The official Madden NFL handle made a little enquiry about gamers, and the question was who Madden 26 would depict as the winner of a fictitious Divisional Round playoff game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Chicago Bears. The post meant to throw some casual light over the game-simulated NFL playoffs. But soon enough, the comment section was inundated with angry users who were complaining about the bugs still present and considering the developers’ marketing as an indication that their grievances were not being taken seriously.
Is EA Madden trying to pull a stunt in a way? They cook up an image, present a rhetorical question about American football, and what happens? The entire section of comments swells. Not with forecasts though. Absolutely not. It’s an enormous mass of people loudly protesting concerning Franchise Mode. The first comments to appear are a few “Rams” and “Bears,” but then it is like the floodgates have been opened. “Update franchise brother.” “Fix franchise mode first.” “Franchise….” This is exactly what nobody seems to be interested in but everyone is talking about.
The worst part is that the complaints are so in-depth and accurate that it is clear that they are not just whining in general. Users are saying that the online franchise start week is still stuck on Week 16, which… dude, that’s pretty bad if you’re trying to play a current season. One commenter, @yeah81787726213, even inquires about reimbursement, noting that if this were an Ultimate Team matter, there would be some sort of reward. But Franchise players? Complete silence. That feeling of being a second-class citizen in your own game is very real, and the bitterness can be sensed in the replies. Another user, @KyleForest10, just calls them the “worst company of all time,” which is harsh but, like, you can see the emotion that is behind it.
There is plenty of anger but also a big portion of classic Madden craziness. Amongst the users (@Gro3_) one is leaning towards the Bears saying “madden always has those wild upsets,” which is, honestly, the most accurate statement that has ever been said about Madden. The game consists of strange physics and unbelievable last-minute actions. Even worse, the guy (@IconicRunsThis) who just states “GTA graphics 😂” is giving a brutal yet kind of funny sharp criticism of the graphic quality. But even the humor is overshadowed by the huge complaints coming from the franchise side.
The main point is that there is total silence from the developers. Gamers feel they are not listened to. @GoatTermin19912 said, “Im now convinced they just ignoring there franchise community, There literally 0 chance they don’t see the hundreds of people asking about franchise.” And that is the mood all over. EA Madden is creating vibrant content and their largest section of players is just standing there, arms folded, expecting only the simplest repairs. A user has voiced the situation so badly that he has even demanded, “if you hide this comment you are admitting your company is trash.” A stunning level of frustration!
Responses did come through though. Some pointed to the Rams, some to the Bears. One user (@phynxonchain) carried out a real analysis of the crafty defense of Chicago. Still, it does not really matter. EA wanted to discuss playoff matchups and that topic is dead before getting off the ground. The players’ argument that has become the focus is about support, communication, and respect for a game mode that is not Ultimate Team.
This entire saga is a quintessential example of modern gaming community management. A company tries to engage on one issue and the community takes advantage of the very same channel to comprehensively and noisily deal with an entirely different, even more pressing, one. It is reflective of a considerable portion of Madden players considering on-field action as a secondary issue in comparison to the overall health and functional state of the game’s core systems. The most stunning visuals and the most captivating playoff scenarios are not going to alter the fact that if the major modes are broken or ignored, there will not be any other topic of discussion. This unassuming tweet and its response demonstrate that for the devoted Madden community, resolving the long-standing issues in Franchise Mode is a significantly greater priority than any theoretical playoff bracket.
