to be the changes that fans on social media are asking for.
While EA may well confirm these updates at the EA Play event, fans seem to be ready with their pitchforks if the company doesn't. Some have suggested that Madden NFL 21 will just be a glorified roster update while others have said that the game will just be like the past 10 Madden NFL games that came before it.
Some others have taken things a little further, calling for other gamers not to pre-order the game or asking for EA to relinquish the rights to the series. While 2K does have the Madden NFL rights for making arcade games, EA has just negotiated a contract extension with the league, meaning that the main Madden NFL games will remain in its control for some time.
It seems unlikely that EA would want to give the series up at any point as it makes so much money. Some EA games, such as Star Wars Squadrons, will not feature microtransactions but for its annual sports releases, microtransactions are very much a cash cow.
Madden NFL 21 releases later this year on Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and various other platforms.