Madden 23 guide: Everything we know so far

The August launch for Madden 23 is inevitable, but what twists will we see this year? RPG elements in the career mode or an Overcooked-style minigame for an authentic pre-match tailgate experience? Probably not. Still, there’s a lot to look forward to. EA promises to focus on AI improvements, and we already know some of the new features in the franchise mode. As for the first trailer, newbie ratings, and more: it’s all here to appear in your Madden 23 guide.

When will we see the first Madden 23 trailer?

As a rule, EA likes to release its first annual trailers during EA Play Live shortly before E3. There’s a point with this plan: both events have been canceled this year. Instead, the mega-publisher plans to make individual plans for each of the upcoming games. Madden’s early release date – with more coming soon – means it will be one of the first to be announced. Expect the first Madden 23 trailer in early June with a host of new information to follow in the coming weeks.

What is the Madden 23 release date?

There’s no Madden 23 release date yet, and it’s getting harder to predict than ever since the move to PS5 and Xbox Series X. Historically, EA has always loved to have its game come out for the opening weekend of the actual NFL campaign. For example, Madden 20 crashed on August 2, 2019. The pandemic, however, saw Madden 21 slightly delayed to August 28, 2020, while Madden 22 hit the streets on August 20, 2021.

So, we know that the Madden release date will be a Friday in August. But at this point choosing which one is the lottery. As soon as it is announced, we will share it here.

Who will be the Madden 23 cover star?

We have a Madden 23 cover voting guide on exactly this theme. The Madden cover is the most loved and also the most hotly debated cover in sports – it is said that the curse of Madden has haunted the man chosen for the match each year for years. Past incumbents Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady will be contenders, as will John Madden himself. Former Raiders coach, commentator, and eponymous man passed away in December at the age of 85. Putting it in the box would have been a good tribute to king John.

What about Madden 22 rookie ratings?

In previous years, EA has released rookie ratings to tie in with the NFL draft weekend that took place in late April this year. However, no figures came. That said, we took a look at what the big new stars look like in-game. For example, Garrett Wilson, number ten lined up in the wide receiver for the New York Jets:

And here’s new Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett playing the famous black-and-gold:

Ratings wise, these are GR’s estimates for the top ten picks based on draft classes from previous years. Given EA’s weekly rating updates, everyone should see their stats soar throughout the season.

• 1 Travon Walker (DE, Jacksonville Jaguars) – 83
• 2 Aidan Hutchinson (DE, Detroit Lions) – 82
• 3 Derek Stingley Jr. (CB, Houston Texans –) 81
• 4 Ahmed “Sauce” Gardner (CB, New York Jets) – 80
• 5 Kayvon Thibodeaux (DE, New York Giants) – 80
• 6 Ikem Ekwon (OT, Carolina Panthers) – 79
• 7 Evan Neal (OT, New York Giants) – 77
• 8 Drake London (Atlanta Falcons) – 77
• 9 Charles Cross (OT, Seattle Seahawks) – 77
• 10 Garrett Wilson (WR, New York Jets) – 77

EA says Madden 23 features will focus on AI

As Madden 23 enters its third year on PS5 and XBox Series X, bosses at EA have been clear about where the focus of sports groups is headed. And no, it’s not [only] The ultimate team. The broadcaster says forward-looking, teammate and competitor intelligence will be a key focus on the pitch.

“Artificial intelligence is very well tuned to be what defines this generation console,” says Sean Ramjagsingh, vice president of EA Sports. Luck. “The extra computing power of the new consoles unlocks extra capabilities for us from a development perspective and [between] Depending on what’s going on in capturing real-world data and the way that data is used to drive different technologies, there are many opportunities for us to move forward.”

It’s a bit of a commercial statement, but a member of the Tiburon team turns it into gaming terms.

“We got player route data from real players and [Madden 22]”says Connor Dougan, senior game design director. “We have very nice data that we can use to make the most realistic representations. For example, the Baltimore Ravens use a pistol layout [compared to] The San Francisco 49ers, who quickly dispose of the ball and have plenty of pre-game action. We use this data to model our game call.”

What’s being added to the Madden 23 franchise mode?

We don’t need an official explanation to answer that. EA Tiburon provides updates for the franchise mode from one game to the next throughout the year. The latest one arrived in April – so all new additions should make it into Madden 23.

For example, goodbye weeks were reworked in the April update. EA’s comprehensive Grid Notes detailed: “We’ve updated our farewell week script with all new options and effects, from text messages to modular cinemas. You will be asked how your team handles the week off. You’ll be faced with the choice of withdrawing a team commitment to build team chemistry, self-exploring to identify weaknesses to fix the goodbyes, or continuing the grind throughout the week to help your players improve. Every choice has a different positive and negative impact, and it’s up to you, as coach, to decide what your team needs and how to best position them to excel in the tough run of the season.”

Other new franchise scenarios include team turmoil and the X-Factor hot series, where you have to resolve internal issues between a strong offense and a tough defense. The latter sees one or more opponents start a match with their X-Factors activated, increasing the difficulty of beating them. Reach them early and you can put out the fire; Leave them in the zone and they play like a boss character for the entire match. It’s a neat in-game representation of real-life player form.

What could be missing in Madden 23?

In 2018, I wrote about 13 missing features that we need to restore to sports games. Five of them were from American football games, and four are still missing nearly half a decade later.

For example, we are unlikely to see dynamic engagement. In real life, fans leave stadiums en masse if their team is at the end of a blast or doesn’t come near the end of a horror season in the first place. Yet in Madden, every stadium is full, every match is starting to come to an end. This is no coincidence – it’s a top-down demand.

“We’ve put together the right turnout for all teams, and Jacksonville has always had these terrible turnouts,” said a former EA Tiburon producer. sports illustrated. “The owner of the Jags was furious when he heard there were empty seats when you played as his team. The team called the NFL and we had to fix it right away.”

It’s also unlikely to make the cut from the same feature: Chris Berman’s halftime show made famous by ESPN NFL 2K, EA’s option to create your own team like at NCAA games, and the return of the Madden ambulance. Okay, that’s very old-fashioned and forgivable. And to be fair, imported draft classes are now in the game and have proven to be a very welcome addition.