Online Franchise Update
Posted by Justin Dewiel at 04:58PM on Thursday, July, 07, 2011


Hey guys, Justin Dewiel, your EA SPORTS Community Manager for the Madden NFL franchise, here with a short update on where we currently are with Franchise mode, and a look at where we’re heading. So many times throughout the year I get the pleasure of revealing features that you, the community, have been asking for.

Revealing our Offline Franchise mode feature set was one of those days. It’s no secret that our Franchise mode was lacking features that our fans expected. This community feedback was the #1 reason behind the renewed focus on Franchise mode in Madden NFL 12. For those of you who missed all of the details on the improvements/additions made to Offline Franchise, you can catch up on everything by clicking here. I feel confident in saying that you’ll be impressed with the experience this year and I look forward to hearing your feedback.

Since we revealed the details of the Offline Franchise mode, the most requested question has been, “What upgrades have you made to Online Franchise mode?” We set aggressive development goals for Madden NFL 12 – from the improvements to Offline Franchise and Superstar modes, to the complete overhaul of visuals, addition of custom playbooks, a new collision system, our yet to be discussed Online Communities feature, and more. When it comes to the tight schedule of an annual development cycle, we have to make tough decisions, and it became apparent as we continued to work through our campaign that there was no way to deliver a deep, fully connected Online Franchise experience that you deserve this year. Therefore, there will be no additions to Online Franchise mode in Madden NFL 12.

That said, I can say with absolute certainty that delivering a feature-rich Online Franchise mode is a top priority for the Madden leadership as we move forward. It’s crucial that we transform how and where fans interact with our games and each other. Modes like NCAA Football’s Online Dynasty or FIFA 12’s Football Club are leading the way in building connected experiences, and you can expect that the Madden NFL franchise will aggressively work to meet and exceed your expectations for Online Franchise.

Community is the heart of everything we do at EA SPORTS. We hope you’ve felt represented in everything from the Madden NFL 12 Cover Vote to the new features in this year’s game. Bringing passionate fans together, like you, is the focus of Online Communities feature that we’ll detail on July 25th. We’re excited about sharing more information soon and seeing what you’ll create.

As always, we look forward to hearing your thoughts!

Justin Dewiel

EA SPORTS Community Manager