It's no secret that the Madden NFL series has faltered over the years. Each year the new installment is essentially a copy & paste of the previous year's game, with the only difference being a roster update and maybe one or two gimmicks for that specific title.

Madden NFL 24, however, is supposed to be a “make or break” game for management. It's supposed to be a game where EA Sports ends all those negative reviews and sets a new precedent for the series.

Unfortunately, it seems Madden NFL 24 is already making mistakes, and the game's not even out yet.

Madden NFL 24 Cover Fiasco

Madden NFL 24, as with previous entries in the series, will have different editions available on launch. The Standard edition is a fairly simple picture of Allen in gear and looking down. Simple enough.

The Deluxe Edition has a little more going for it. It shows Allen celebrating with fans at the Buffalo Bills stadium. While it's understandable that the deluxe edition has a more elaborate cover, it had one major flaw.

Take a close look at Allen and his helmet in the tweet below. Notice anything?

It appears that the two-time pro-bowler has either devoured a piece of his facemask, or morphed it into his own body. Jokes aside, this is an obvious error.

Not a great start for a “make-or-break” game. One mistake like this only symbolizes the frustration fans of the series have dealt with for years. If they can't get a cover right, how can they expect to make the game right?

Some fans are even joking that the photo was created by an AI:

Many fans took to twitter to mock the new cover mistake, which is also raising concern for the next title. Even if EA Sports addresses the issue and fixes the cover, they're going to have to work even harder to win back the support of consumers who lost faith in them.

Arizona Cardinals Jersey

But it doesn't stop there. Back in April 23rd of this year, the Arizona Cardinals updated their uniforms for the first time since 2005:

Again, they unveiled the new uniforms back in April. By June 7th (when Madden 24 was officially revealed) you would expect the uniforms to be updated, right? We're talking 47 days between the Cardinals Jersey reveal and the Madden NFL 24 reveal.

No. the Madden 24 reveal trailer shows Cardinals HB James Conner. And what uniform is Conner wearing? That's right, the old Cardinals uniform. Check out the trailer below and skip forward about 15 seconds in.

But perhaps the developers just didn't have enough time to change the uniform in time for the trailer. However, that begs a few questions:

  • How long does it take to update uniforms?
  • Why couldn't they update the uniform in time?
  • If it takes this long to update uniforms, what does that mean for the rest of the game?

It may seem like a small issue, but if you've been a fan of the series you know how much of a red flag this is. Even if they made the trailer awhile back, why couldn't they just swap out the only clip that shows a Cardinals Jersey? For a professional video game developer it looks lazy and rushed.

We genuinely do hope Madden NFL 24 is a great game. We want to see the franchise make a turnaround. But are mini-games and a few franchise improvements enough? Can we trust the developer to deliver, especially after these little mistakes that shouldn't even be happening in the first place?

Well at the end of the day that's up to the consumer. You, of course, should decide for yourself if these issues are worth pre-ordering the game or not.

Release Date

Madden NFL 24 is set to release on August 18th, 2023. It will release for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC via EA App, Steam, and Epic Games Store. It will cost $69.99 USD for all platforms, with a Deluxe edition costing $99.99.

For more information on Madden NFL 24, check out ClutchPoints Gaming.