Madden NFL has been delighting millions of football fans year in and year out for three decades now – and it's no surprise that another edition is on the horizon for 2018.
As expected, Madden NFL 19 will ship later this year, delivering a new entry full of tweaks and upgrades both large and small. EA Sports has announced a few of these features so far, but they'll be rolling out more info around the time of E3 in June and surely thereafter too.
Can't wait to get your hands on the next Madden? Here's everything we know about Madden NFL 19 and when it's coming out, as well as what we hope to see from it.
Cut to the chase
- What is it? The latest entry in EA Sports' long-running football simulation series
- When can I play it? August 10, 2018
- What can I play it on? PlayStation 4 or Xbox One
Madden NFL 19 release date
Madden NFL 19 will release on August 10, 2018 for both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. In addition to the standard edition of the game, EA Sports will release a special Madden NFL 19: Hall of Fame Edition that lets you choose between Elite Legends players Terrell Owens (also the Hall of Fame edition cover athlete), Brian Urlacher, Rod Woodson, Dan Marino, or Terrell Davis for your Madden Ultimate Team.
The Hall of Fame Edition also includes an extra training pack, seven more Gold Team fantasy packs, two custom Ultimate Team uniforms, and the yet-to-be-announced standard edition cover athlete for your Ultimate Team roster. Lastly, you'll be able to start playing three days early, on August 7, if you pre-order the Hall of Fame Edition.
Meanwhile, EA Access subscribers on Xbox One will be able to access the game on August 2.
Madden NFL 19 news and rumors
Improved controls
EA Sports has teased enhancements to the way you play Madden, promising “more control and responsiveness” along with “fresh gameplay concepts.” Unfortunately, that's all they're saying on that front for now. Madden NFL 18 was already a very in-depth simulation that allowed for plenty of control over teams and players, but die-hard Madden competitors are always looking for an extra edge to help them dominate on the gridiron.
Real Player Motion
After debuting in FIFA 18 last year, EA Sports will implement Real Player Motion technology in Madden NFL 19. What does that mean? Well, it sounds like we'll see a greater emphasis on realistic player animation in all phases of the game, which will not only look more realistic but potentially also impact the way you play the game.
For example, EA says that as ball carriers, players will be able to push blockers ahead of them to gain extra yards rather than try to sneak around them—and you'll be able to zoom down the field and stop on a dime to cut through defenders. We'll have to see how much of an impact those tweaks have on the game, but surely the newly-enhanced touchdown celebrations will be a fun upgrade.
Ultimate Team tweaks
The card-driven Madden Ultimate Team mode has become the franchise's core draw for many players, and it's the mode used in the official Madden Ultimate League esports league.
This year's edition promises more NFL legends in the mix, including Hall of Fame Edition cover star Terrell Owens, along with a new kind of progression system. Additionally, Solo Challenges will be available, alongside a new MUT Solo Battles mode that provides unique rewards via a leaderboard system.
Expanded Connected Franchise
Fans have been asking for big Connected Franchise mode enhancements after little change in last year's game, and EA Sports seems set to deliver on that. The official Madden NFL 19 website says that the mode will provide “unparalleled control” over teams.
According to EA, you'll be able to choose your offensive and defensive schemes in both single-player and online seasons, plus a revamped progression system lets you try to make a big push now or build towards future franchise success. Meanwhile, a Custom Draft Class Creator—a fan-requested feature, says EA—will also we added in this year's game.
Frostbite goes further
Madden NFL 18 introduced EA's powerful Frostbite game engine for the first time, and the differences were immediately obvious: the game both looked and felt way more fluid, and that was just the first year of its inclusion.
Now EA Sports says that Madden NFL 19 will “flex more of the Frostbite muscle” to deliver “broadcast-quality graphics” during games. The initial screenshots look good, of course, but we want to see some actual gameplay footage. We'll be excited to see how great it looks on the Xbox One X and PlayStation 4 Pro, especially.
A new direction?
In May, Madden creative director Max Dickson departed Tiburon after six years in the role, claiming that it was a mutual decision between himself and other team leadership. As part of that move, he suggested that it would “[give] the team, the community and the Madden franchise a chance for a new direction.”
Granted, that was three months before Madden NFL 19's release, so it's unlikely that we'll see major changes in the mix. Still, it'll be interesting to see if the final product feels like it has a different tone from previous entries, or if we're likely looking still looking ahead to more substantial changes in the future once the new leadership gets started on the next entry.
What we want to see from Madden NFL 19
A Switch version
The Nintendo Switch is a sensation, and third-party developers that had cooled off on the Wii U have been coming back into the fold. Given that, why isn't there a Nintendo Switch version of Madden on the table?
EA Sports released FIFA 18 for Switch last year to solid reviews, although the lack of some features made it seem much inferior to the PS4 and Xbox One editions. Hopefully EA will reveal an incoming Switch version of Madden NFL 19 in the coming months—and debut a Switch edition that has feature parity with the others.
Custom MUT playbooks
The Madden Ultimate Team mode lets you build a dream team using a mix of players from different teams… so why doesn't it let you do the same with the playbook? Casual players might not care enough to mix and match, but die-hard enthusiasts would cherish the ability to build up their own custom sets of plays. That would really help elevate Ultimate Team mode.
Longshot's return
Madden NFL 18 introduced the Longshot story mode, letting you guide an NFL prospect from a child to a high school and college player, all before ending up on the big stage. For a first effort, it was actually pretty great—compelling, unexpectedly emotional, and certainly worth experiencing at least once.
EA Sports hasn't announced its return for Madden NFL 19, but seeing as FIFA's story mode has appeared in its last two entries, we're hopeful for another Madden narrative experience. We'd like to see a bit more flexibility and customization in the mix, and hopefully more replay value as a result—but even something with the same tight scope as Longshot would be great.
May 29, 2018 at 04:44PM
Andrew Hayward
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