Talk about a gamer-centric commercial: The bomb dropped from EA, saying Madden NFL 26 includes Linkin Park’s The Emptiness Machine soundtrack. The speculation ranged from hype to confusion and downright debates on whether they even are the band (spoiler alert: yes, they are).
The thing is, Linkin Park tweeted a thank-you to EA for putting the song in. What followed was utter madness. Some gamers are out here celebrating as if it is the final reason to buy the game, saying, “Now there’s a good reason to buy the game,” from Evan Thomas. Others? Well, not everybody is convinced. A user called VikesForever86 was on almost a mini-crusade through the comments insisting, “That’s not Linkin Park.” Another user, JonoPaul1, simply stated, “Song sucks LP.” Yikes.
But, you know, real drama is here when comparing other sports games. F1lthyP1neapple posted, “Bro I swear Madden chooses better songs, if not better artists than 2K,” throwing shade at NBA 2K soundtrack choices (“who tf is Lil Yee and Mondo Slade”) and frankly deserve the criticism. Madden’s history is all over the spotlight, and getting LP in there probably eclipsed that.
Now to crossover hype. Some gamers have been begging for a Linkin Park appearance at Fortnite Festival (“Hey @Fortnite could u bring @linkinpark to Festival Mainstage?”), and others are dreaming bigger yet (a halftime show, “Next: half-time show,” suggested Olli2009Olivier). The international crowd isn’t celebrating either. German fans are upset about FIFA’s soundtrack (“Madden bekommt so geile Künstler und dann kommt FIFA nächsten Monat um die Ecke mit Müll”), which should mean, “Madden gets awesome artists while FIFA rolls up next month with trash.”
And then weird collab conspiracy theories. Loonadeukae is teasing, “oh, you want to do a collab with The Warning soooo bad,” in reference to another band in the game, while Diow Games summarized the situation perfectly with, “Linkin Park + Games 🤝,” because there literally could not be a better mutual agreement for gamers.
And what’s next? No physical release yet confirmed (“Will it have a physical release?” asked Ryan Blueriver), but with jams like these, Madden NFL 26 might very well hold the best soundtrack of the year. For those still unsure, just keep in mind: In a football game? Linkin Park? You better hit it.
Side note: Top shout to anyone who hasn’t played Madden in years who is now basically compelled to jump in (“Haven’t played Madden in years.. might have to get back into it”). Same, dude. Same.
And that’s pretty much the gist. EA picking every one out, vibes intact by Linkin Park, and the gamers are all here for it—all those who swear this ain’t really Linkin Park. (It is.)
