Just a short time ago, weren’t EA and Nintendo nice little announcement collaborators, huh? Madden NFL 26 is bringing back its ‘Zero Chill’ event, and the Switch 2 has it going on already. A tweet from the Madden account even told the players to “stay frosty,” which is, you know… a phrase, indeed. Most probably, it is a wintry affair with icy uniforms and snow-themed tasks, just like the typical sporting winter holidays in games. However, the online reactions of gamers were a bit cold in a totally different way.
Mixed feelings were, as usual, the reaction to the announcement. Some players just couldn’t believe it and were confused. A gamer named Mason retweeted asking if “zero chill” is even connected to football at all, which is the most understood query ever. His friend White answered him saying, “fr i dont understand.” It’s the kind of weird marketing language that people may not necessarily understand, ya know? Player Nick Ayres also asked whether the saying “stay frosty” was still in use. So, the mood was not so warm and cheerful from the get-go.
But the real issue, the one that generated the most interest, was about Madden’s franchise and not about the event which was still in the background. And it got very controversial, I can tell you that. One user, DrZaius, was absolutely furious. He declared Madden nothing but a “scam franchise” arguing that it was practically the same game being sold at full price every single year. That must’ve hurt. But he was not finished yet. He talked about the Ultimate Team mode and likened its card-pack mechanics to “gambling through gacha,” and he also brought up the irony of this being in an E-rated game. He even brought up Nintendo’s past and made a reference to Mario Kart Tour’s loot boxes. It is an all-out critique that is echoing in the replies of the players who are sympathizing with the critic.
But the situation wasn’t completely negative in the comments! Some people quickly pointed out the silver lining. One of the gamers called 章 said, “I don’t have a chance to actually play American football, so I’ll enjoy the game.” That’s one side of the coin for some, right? It’s about them being able to get the sport they love the way they want. And anyway, there is data showing that people are playing. Another guy, FtSoldierTSaki, countered the critics by stating that “Madden NFL 26 is STILL among the Top 10 in the Nintendo Switch 2 eShop Charts this week!” So it is quite clear that the game is being sold despite the many vocal complainers. It is the classic video game paradox: everyone says they hate the annual release model, but at the same time, there are always enough people who keep buying it to make it chart-topping.
The debate at times became a bit silly. An Iceman user went to the extreme and made the fantastic claim that “Nintendo now owns NFL,” which is nonsense and got tagged “fake news”. Another person, Ashton, did not speak but just posted a GIF of Mr. Freeze from Batman, which, if anything, is a somewhat clever response to “Zero Chill.” And then there was David H Brown, who decided to be the unofficial “no chill” police by replying with “You’ve no chill” to about three different critical comments. It turned into quite a spectacle.
What was I saying? Oh yeah, the port for Switch 2. That is a big reason; having a current-gen Madden running on Nintendo’s latest handheld hybrid is a win in terms of accessibility. Lost, a user, even took the opportunity to scream out “Nintendo switch 2 achievements, please,” which is a completely different community’s wish. And for the most devoted players, the return of Zero Chill means not only new objectives and new cosmetics to get but also some fun winter-themed stadiums. It is content, and for the dedicated Madden player on Switch, it is gold.
Yet, the major question remains. The predominant feeling in the responses to the tweet wasn’t a celebration of snow games. It was exasperation. It was suspicion. When the announcement of a major franchise results in more calls of a scam than excitement for new content, it is a sign—the players are becoming more vocal about monetization and the yearly updates being just the same. DrZaius’s comment was no isolated rant; it was a loudspeaker for a growing sentiment.
So, yes, the Zero Chill of Madden NFL 26 is now on Switch 2. If you want it, come and get it, and make your team look cool. But the community reaction signals that at least part of the player base views the franchise as skating on thin ice.
