This past December legendary football coach and commentator John Madden passed away. It's only right that the Madden NFL franchise take the opportunity to celebrate its namesake with this year's Madden NFL 23. Electronic Arts officially revealed Madden NFL 23 in a new trailer released on Thursday morning, confirming the game's August 19 release date. The trailer is filled with footage of Madden going to work, plus a first look at what EA is calling its new FieldSENSE technology.
The reveal trailer for Madden NFL 23 focuses on two different things. The first is John Madden, who is seen in a series of clips from his days running the sidelines and providing television game commentary. The second is Madden NFL 23's new FieldSENSE gameplay system. FieldSENSE is described as delivering the foundation for Madden NFL 23's "ultra-realistic gameplay" and more specifically enables better control for every position. FieldSENSE is notably only enabled on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.
A more in-depth look at FieldSENSE has since been shared by EA describing it as "physics-informed animation" technology. This technology has been applied through four key control mechanics named Hit Everything, Skill-Based Passing, 360° Cuts, and WR vs. DB Battles. Hit Everything offers over 3,500 new animations tied to tackling, Skill-Based Passing adds a passing meter for precision throwing, 360° Cuts lets players perform harder cuts when running with the ball, and WR vs. DB Battles focuses on quick movements without the ball.
Madden NFL 23 will officially launch on August 19, the same timeframe as Madden releases in recent years. Also similar is EA's plan to release multiple versions of Madden NFL 23, each with its own pre-launch early access date. Pre-orderers of Madden NFL 23 will gain access to the game on August 18, a day early. Those wanting three days of early access, from August 16, either need to subscribe to EA Play or purchase the Madden NFL 23 All Madden Edition.
The All Madden Edition of Madden NFL 23 includes a variety of bonus content for dedicated Madden players to use as they prefer. Not only is there a 3-day early access period, but also 4,600 Madden Points to spend on in-game microtransactions and Ultimate Team packs, a free upgrade to either PS5 or Xbox Series X/S, two Elite Players for Ultimate Team, exclusive Early Access Challenges in Ultimate Team, and more. The All Madden Edition retails for $99.99.
There's a lot to look forward to in Madden NFL 23 and this brief introduction to the new game's upgrades and offerings is just a glimpse of what's to come. Expect more information about Madden NFL 23 in the weeks and months to come, whether it's during the Summer Game Fest or beyond.
Madden NFL 23 releases August 19 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.