Madden ’21 Gameplay Improvements and Release Info

A lot of gamers and fans of the Madden game series were complaining about the gameplay on Madden 20, saying it was too easy to run the ball and not easy enough to stop the run. Well, it appears as if EA has heard your cries and pleas to get it right. Madden is scheduled to release 8/25/2020 with Lamar Jackson on the cover and ahead of the release There have been MAJOR patch changes to the gameplay all around. Here are a few:

RUN DEFENSE

Simply put, stopping the running game in Madden 20 was too difficult for most. For Madden 21, we aim for a more balanced run/pass ratio, so we’ve made some improvements to our Run Fits and Defensive Gaps system, with a strong emphasis on the Force defender.

TACKLING IMPROVEMENTS

We didn’t JUST add the new Breakdown and Pylon tackles; we also made some core improvements to existing tackling systems to make tackling more accessible and a stronger part of countering the run game.

LOCATION-BASED TACKLES

One of the new features that has the Madden Dev team really excited is Location-Based Tackles. These are tackles where you’ll see the running back reach the ball out for the pylon at the last second to get that critical touchdown, or where the tackling defender will struggle and strain to keep the ball carrier from reaching the First Down sticks on a huge 4th down.

QB & PASSING IMPROVEMENTS

To ensure that players will have the tools they need to run more balanced offenses in Madden 21, we’ve made some significant improvements to throwing out of sacks, deep passes under pressure, QB branch-outs, enhanced the in-game passing feedback and more.

DEFENSIVE CONTAIN BALANCING

Players told us this felt unbalanced because unblocked contain players were very effective pass rushers, but also very quick to react to scrambling QB’s. So, again on the theme of ‘balance,’ we’ve made some changes to Contain behavior.

CATCHING RESPONSIVENESS

We’ve made a few tweaks to our catching system to offer more ‘stick work’ towards making plays.

PLAYER PERSONNEL PACKAGING

For those players who like to get creative with their formation personnel on offense, we’ve added a new way to use packages and formation subs while using audibles.

PLAYER FATIGUE FOR OUT OF POSITION BALL CARRIERS

Madden 20 was a year of the gadget play for many, but players told us that gadget plays were too frequently relied on as the primary source of consistent offense. In response, you’ll now have to strategically manage the workload for ball carriers who are NOT a primary running back, or risk penalties to their ratings via Fatigue for overuse. Dive deeper into each of these specific changes here.

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