I recently had a chance to send Madden 25’s development team some questions I had ‘burning’ on my mind. With Madden 25’s release only a few months away there were some things I had to know including if the dev team addressed some of the issues we experienced with Madden 13. Given I am COG’s resident “Madden Maniac”, I figured I would be the right man for the job to hit the team with some hard hitting questions. Okay well maybe not exactly hard hitting but it was certainly some questions I was curious about. Lucky for me and you, the development team was kind enough to respond. All the answers come from Larry Richart (Gameplay Designer) and Rex Dickson (Creative Director), as well as a couple that were group sourced. Anyhow, I hope you enjoy this Q&A as much as I did. Make sure you check us out after E3 where I will have some Madden 25 hands-on impressions for you.
Enjoy!
1. There seems to be more emphasis placed on the running game in Madden 25. Explain why this is the case?
(LR) The NFL is full of amazing running backs, and we want to make sure it’s fun to run the ball in Madden NFL 25. This year we wanted to put a strong gameplay focus on the running game, finding ways to make it more in-depth, more strategic and ultimately a lot more fun. Thanks to the precision modifier there are over 30 new ball carrier moves that give you a whole new arsenal to use against the defense. Madden NFL 13 saw the addition of total control passing and pass trajectories, along with over 400 new catching animations creating the best implementation of the passing game in franchise history. With Madden NFL 25, we needed to get the running game to the same level of fun and control. Additionally, the set of 8 ball carrier moves had been in the game for a very long time and hadn’t changed all that much. When we watched footage of NFL ball carriers, we realized that we were missing many of the signature moves that you see in the real world. It was critical to us that we add enough depth to deliver the full arsenal of moves you see every Sunday.
2. Is precision passing back? If so, why have you decided to keep it?
(LR) Total Control Passing is most definitely back! A lot of fans told us they really enjoyed the feature when we introduced it last year, so we’re happy to confirm that it will be returning. Total Control Passing has gone a long way in making the passing game feel more realistic and authentic. Total control passing and pass trajectories allowed for unprecedented levels of user control and expression in the passing game. It was one of the highest-rated features of this console generation. We are thrilled with how this feature turned out and will continue to invest in it to ensure it remains a core mechanic for many years to come.
3. What, if any, changes can we expect in terms of the passing game in Madden 25?
(LR) While we are retaining Total Control Passing for Madden NFL 25, we have tuned it on specific route types (Streaks, Wheels, Posts, etc.) to not allow for such a drastic lead either inside or outside. This was something the community was asking for and we wanted to make throwing certain routes more of a challenge like it is in real life.
(RD) One of the main focuses for us in the passing game this year was on CPU QB AI. In the past, there were several issues with QB AI performance. We have upgraded the AI to have the ability to choose from bullet, medium and lob passes appropriately. We have made dramatic improvements to QB awareness, specifically their ability to identify an open receiver and hit them at the right time.
4. Does the online Madden experience any changes?
Sorry folks, the answer to this question is embargoed until July 1st. More reason to come back to check us out later this summer! Yay!
5. Do all the playbooks return in Madden 25 and what changes we can expect in terms of the teams playbook (for instance will we see more pistol formations)?
(LR) Yes, all the same playbooks that were in Madden 13 are back. Every year we focus on the current trends of the NFL and with the evolution of the Option game (specifically the Zone Read Option) is an area of focus for us. The Option game has become a very popular style as teams with mobile QB’s like the Redskins, 49ers, Panthers and Seahawks have used these option plays as staples in their offense. With that in mind, we have added several new Pistol and Shotgun formations with many of these option plays that teams are running on Sundays.
6. What challenges have you encountered using the Infinity Engine?
(RD) The main challenges this year were twofold. First, we needed to eliminate as many flaws as possible that shipped with our first iteration of the Infinity Engine. This included fixing players tripping over each other in post play, players getting limbs bent unnaturally behind their backs, improvements to tackle alignment and something we call ‘conservation of momentum’ which basically means getting players to fall in the right directions based on weight, center of gravity and collision angle. Additionally, we wanted to build user-facing mechanics around the Infinity Engine. This comes in the form of our new stumble recovery feature and the incredible ‘Force Impact’ system. The idea here is that we are building new features and mechanics around the infinity engine as well as using the engine to maximize the potential of existing features.
7. What deficiencies from Madden 13 do you believe you have addressed in Madden 25?
This year we’ve done a lot of work with the offensive line, having former NFL lineman Clint Oldenburg go through every offensive and defensive front in the game and assign proper blocking assignments. This makes a big difference and, along with the precision modifier, makes the running game feel a lot better. Also, we’ve introduced hard run cuts to eliminate the “swerve” running that has been an issue in previous games. Last but not least, with an extra year under our belt we’ve been able to clean up the Infinity Engine and make it feel much more realistic.
8. What exploits from Madden 13 have you addressed in Madden 25 (for instance, will TE streak continue to be deadly)?
(RD) We fixed the onside kick exploit, and did some work on pass blocking to eliminate Nano Blitzes. We also reduced the effectiveness of inside pass leading on streak routes. Furthermore, we improved coverage logic for curl to flat defenders. In no huddle, we only allow the user to audible to formations that match the personnel they currently have on the field (no more 5 wide audible to goal line to get a slot receiver matched up on a LB). The biggest exploit fix was the removal of ‘swerve’ running with the introduction of hard run cuts.
9. Have any additions been made to the games controls or pre-snap adjustments?
We’ve created position-specific hot routes for receivers so that you no longer waste a hot route assignment having a wideout pass block. Each position has hot routes specific to where they are on the field, so the hot route options will make more sense.
10. What changes can we expect in the visuals and presentation department?
We’ve recorded over 80 hours of new content with Jim Nantz and Phil Simms, so you can expect a lot of fresh new commentary this year. We’ve also added new player chatter to make the on-field experience feel more authentic, similar to what you hear when NFL players are mic’ed up. There are lots of other new pieces as well, including new broadcast wipes and banners, revamped flow for pre-game, halftime, injuries and challenges, and a lot more. The presentation elements are really cool this year.
***Special thanks goes out to Brad Hilderbrand (Communications Specialist – EA Sports), Larry Richart (Gameplay Designer), Rex Dickson (Creative Director) and the rest of the Madden 25 team for making this happen. Madden 25 hits stores August 27.***
