The State of Madden 09

by pastapadre
Posted October 17th, 2008 at 1:55 pm

Last week I stated that it was unlikely that the planned downloadable content for Madden 09 would ever make its way out. Today that was made official as producer Phil Frazier has confirmed that there will be no downloadable content this year. The original plan was to include some community requests such as CPU sliders and accelerated clock and for free at that. It is fair to expect that those things will now be included in Madden 2010. Below is the full statement from Phil Frazier which covers several topics.

Two Months and Counting…
It’s been two months since Madden was released and what a ride it’s been. Overall, the feedback on 09 has been tremendous and we appreciate all of the thought provided to us via the forums. It really has been a pleasure chatting with our most important fans.

It’s been a few weeks since the very important update #2 was released. The majority of people having freezing issues before the update seem to have solved the problem simply by downloading the update and clearing the Madden data from their drive. This update fixed many issues and the great news is that the community helped shape the improvements that were made. Changes like increasing the time AI QB’s make before snapping the ball came straight from your feedback and ultimately helped improve the game.

There has been some discussion on whether or not we plan to do a third update or DLC. I’d like to provide an update on both. Update #3? At this point, we are not planning to release another update. We will continue to listen to our fans and if any other widespread issues come up we may change this plan but the fixes made in update #2 solved all of the major problems people were experiencing with the game. Those that continued to have problems had success after completely wiping their old Madden data from their hard drive.

DLC? Shortly before the release of Madden NFL 09, we had mentioned that we were looking into the possibility of releasing some post-launch DLC. At this point, DLC isn’t in the cards. Providing DLC is something that will stay on our radar down the road and is certainly something we’d love to provide to our most passionate fans, however at this stage we are no longer actively looking into this for 09. As you all probably noticed this morning, we released our 8th roster update of the season. After some early issues in getting these released before the weekend, we’ve made a pretty big effort in improving our process to get these to you by Friday. We’ll continue to provide these updates weekly through the season and do appreciate your feedback on the ratings and depth chart information. That information definitely makes it to our roster team.

Some of you also probably noticed a new feature in the game recently. About a week ago, we launched a test tournament that allows the entire online community to compete to win prizes. As of a few days ago, more than 85 thousand fans registered for the test tournament and many of the top players have played close to or more than 100 games that apply to the tournament. Expect a more high profile tournament soon, probably around Halloween.

As mentioned before, the feedback on 09 has been great- so thanks and keep it coming! We are VERY aware of the desires of the community, and we keep a running list of ‘demands’ that we continuously evaluate. Many of these WILL be added to the next iteration of the game. We’re looking to provide information on the next version of the game earlier than ever so look forward to the end of the NFL season. We’re hoping to start some more detailed conversations and early looks at the game around the Super Bowl. Until then, keep giving us your feedback so we can fold it into our plan for next year.
Phil

Tags:

Badger Boy21

thought madden was a good game, however if theyre is no home field advantage or atmosphere complete with stadium specific music, i will NOT be purchasing it next year, it isnt hard to do it ,but that is why for me NCAA is a WAY better game, i cant be the only one who thinks this am i? I traded madden in for the force unleashed.
Badger Boy21

thought madden was a good game, however if theyre is no home field advantage or atmosphere complete with stadium specific music, i will NOT be purchasing it next year, it isnt hard to do it ,but that is why for me NCAA is a WAY better game, i cant be the only one who thinks this am i? I traded madden in for the force unleashed.
pastapadre

I’m with many of you guys. I thought the game was “good” this year but what it lacked was glaring. Atmosphere (home field advantage) and a online team play or online franchise mode. Pretty evident in that I can’t find much reason to play Madden but keep going back to NCAA and now the basketball games, and even NHL.
pastapadre

I’m with many of you guys. I thought the game was “good” this year but what it lacked was glaring. Atmosphere (home field advantage) and a online team play or online franchise mode. Pretty evident in that I can’t find much reason to play Madden but keep going back to NCAA and now the basketball games, and even NHL.
rondoman

Pasta,

In your opinion does the lack of competition hurt Madden’s overall quality that badly?

I believe it does especially when looking at the NBA and NHL and even FIFA games.

With Madden being the only game in town, it seems like EA is in no hurry to do the things they perhaps would have had thre been another game or two around. . .

Just wondering what your thoughts are as far as the issue goes. Thanks. . .
rondoman

Pasta,

In your opinion does the lack of competition hurt Madden’s overall quality that badly?

I believe it does especially when looking at the NBA and NHL and even FIFA games.

With Madden being the only game in town, it seems like EA is in no hurry to do the things they perhaps would have had thre been another game or two around. . .

Just wondering what your thoughts are as far as the issue goes. Thanks. . .
James

[quote comment="42598"]Pasta,

In your opinion does the lack of competition hurt Madden’s overall quality that badly?

I believe it does especially when looking at the NBA and NHL and even FIFA games.

With Madden being the only game in town, it seems like EA is in no hurry to do the things they perhaps would have had thre been another game or two around. . .

Just wondering what your thoughts are as far as the issue goes. Thanks. . .[/quote]

IMO madden was never better than when it had competition… ever since theyve had that license and went next gen it seems like they do the bare minimum, I mean look at the basketball series, live has took leaps and bounds to try and catch up with 2k9 (which IMO still isnt there yet), I just wish 2k was allowed to make football games so when disgruntled madden fans purchase 2k instead of madden then EA would be forced to step there game up
James

[quote comment="42598"]Pasta,

In your opinion does the lack of competition hurt Madden’s overall quality that badly?

I believe it does especially when looking at the NBA and NHL and even FIFA games.

With Madden being the only game in town, it seems like EA is in no hurry to do the things they perhaps would have had thre been another game or two around. . .

Just wondering what your thoughts are as far as the issue goes. Thanks. . .[/quote]

IMO madden was never better than when it had competition… ever since theyve had that license and went next gen it seems like they do the bare minimum, I mean look at the basketball series, live has took leaps and bounds to try and catch up with 2k9 (which IMO still isnt there yet), I just wish 2k was allowed to make football games so when disgruntled madden fans purchase 2k instead of madden then EA would be forced to step there game up
pastapadre

[quote comment="42598"]Pasta,

In your opinion does the lack of competition hurt Madden’s overall quality that badly?

I believe it does especially when looking at the NBA and NHL and even FIFA games.

With Madden being the only game in town, it seems like EA is in no hurry to do the things they perhaps would have had thre been another game or two around. . .

Just wondering what your thoughts are as far as the issue goes. Thanks. . .[/quote]

In one sense the lack of competition opens up the ability to take chances. They did that with Madden 06′s vision cone which was a complete failure, but I’m certain they wouldn’t have even done that if there had been competition that year. So at the time I was open to see how they would move forward.

But I do see now that they haven’t innovated in terms of modes at least like we’ve seen with the EA Canada titles and even NCAA’s online dynasty. Do I blame that on lack of competition? Not necessarily, but while they can take risks they might not be able to otherwise they have to appeal to as many people as possible. You see Live and 2K9 having aspects that appeal to different crowds. They are forced to find ways to stand out and be uniquely attractive.

So that vanilla experience is what plagues Madden IMO. I don’t think you get less “quality” because of it but I do think it create a game that is spread thin…just decent in many areas and not terrible or exceptional in any.
pastapadre

[quote comment="42598"]Pasta,

In your opinion does the lack of competition hurt Madden’s overall quality that badly?

I believe it does especially when looking at the NBA and NHL and even FIFA games.

With Madden being the only game in town, it seems like EA is in no hurry to do the things they perhaps would have had thre been another game or two around. . .

Just wondering what your thoughts are as far as the issue goes. Thanks. . .[/quote]

In one sense the lack of competition opens up the ability to take chances. They did that with Madden 06′s vision cone which was a complete failure, but I’m certain they wouldn’t have even done that if there had been competition that year. So at the time I was open to see how they would move forward.

But I do see now that they haven’t innovated in terms of modes at least like we’ve seen with the EA Canada titles and even NCAA’s online dynasty. Do I blame that on lack of competition? Not necessarily, but while they can take risks they might not be able to otherwise they have to appeal to as many people as possible. You see Live and 2K9 having aspects that appeal to different crowds. They are forced to find ways to stand out and be uniquely attractive.

So that vanilla experience is what plagues Madden IMO. I don’t think you get less “quality” because of it but I do think it create a game that is spread thin…just decent in many areas and not terrible or exceptional in any.
Willy2535

the only major beef i ahve with the game is how damm hard it is to get any decent rush’s going coz the blockers just let go as soon as your about to go past em it drives me insane
Willy2535

the only major beef i ahve with the game is how damm hard it is to get any decent rush’s going coz the blockers just let go as soon as your about to go past em it drives me insane
matthew

Hey pasta do you know why the dont have roster updates for Ncaa?
matthew

Hey pasta do you know why the dont have roster updates for Ncaa?
http://pastapadre.com/ sdot

datz an interestin take on it PASTA (I don’t believe itz correc)t but it is sumthin dat I neva even considered B4 now
http://pastapadre.com sdot

datz an interestin take on it PASTA (I don’t believe itz correc)t but it is sumthin dat I neva even considered B4 now
pastapadre

[quote comment="42604"]Hey pasta do you know why the dont have roster updates for Ncaa?[/quote]

Technically the players aren’t supposed to be real, even though everyone knows they represent the real players. If they went too far with it they could be at risk of lawsuits to the NCAA and EA.

The interesting thing is somehow March Madness got away with an update at tournament time the last two years. I’m not sure why they were cleared for that and not on the football side.
pastapadre

[quote comment="42604"]Hey pasta do you know why the dont have roster updates for Ncaa?[/quote]

Technically the players aren’t supposed to be real, even though everyone knows they represent the real players. If they went too far with it they could be at risk of lawsuits to the NCAA and EA.

The interesting thing is somehow March Madness got away with an update at tournament time the last two years. I’m not sure why they were cleared for that and not on the football side.
BLACKFLAGZ

[quote comment="42591"]I like Madden…it was a good game. Now I am liking Live.[/quote]

GOOD LUCK WIT THE BOTH OF THOSE GAMES! (HAHAHAHAHAHA) MADDEN09=GAY, NBA LIVE 09 = GAY NCAA FOOTBALL 09 = BEST EA SPORTS GAME THIS YEAR!
BLACKFLAGZ

[quote comment="42591"]I like Madden…it was a good game. Now I am liking Live.[/quote]

GOOD LUCK WIT THE BOTH OF THOSE GAMES! (HAHAHAHAHAHA) MADDEN09=GAY, NBA LIVE 09 = GAY NCAA FOOTBALL 09 = BEST EA SPORTS GAME THIS YEAR!
kbshowtyme

I may have to trade in Madden for NCAA
kbshowtyme

I may have to trade in Madden for NCAA
pat

o yeah ncaa football is one of the best football games ever released by ea
pat

o yeah ncaa football is one of the best football games ever released by ea
fin

Hey…quick question. I read something about deleting the old Madden stuff off your hard drive after downloading the 2nd patch. How does that work?? I’d be interested in trying that as I’m still having freezing issues.

Thanks
fin

Hey…quick question. I read something about deleting the old Madden stuff off your hard drive after downloading the 2nd patch. How does that work?? I’d be interested in trying that as I’m still having freezing issues.

Thanks
matthew

[quote comment="42606"][quote comment="42604"]Hey pasta do you know why the dont have roster updates for Ncaa?[/quote]

Technically the players aren’t supposed to be real, even though everyone knows they represent the real players. If they went too far with it they could be at risk of lawsuits to the NCAA and EA.

The interesting thing is somehow March Madness got away with an update at tournament time the last two years. I’m not sure why they were cleared for that and not on the football side.[/quote]
WEll they got the numbers and the ratings right on, but idk it would be cool to have roster updates.
matthew

[quote comment="42606"][quote comment="42604"]Hey pasta do you know why the dont have roster updates for Ncaa?[/quote]

Technically the players aren’t supposed to be real, even though everyone knows they represent the real players. If they went too far with it they could be at risk of lawsuits to the NCAA and EA.

The interesting thing is somehow March Madness got away with an update at tournament time the last two years. I’m not sure why they were cleared for that and not on the football side.[/quote]
WEll they got the numbers and the ratings right on, but idk it would be cool to have roster updates.
Justin tuck

Madden owners got owned in the kisser.

Glad I didn’t buy the game this year.
Justin tuck

Madden owners got owned in the kisser.

Glad I didn’t buy the game this year.
Peter Moore President of EA SP

Fellas listen I told yall if it’s in the game it’s in the game. We try awfully hard to put out a high quality product year after year. I even took a pay cut from 7 million to 6.9 million a year to use it as an added resource into the development of our product. We will continue to illicit your oppionons but ultimately it’s my decision on what’s a go and what’s a no go. And sliders, refs, chain gain, player emotions, deeper franchise, and better instant replay were all no go’s. I mean who would want to play a game that is that deep? Come on now! Just play the game be happy if you don’t like it sellit on eBay.

Peter Moore
President of EA Sports
Peter Moore President of EA SPORTS

Fellas listen I told yall if it’s in the game it’s in the game. We try awfully hard to put out a high quality product year after year. I even took a pay cut from 7 million to 6.9 million a year to use it as an added resource into the development of our product. We will continue to illicit your oppionons but ultimately it’s my decision on what’s a go and what’s a no go. And sliders, refs, chain gain, player emotions, deeper franchise, and better instant replay were all no go’s. I mean who would want to play a game that is that deep? Come on now! Just play the game be happy if you don’t like it sellit on eBay.

Peter Moore
President of EA Sports
datdude

^^^^ lmao u need spell check. funny stuff tho
datdude

^^^^ lmao u need spell check. funny stuff tho
Marc

Until another company is allowed to make an NFL football game…..EVERY ONE will hate on EA! PERIOD!

Even if the next Madden is amazing and gets rave reviews…people are going to bitch about it in some way……its human nature to complain.
Marc

Until another company is allowed to make an NFL football game…..EVERY ONE will hate on EA! PERIOD!

Even if the next Madden is amazing and gets rave reviews…people are going to bitch about it in some way……its human nature to complain.
billy

When will the rosters be updated for the roy williams trade to Dalls?

thx
billy

When will the rosters be updated for the roy williams trade to Dalls?

thx
Gee

“EA is telling us something; Let’s move on!!!!! You have our game and we have your money”. There are alot of other games out there right now to tide us over until next fall. So they pulled the plug on the ‘thoughts’ of actually fixing their broken product via (DLC), for this year. I have already traded in my Madden09 for Dead Space. I have grown up with a football in my hands since i was 2 yrs of age, now being thirty-something; i realized, that this is really big business. Sports-videogames genre are in the top 3 of the respected industry. “If they make it a necessity, we will buy it regardless, of what is produced.” EA has captured this idea and are running hard with it; and they don’t care, who knows what about what. It’s all about who gets that dollar first. I am very surprised that “Phil” would come out and make this statement shortly after they showed their earnings for Aug and Sept .2008; i thought they would wait for a few more weeks before bailing out, like around thanksgiving. It’s been no surprise from EA or any other videogaming company, on their behavior this year , or the years recent since the beginning of the next-gen console. -Put out an unfinished product; tell everyone that there is downloadable content, charge us $60. + This is the “NORM” people; Get used to it; or sell your console! Now i see why people mod their systems, and download games, for one of these very same reasons. They just don’t won’t to pay for garbage. $60 a pop for every game of interest! Since E3, is enough for a down payment on a new car. Somebody should star up a site called “IS THIS GAME WORTH $60.com”, then shove it in the faces of the company’s and make them rethink the pricing structure, or live up to the HYPE!
-please don’t flame- we are in some hard times, and i don’t think we pay attention enough to what we are paying for – cheers
Gee

“EA is telling us something; Let’s move on!!!!! You have our game and we have your money”. There are alot of other games out there right now to tide us over until next fall. So they pulled the plug on the ‘thoughts’ of actually fixing their broken product via (DLC), for this year. I have already traded in my Madden09 for Dead Space. I have grown up with a football in my hands since i was 2 yrs of age, now being thirty-something; i realized, that this is really big business. Sports-videogames genre are in the top 3 of the respected industry. “If they make it a necessity, we will buy it regardless, of what is produced.” EA has captured this idea and are running hard with it; and they don’t care, who knows what about what. It’s all about who gets that dollar first. I am very surprised that “Phil” would come out and make this statement shortly after they showed their earnings for Aug and Sept .2008; i thought they would wait for a few more weeks before bailing out, like around thanksgiving. It’s been no surprise from EA or any other videogaming company, on their behavior this year , or the years recent since the beginning of the next-gen console. -Put out an unfinished product; tell everyone that there is downloadable content, charge us $60. + This is the “NORM” people; Get used to it; or sell your console! Now i see why people mod their systems, and download games, for one of these very same reasons. They just don’t won’t to pay for garbage. $60 a pop for every game of interest! Since E3, is enough for a down payment on a new car. Somebody should star up a site called “IS THIS GAME WORTH $60.com”, then shove it in the faces of the company’s and make them rethink the pricing structure, or live up to the HYPE!
-please don’t flame- we are in some hard times, and i don’t think we pay attention enough to what we are paying for – cheers
pat

ok that clearely aint peter moore someone is just trying to be stupid
pat

ok that clearely aint peter moore someone is just trying to be stupid
scdb12

Marc I agree, Jus like when NCAA comes out later on this year, if you look at all the stuff they are doing this year including gameplay, it looks like this will be a fun game of College Basketball, but because EA is making it and no other company people are going to complain about something. NCAA football 09 was great this year, it had some problems but what game doesnt, and everyone at one point complained how it wasnt good and there needed to be someone else making College football games.
scdb12

Marc I agree, Jus like when NCAA comes out later on this year, if you look at all the stuff they are doing this year including gameplay, it looks like this will be a fun game of College Basketball, but because EA is making it and no other company people are going to complain about something. NCAA football 09 was great this year, it had some problems but what game doesnt, and everyone at one point complained how it wasnt good and there needed to be someone else making College football games.
lowell

i wish their were:

1. refs
2. chain gang,
3. improvements on the sideline (the players actually looked like the players on the team)
4. maybe some fights once and awhile,
5. more gang tackles or those huge pile ups you see on tv,
6. more spectacular catches,
7. some kind of highlight show that showed the big play from the first half or at the end of the game
8. more play accessories
9. i find it difficult to rush the pressure unless you bring a huge blitz or have a very fast end and just run around the end. I think they should have more moves for the d-line.
10. player emotions
11. More player weapons
12. bring back create a playbook!

These are pretty minor fixes and wouldn’t be that difficult to for EA to implement into the game so hopefully we will see them someday.

and how many people are sick and tired of listening to chris collinsworth?
i know i am
lowell

i wish their were:

1. refs
2. chain gang,
3. improvements on the sideline (the players actually looked like the players on the team)
4. maybe some fights once and awhile,
5. more gang tackles or those huge pile ups you see on tv,
6. more spectacular catches,
7. some kind of highlight show that showed the big play from the first half or at the end of the game
8. more play accessories
9. i find it difficult to rush the pressure unless you bring a huge blitz or have a very fast end and just run around the end. I think they should have more moves for the d-line.
10. player emotions
11. More player weapons
12. bring back create a playbook!

These are pretty minor fixes and wouldn’t be that difficult to for EA to implement into the game so hopefully we will see them someday.

and how many people are sick and tired of listening to chris collinsworth?
i know i am
lowell

9* i find it difficult to rush the passer
lowell

9* i find it difficult to rush the passer
pat

[quote comment="42635"]i wish their were:

1. refs
2. chain gang,
3. improvements on the sideline (the players actually looked like the players on the team)
4. maybe some fights once and awhile,
5. more gang tackles or those huge pile ups you see on tv,
6. more spectacular catches,
7. some kind of highlight show that showed the big play from the first half or at the end of the game
8. more play accessories
9. i find it difficult to rush the pressure unless you bring a huge blitz or have a very fast end and just run around the end. I think they should have more moves for the d-line.
10. player emotions
11. More player weapons
12. bring back create a playbook!

These are pretty minor fixes and wouldn’t be that difficult to for EA to implement into the game so hopefully we will see them someday.

and how many people are sick and tired of listening to chris collinsworth?
i know i am[/quote]

those are difficult for any video gaming company in case you havent noticd ea manages to release madden at the same time every year and other companies it would take years to just be par with ea
pat

[quote comment="42635"]i wish their were:

1. refs
2. chain gang,
3. improvements on the sideline (the players actually looked like the players on the team)
4. maybe some fights once and awhile,
5. more gang tackles or those huge pile ups you see on tv,
6. more spectacular catches,
7. some kind of highlight show that showed the big play from the first half or at the end of the game
8. more play accessories
9. i find it difficult to rush the pressure unless you bring a huge blitz or have a very fast end and just run around the end. I think they should have more moves for the d-line.
10. player emotions
11. More player weapons
12. bring back create a playbook!

These are pretty minor fixes and wouldn’t be that difficult to for EA to implement into the game so hopefully we will see them someday.

and how many people are sick and tired of listening to chris collinsworth?
i know i am[/quote]

those are difficult for any video gaming company in case you havent noticd ea manages to release madden at the same time every year and other companies it would take years to just be par with ea