This morning, Madden EA dropped the San Francisco 49ers NFL x Nike Rivalries gear in Madden 26– literally this morning. This, alongside the tweet about “rivalries built on gold”, gold-themed uniforms, and the coordinated grids focused on the hashtag. Does it all look good? Sure. But I… have to say the players are really NOT feeling it.
The reactions to this release have completely fallen apart. It’s as if no one was excited about the apparel; people decided to focus their attention on all the things Madden is missing. Wonderful and awful at the same time to watch.
People started commenting about the issues in the first few minutes after the post went up. And no, people were not talking about the smaller issues. The major parts of the game don’t work anymore. Franchaise mode? Look for one with all the people begging for a fix. New roster? Updates are getting drowned out with people screaming for updates so they can start their franchises. Head-to-head online games? Its functionality is ‘legendary’ and clearly ‘broken since Friday,’ according to way too many people.
The actual issue with the new Rivalries jerseys was pointed out by a player, @myers_mike41190, because curve. The new Rivalries jerseys’d look great, but no, the bane of Madden: “You can’t wear them online! They just switch to different jerseys when you try.” What’s the use of adding new gear if you can’t flaunt it against other players? That’s just…eugh.
The community is on fire over the roster update. @Awallace008 asked a really important question: Why is EA waiting so long to update the rosters? They have the budget to continuously update the rosters. It’s uncomplicated. They want to start their franchises now, watch football, and not have to decide between them.
The anger coming from everyone is so tangible. @funkmonk4kt didn’t really sugar coat it with the tweet: “Can’t play online can’t use franchise with new rosters yall a sorry company.” Oouch! When that many people are tweeting basically the same sentiment about not being able to play head to head matches, you know there is a problem.
Even the positive comments get drowned out. @TylerCLaRocca said “So clean” about the jerseys but at least one person is happy. @Gro3_ probably had the most accurate take: “The real rivalry is in the reply section”. No kidding.
What is fascinating is how targeted some of the criticisms are. @0604Reynolds covered more about the franchise mode problems with offensive linemen allowing outrageous sack numbers that have no relation to real life statistics. @smashville730 talked about the college OT not rewarding correct incentives. Neither of these comments are from a “game bad” perspective – these are from people who have played enough to understand earn broken specific mechanics.
And the Ultimate Team players want in on the action too! @NeosTheFaithful and @JROW510 both inquired if the new Rivalries looks would be coming to MUT. Because if you are going to add cool new cosmetics, at least add them in the mode where players actually spend money, right?
All of these fears highlight the disconnect between what EA wants to showcase (new cosmetic items, partnerships with Nike and teams) and what players want (functional gameplay, updated rosters, working online features). It’s as if they want to sell us a new paint job while the engine’s smoking.
Honestly, going through these comments really … depresses me. These are Madden players who are passionate about football looking to have fun with the game, yet the broken features continue. The number of completely separate issues (online play, franchise mode, roster updates, and gameplay mechanics) being brought into the same conversation tells me a bunch of things have broken at the same time.
What was I saying? Oh right, the new 49ers gear does look nice, and it’s too bad no one can properly use it. And, that’s just one of many issues the Madden community has to deal with. Maybe EA should spend some time fixing the core problems before adding more cosmetics. I wonder if the level of rage expressed by the community makes them consider these issues.
New jerseys are cool, sure, but what’s the point when players are unable to enjoy the modes where they can even play with updated teams? The Madden community has been very clear on the issues that bother them the most, and it’s definitely not the new cosmetics when most of the core features are still broken. The worst part is, the hope that EA cares to fix these issues is growing dim with the growing animosity chill between players and developers.
