Madden 26’s Franchise Update Is Its Biggest In 10+ Years–I’ll Believe It When I See It

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The major announcement you’ll likely encounter when EA discusses Madden NFL 26 is their claim that this year’s edition features “the most significant franchise update in over a decade.” However, contrary to what other outlets or content creators may say, take it with a grain of salt here. The Franchise mode in Madden has been struggling for quite some time, and my experience with last year’s game has taught me not to blindly believe promises; instead, I wait to see the evidence myself.

In a recent showcase of Madden’s upcoming Franchise upgrade at EA Orlando, the developers shared an array of new features they’re incorporating into my beloved game mode. Frankly, I’ve been engrossed in this mode for countless hours annually, and it’s my thriving gaming community that keeps me hooked. If the mode itself didn’t resonate with me as a solo player, I’d likely be playing it significantly less, or perhaps not at all.

Recent years have seen Madden enhancing gameplay on the field, but Franchise has been a source of frustration and disappointment for me. Despite EA’s assurances that this year’s update will be transformative, I remain skeptical. After all, my dedication to this mode is fueled by more than just promises; it needs tangible improvements to truly engage solo players like myself.

In the previous year, one of the standout additions to Madden 25 was an abundance of new storyline possibilities within Franchise mode. Week by week, you could encounter various situations like strategizing for your upcoming match, dealing with a pushy media during press conferences, or even having casual conversations on the sidelines with dissatisfied players. The aim was to bring authentic drama into the game. On paper, it sounded intriguing, but its execution, at times, was laughably subpar.

In numerous instances, the storylines within this game have been poorly constructed or even malfunctioning. For instance, a recent scenario offered me bonus experience points if my novice edge rusher managed eight sacks throughout the season. He achieved nine and a half, which should’ve qualified, but surprisingly, he failed the task. The reason? It appears the system only awards XP when the challenge is completed exactly as written, disregarding any improvements beyond the stated requirement. This flawed design penalizes players for exceeding expectations. Not only is this issue frustrating, it’s hard to believe that such a simple fix hasn’t been implemented all year, despite numerous complaints from players across the Madden community, including my fellow league members.

In a frequent situation, the Franchise mode menus may display incorrect information. A well-known scenario presents players with the option to keep their rookie quarterback on the bench for the entire season and receive a 40,000 XP bonus at the end of the season. This seems reasonable since, although less common now, rookie QBs often sit out a season before taking the starting role. The XP reward is significant, equivalent to around 7-10 skill points, a substantial amount in Madden. However, the actual reward frequently does not meet the promised amount. Consistently, players find themselves receiving only about half of the XP they were supposedly awarded. It appears that the numbers have been adjusted, but the menus haven’t been updated to show these changes.

In simpler terms, these teams or players seem devoid of human emotion. During team meetings, they move their heads synchronously, reminiscent of mechanical robots from a chilling film scene. At press conferences, reporters may ask nonsensical questions that are unrealistic and difficult to answer, causing frustration among the players if I don’t provide the correct responses to these challenging quizzes. As a football enthusiast, it is disappointing to witness Madden falling short on presentation every year, while NBA 2K excels in similar aspects within the same timeframe.

During a lighthearted interlude that had me in stitches, one of my players jokingly inquired if he should alter the main reason driving him – a performance metric used to decide whether he’d re-sign with my team or explore free agency. I asked him about his current motivation. “I don’t fancy paying taxes,” he quipped, as stiff as Pinocchio on his first act.

Initially, his unexpected response made me choke on my drink, but I responded affirmatively, suggesting he should prioritize being a good fit within the team’s strategy. As the coach of the New York Giants, I can’t alter his income tax situation, but I can give him the right strategy to make him feel more content. When he said, “I don’t trust you enough for that,” I was puzzled as to why we were discussing this in the first place and what prompted him to mention it.

The overall experience seemed more like an alien’s interpretation of human dialogue rather than genuine interaction. With minimal voice acting, excessive text dominating the screen, and music that resembles generic background tunes from YouTube tutorial videos, this scenario was chaotic in various aspects and fell significantly short of what one might expect from modern video games.

In the Madden 25 Franchise, these storylines play a significant role in shaping your player’s journey. The outcome of these narratives can significantly alter your career trajectory. If you consistently underperform in these storylines, your team may turn against you, potentially leading to termination. However, due to numerous issues such as broken storylines or those that are confusing and bizarre, many players in my league have chosen to disregard them altogether, finding them not worth the potential risk. This trend is not unique to my league; I’ve encountered similar sentiments among other gamers. In fact, I’ve highlighted a few of the numerous instances where these storylines are either outright broken or so absurd that they contribute more positively by being omitted. Consequently, skipping them enhances the overall gaming experience.

During the Madden 26 Franchise showcase, I found myself repeatedly comparing it to last year’s event in my mind. The developers talked up these narratives as if they were thrilling and rewarding. However, the gap between their pre-release hype and the clunky experience that players are still grappling with today is substantial and hard to ignore. As a dedicated Madden player throughout my life, I confidently state that these incomplete, unhelpful, and dull storylines are one of the most disappointing aspects of Madden, perhaps even ever.

It seems that the update for Madden 26’s Franchise mode is said to be significant, but I’ve heard similar claims in the past. This year’s edition promises more detailed scouting reports on opponents, yet in previous Madden games, these reports have occasionally given puzzling advice such as warning about a team’s backup quarterback. Additionally, the game is supposed to offer a deeper exploration of playbooks, but previous versions haven’t allowed for pregame formation adjustments when using a custom playbook. A new feature called Coach Suggestions, powered by generative AI, is designed to suggest plays and build upon the Ask Madden feature from past games. However, I have reservations about this feature because of both the novelty of AI and the fact that Coach Suggestions have been unreliable for years, only recommending a small portion of the full playbook effectively.

The creators behind Madden 26 discussed numerous innovative player traits designed to mimic actual on-field playstyles, such as Caleb Williams’ hop-throw and Josh Allen’s sideline bullet pass. However, these features bring to mind the sidearm throw of Patrick Mahomes from a few seasons ago that initially garnered attention but soon became overused in games. Similarly, last year’s Saquon Barkley’s backward hurdle move was quickly integrated into the game and even featured on Madden 26’s cover, yet it lacks significant impact in terms of gameplay. Ideally, these special abilities should be infrequent, almost once-in-a-lifetime moments, rather than recurring game elements.

The issues I have with the direction of Madden’s Franchise mode can be categorized into two main types: Ideas that are poorly executed, and ideas that are fundamentally flawed. While there are indeed some poor decisions made by Madden, such as the Team Pass debacle and the problematic draft scouting process from a few years ago, many recent Franchise mode ideas have potential but are not implemented effectively.

I appreciate the idea of adding more league drama, but I prefer it to be grounded in reality rather than relying on unrealistic narratives. Similarly, I support the idea of giving coaching more importance, but I’m skeptical that AI-generated content will provide an immersive experience, as the examples I’ve seen so far have been generic and prone to errors.

Lastly, I want players to emulate their real-life counterparts, but it’s not the same thing as simply using animations of previous highlights without considering how that new variable affects the game’s complex and persistent mathematical model on the field.

I really enjoy playing Madden Franchise mode, even though it has its flaws. After investing countless hours into it, especially through our 32-player league, I can honestly say that I appreciate it more because of the community we’ve cultivated around it. In a way, my love for Madden Franchise is somewhat complicated – I love it despite its shortcomings. Over time, I’ve often joked that a Madden league is like a support group for dedicated players. This year, I hope the Franchise mode lives up to expectations and delivers on what the developers have promised. However, when I hear the studio discuss the ambitious scope of Madden 26’s Franchise update, it sets off warning bells in my mind.

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2025-07-02 18:39