Madden 23: Create A Team still missing, Relocation almost identical to Madden 15 Franchise Mode

Madden 23 is on the way, and few Franchise Mode features are more widely requested than Create A Team.

We've now been able to try Franchise for ourselves in the Madden 23 beta and have learned just how much did and didn't change.

Madden 23 Create A Team features still missing from Franchise Mode

Every year there are fans who hold out hope that long-requested Franchise Mode features will finally work their way into that year's Madden release.

Madden 23 marks a full decade since the first time we saw Create A Team removed from Franchise Mode, as the feature was still in Madden 12 but went absent in Madden 13.

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While the feature could've used more expansion and detail, EA Sports apparently decided the best course of action was to just remove it entirely.

This remains a surprising call as basically every other major sports game franchise, even EA's own NHL series, includes Create A Team in some form.

They did bring in a new Relocation mechanic a few years later, but unfortunately Create A Team is not making a triumphant return in Madden 23.

The only major new feature of note so far is an upgrade to the contracts system, and we've got more details on that Franchise Mode feature here.

Relocation teams and details are almost unchanged since Madden 15

In testing out the Relocation system for Madden 23 to see whether things changed, it became abundantly clear just how little was different.

Direct comparison between the available teams and locations in Madden 23 to what was available in Madden 22 shows only the most minute variation.

All of the teams and locations are identical, but they've made very tiny adjustments to increase the market size for Oklahoma City, San Diego, Toronto, Sacramento, and Portland, three of which now have incorrect descriptions with their old market size mentioned.

Relocation was introduced for Madden 15, and EA Sports even sought out help from fans to design the actual logos and team names.

Nearly all the options included today were in that original Madden 15 release, and the only changes they've made have been forced by outside factors.

The original relocation options included the Conquistadors as an option in Mexico City and Marshalls as an option in San Antonio, both of which EA seem to have eventually realized were problematic and chosen to remove without offering any replacement.

When the Chargers moved to Los Angeles and out of San Diego, they added San Diego as an option along with the new Crusaders, Red Dragons, and Aftershocks team designs.

Minor adjustments to market size or location personality may have been made year to year, but the feature has seen little actual innovation.

Ultimately, Madden 23 is operating an 8-year-old relocation feature in Franchise Mode that was a poor replacement for an 11-year-old Create A Team feature.