We finally got a Madden 24 announcement trailer, and while it was flashy and revealed the cover star and release date, the best details were tucked away in a GridIron Notes page.
Franchise mode has long been neglected by EA Sports, in favour of the money-spinning Ultimate Team. It's a reasonable business decision but has definitely hurt their sales as franchise mode players skip years. After last year's connected franchise fumble, they had to make some upgrades to keep that player base connected to the game. And it looks like they have.
Let's take a look at all the news from about franchise mode in Madden 24.
Trades get upgraded AT LAST
I've been playing Madden since Marshall Faulk was on the cover and in all that time franchise mode trades have been stuck in an archaic idea of what teams actually do.
For the longest time, you could only trade three assets in Madden. This was despite teams trading a truckload of picks during draft season or just before the deadline. Well, that has FINALLY changed.
In Madden 24 you will be able to trade up to six assets, with a cap of three players, in one trade. You will also have three years of draft picks available to you instead of the usual two, letting you do more realistic deals within your franchise save. That means when you start up you'll have the 2024, 2025, and 2026 picks to play with.
There is also "new trade logic tuning" in franchise, but this is sure to be tested by players looking to rip off the CPU teams. Could you package three players and a few mid-round picks for an elite QB? Maybe you can swipe Joe Burrow for a few offensive linemen and some second-rounders... Players are sure to put EA's claims to the test.
Whatever the outcome is though, this is a very welcome step and something players have been waiting for more than a decade.
Relocation overhaul
One of the laziest parts of franchise mode for years was the copy-and-paste relocation system. The same cities, team names, and branding were your only options. These ugly uniforms and lazy names put players off from doing what plenty of NFL owners have been threatening to do forever.
The new GridIron Notes states that players can "Utilize a streamlined team relocation feature with new cities, logos and uniforms to create your own Franchise story". This is certainly promising, it sounds like we won't be able to make our own uniforms and badges though, which is a real shame.
It's not like EA doesn't have the capabilities to allow this. The NHL games have had expansion options that let you go wild with badges and colours. It's not a completely open creator, but it would be much better to let players pick their team names and logos more openly.
Of course, the NFL may be restricting what EA can do on this front, but it doesn't stop us from wanting more!
Hard luck to old gen players
All of these factors are great, and welcome news to players who have been loyal to Madden for years now. However, they are not available to everyone.
All the improvements mentioned here, along with the returning mini-games and Superstar modes, cross-play, and gameplay updates, are only available to PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC players.
Those still on PS4 and Xbox One will not be able to experience any of the new features that Madden 24 has to offer. That means it's time to buy a PS5 or upgrade your old Xbox at long last.
Even if you only play Ultimate Team, the improvements that FieldSENSE and new passing mechanics will make are limited to next-gen & PC. So it will just feel exactly the same as last year.