Source: Piqsels
As the countdown begins to Super Bowl LVII, the makers of Madden NFL 23 have revealed the results of its official simulation of the match-up between Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles. Electronic Arts (EA) conducted a similar simulation last year, with the game wrongly predicting a narrow 24-21 win for the Cincinnati Bengals against the Los Angeles Rams. This time around, Madden NFL 23 believes the Eagles will lift the Lombardi Trophy for a second time, winning 31-17 against the Chiefs.
Anticipation for Super Bowl LVII is getting high as one of the NFL’s greatest-ever quarterbacks returns to the big stage once again. The Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes has been one of the most consistently impressive quarterbacks in the last four-to-five seasons, underlining his potential to become an all-time great in the sport.
Since 1967, it has become a rite of passage for Americans to wager on the Super Bowl. It’s embedded in popular culture, with the eyes of a nation transfixed on this 120-yard-long field for three hours or more. Those who like playing Super Bowl betting markets will be interested to know that the sportsbooks are anticipating a tight affair – much tighter than the Madden NFL 23 simulation anyhow. In fact, the current pre-game point spread is just 1.5, while the Eagles are only narrow -125 pre-game favorites. This suggests it could be something of a coinflip at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
An insight into the EA Sports Super Bowl LVII trailer
EA revealed its official prediction for Super Bowl LVII in a YouTube trailer, featuring Chad Johnson of the Cincinnati Bengals. Johnson is driving a truck along a desert highway and sees visages of the Chiefs and Eagles. Johnson is then transported into the world of the virtual Super Bowl LVII, where EA displays its predicted in-game statistics for key players like Mahomes and Eagles’ wide receiver A.J. Brown.
EA predicts that Brown will score at least one touchdown and post a total of 114 receiving yards from eight catches. Meanwhile, it anticipates Mahomes scoring at least one touchdown too, throwing for a total of 249 yards. Toward the end of the trailer, the commentator announces the final score of the virtual game, with the Eagles running out 31-17 victors. Closing out the trailer, EA Sports announces it is offering up to 70% off the price of Madden NFL 23, which is no surprise given that the end of the season is nigh.
The Madden NFL franchise needs a lift – in more ways than one
The general perception of this season’s Madden NFL release has been rather underwhelming. Despite the introduction of the new “FieldSENSE” game engine, giving more control over players all over the field, the average Metacritic score is 69. Meanwhile, the average Metacritic user score is just 1.4, equating to an “overwhelming dislike” of the title.
There was also widespread embarrassment among EA Sports after the firm lost a number of player saves in its Franchise mode following a cloud-based server problem. EA Sports confirmed those saves had been lost permanently and opted to compensate those affected by dishing out 50% discounts for Madden NFL 24 prior to its release this summer.
Some within the gaming industry have pondered whether EA Sports needs to continue with its decision to release an annual installment of Madden NFL; especially for this year after Madden NFL 23 was soundly criticized by gamers. Giving the studio a year off would certainly allow for the latest release to breathe and ensure all feedback – good and bad – is taken on for future releases.
With such a narrow window of opportunity for development and innovation, it’s no surprise that some gamers loyal to the Madden NFL franchise have described the latest version as a repackaged version of Madden NFL 22 with updated rosters. It’s also likely that EA Sports will have its hands full with overseeing the relaunch of the eagerly anticipated NCAA Football title.
In so many ways, it would make sense for EA to shelve plans for Madden NFL 24, but the enduring revenue this title generates is unlike any other sports sim.