One of the biggest problems facing yearly sports titles is the lack of change from one game to the next, and release date and editions now confirmed for Madden 26, it's time for the next installment to chart its course.

Franchise mode remains the main pull for many long-term fans of the Madden series. While Superstar and Ultimate Team have both seen plenty of upgrades and improvements, Franchise mode has sometimes been left behind. The concept has been in the series for nearly 30 years and is simple enough on the surface. You take over all elements of a team, from setting prices as an owner, drafting players, and playing out the matches yourself on the pitch. However, in some recent years, especially in Madden 25, there has been little to get excited about.

Madden 25 Didn’t Do Enough With The Franchise Mode

Lots Of Changes But No Lasting Impact

Madden 25 saw some good improvements on the pitch, but these were minor tweaks in the grand scheme of things. Off the field, there was even less change, and this was particularly the case in Franchise mode. The biggest updates in the mode were in its presentation, especially in the initial Draft, which received a complete visual makeover and looked impressive. Likewise, when selecting which team you want to use for your Franchise mode, Madden 25 provided a lot more information at hand to help you make your decision.

However, the core gameplay of this long-term mode was basically a copy of the year before in Madden 24. There were no significant changes to how you manage your franchise, and those that were added didn't really lead to a different experience on the field.

One of the biggest issues is that opposition teams don't face the challenges that competitors would face in the real NFL world, and it takes away from the authentic nature the mode is trying to provide. On the field, the gameplay upgrades are always felt year-on-year, but they're only really slight tweaks to the same formula of the last decade.

If the mode starts to stagnate for multiple years again, players may not come back forever.

Fans have long had a list of features that seemingly could easily have been implemented into Madden 25's standout mode, but despite some momentum in prior years, Madden 25 seemed to return Franchise mode to the back burner and focus on other areas of the game. Ultimate Team is where money can be made once Madden has launched each year, and, like many other sports titles, microtransactions take some level of priority. On some level, that's just the name of the game, but it's to the detriment of the core season-based mode Franchise.

Improving Franchise Is A Focus For Modern Madden

Franchise Upgrades Need To Be A Priority

To take the game series to the next level in the modern Madden titles, improving the offering for Franchise players is a must. The majority of players who keep coming back to the series year after year come back for the Franchise mode, but if the mode starts to stagnate for multiple years again, players may not come back forever.

For years now, the Madden community has made a bigger overhaul of the Franchise mode into a rallying cry, and the improvements made in Madden 22, 23, and 24 aren't enough to carry the game forward. One way to make meaningful change possible would be to take a year-long break from the franchise, allowing the development team to focus on overhauling features and building something better from the ground up. However, with the money the games bring in every year, this isn't a realistic wish.

While little information has been released about the new title, we do know that Madden 26 will be released at the same time as College Football 26. The College version of the game made a triumphant return last year, and while the core gameplay is the same, it provided a fresh take on things for fans of American Football. It's a great example of how time away was able to benefit a sports franchise, even if the hiatus was much longer than necessary.

The timing of College Football 26 and Madden 26 launches could lead to a possible improved crossover, allowing you to bring players through College and then into a draft in Madden 26. However, with the two games coming out at the same time from the same publisher, many players may just select one over the other.

How Madden 26 Could Make Franchise Better

Potential Tweaks That Could Make The Difference

One of the biggest problems in Franchise mode is how the AI-controlled U acts off the field. Many star players who would stay as the 'Franchise' players at a team are not re-signed, unrealistic trades are made, and the salary cap appears to go out the window. Most fans who play the mode want a realistic experience and challenge, with the other 31 AI teams making this incredibly difficult to do. Updating the AI teams off the field is the biggest area EA Sports can look at to make it the most realistic NFL experience possible.

Scot Hanson, the Red Zone host, will be the new in-game voice for Madden 26. This could just be EA Sports changing up the background voice that you hear throughout, but it also opens up the opportunity to make a huge step forward with the already impressive presentation. They could do this by bringing in Red Zone-style updates from other matches that are taking place on a Sunday to give you the real feel of multiple games being played at the same time.

Finally, there are a lot more options that could be added to the back office, which is where much of the community particularly wants to see changes made. Further contract options, more possibilities for scouting other players, updating coaching elements, and more in-depth storylines with different possible answers for interviews could all provide a better overall experience.

The reality is that Madden 26 will sell, regardless of how much changes or doesn't in Franchise mode, as the inherent momentum and popularity of the series has withstood many disappointing years. However, if the mistakes in Franchise mode and lack of updates continue for another year, Madden 26 could be the last that some fans bother with.