EA Sports has released a trailer taking a dive into Madden NFL 21 gameplay on next-gen consoles. Madden 21 experienced a rough current-gen release, even breaking the record for worst user-rated game title on Metacritic. Now, utilizing next-gen graphics and new gameplay features, Madden 21 is gearing up for a release on December 4, on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.
The initial release of Madden 21 looked promising with the new game mode The Yard, new pass rush moves, dynamic player movement, and new X-factor abilities. However, the title was not very well-received, with many players citing various game breaking bugs, lack of improvement from previous years, and lack of content. Now, Madden 21 has a chance for redemption on next-gen consoles.
EA Creative Director Connor Dougan shared that the goal for Madden 21 on next-gen is to "feel like a completely different game." Some of the ways EA Sports intends to change the game is with NFL next-gen stats, which is an extremely innovative program that is has been used in the NFL for real-time data gathering. Each NFL player has an RFID tag in his shoulder pads, which track player movements all over the field. By utilizing this data, Madden 21 will make player movements as realistic as possible. Almost all major sports use a form of player tracking, so this feature may spark a new way for sport simulations to measure player abilities.
By using real player data, EA Sports is able to measure each individual player's abilities like top speed, change of direction, and reaction times. Madden 21 will also feature next-gen stats in replays using 15 points of analytical data gathered on each play. During replays, players will be able to see next-gen stats like the amount of time the QB takes to throw, distance thrown, and top speed of the receiver, much like a real NFL game.
Madden 21 on next-gen is also making changes to play-calling and playbooks. Fans are finally getting the much requested feature of saving favorite plays and Madden 21 will also feature star-driven playbooks, which means that fans can easily access plays that focus on the best offensive players on the field.
Fans may not have been very happy with the initial release of Madden 21, but the next-gen improvements may give the title redeeming qualities. Luckily for owners of Madden 21 on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the next-gen version does have a free upgrade for both consoles. Players also will not lose all their game data and progress from The Yard and franchise modes will carry over.
Madden NFL 21 is available now for Mobile, PC, PS4, and Xbox One, with a December 4th release on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S and a Q4 release on Stadia.