The Madden 21 January Title Update is now live, but be aware, it's introduced new issues that have now resulted in Franchise Mode and MUT Solo Challenges to be taken down for bug fixing.
Let's go over the Madden 21 January Title Update patch notes, and the problems it's introduced to the game on the technical side that EA are looking to clean up.
Madden 21 January Title Update
The Madden 21 January Title Update looks great on paper, bringing new Franchise Mode upgrades as well as fixing some big problems like Zone Defense in MUT 21.
But despite the positives, the new update seems to have brought massive technical problems that have resulted in Franchise Mode being gated, as well as MUT 21 Solo Challenges following suit.
You can read over the current status of Madden 21 Franchise Mode here.
While these are the new issues, let's go over the Madden 21 January Title Update patch notes to see the new changes.
Madden 21 January Title Update Patch Notes
Below are the Madden 21 January Title Update patch notes as posted by EA in their most recent set of Gridiron Notes.
New Additions
- New Spongebob location in The Yard
Zone Coverage Improvements:
- Tuning to Deep Zone defender logic to focus more on deep threats in their zone and less on shorter routes approaching their zones
- Tuning to Deep Zone logic in Cover 1 to react quicker to Deep Over, Post, and any other deep crossing routes.
- Updated the facing direction of Deep Zone players so they’ll face the ball rather than just the line of scrimmage, which will help Deep Zone defenders turn in the appropriate direction when covering deep routes.
- Tuning to fakeout logic on Inside Release Post Routes (S-Posts). There was significant separation resulting from this release and cut when close to the line of scrimmage. This change prevents defenders getting faked out during this early segment of the route.
- Added Gen 5-specific Change of Direction animations to locomotion which will improve a defender’s ability to transition from strafe to run quicker and smoother to help defenders get into position to play the ball quicker.
- Tuning to improve ‘turn and run’ to better anticipate vertical speed threats
- Tuning to allow faster top-end strafe speed for defenders in Deep Zone
- Extended the distance that a Deep Third can look inside when anticipating Deep Crossing routes coming from the opposite side of the field.
- Fixed an issue causing outside Deep Third defenders to leverage the No. 1 (Outside) Receiver too long even when the receiver was no longer a deep threat.
READ MORE: Madden 21 Ultimate Team: MUT 21 Team of the Year
General Gameplay Fixes:
- Kickoff Playclock Exploit - Fixed an issue allowing the kicking team to remain at the Play-call screen indefinitely without having to call a play. This has been used as an exploit to force the receiving team to quit in order to get out of the game. Now the playclock will run down as it should and force the kickoff to be called when it expires.
- Fair Catch Exploit - Fixed an issue causing the ball carrier to enter a state where he couldn't be tackled after fielding a kick or punt off the ground following a fair catch. With this fix, any player on the receiving team who recovers a kick or punt following a fair catch will be able to get tackled.
Franchise Mode:
- New Commish Controls
- Draft Auto-Pilot: Assign auto-pilot during the draft.
- House Rules: Dictate how many times a play can be called in a game, and how long a player must wait before calling the same play again.
- Undo Free Agent Settings: undo FA signings in the offseason directly through the transaction log. Click on a signing and revert it to send the player back into the free agent pool.
- Team Override Settings: Commissioners now have the ability to turn on/off or allow users to keep individual settings for Heat Seeker tackling, Ball Hawk, and Switch assist.
- Personnel Logic Improvements - New guidelines for CPU draft logic to assist teams in whether they should or should not have interest in drafting a first round QB.
- Trade Logic Improvements - We are focused on delivering improvements to player and draft pick evaluations to create more rewarding and authentic trades for Madden 21 that we will continue to build and improve upon in the future.
- Franchise League History -We are adding a new tile where you can see the Super Bowl and key award winners from each year of your franchise. This will include how many times a team has won the Super Bowl in the franchise, along with MVP, Coach of the Year, Offensive/Defensive Player of the Year, Offensive/Defensive Rookie of the Year, and Super Bowl MVP.
Presentation Updates:
- Fixed an issue preventing the play-clock from showing up on Kickoff plays
Madden 21 January Title Update Takes Down Franchise Mode
Madden 21 Franchise Mode is currently gated by EA, apparently due to technical issues introduced in the new January Title Update.
As this is a breaking story, we will update with news as it comes in.
READ MORE: Madden 21 Franchise Mode is DOWN