Madden NFL 24 is a little over a month away. Since the Josh Allen cover reveal, we've been getting some gameplay trailers showcasing the new animations, franchise improvements, and customization options. But those aren't the only things fans have been talking about.

One feature that we can't get out of our head is the relocation of teams. In older Madden NFL games, players could create their own team logos, uniforms, stadiums, and team names. That feature was unfortunately removed in Madden 13. In Madden 15 they brought back the idea in a much more limited sense. Now players can relocate, but to only a few cities. Players can't create their logo, but instead have to choose from a selection of pre-made teams with uniforms and stadiums pre-designed.

Madden NFL 24 Relocation News

Madden NFL 24 is hoping to improve that by adding more cities to relocate to. In fact, 15 new cities are being added to the game, which players can now relocate to immediately. Additionally, players aren't limited to just three team ideas per city. Now, they can choose any pre-designed team and play in any city right away.

Here are the new cities coming to Madden NFL 24:

  • Albuquerque, New Mexico
  • Anchorage, Alaska
  • Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • Canton, Ohio
  • Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Louisville, Kentucky
  • Melbourne, Australia
  • Montreal, Canada
  • Omaha, Nebraska
  • Paris, France
  • Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
  • San Juan, Puerto Rico
  • Tokyo, Japan
  • Vancouver, Canada
  • Virginia Beach, Virginia

Additionally, over 90 of the uniforms have been refreshed, with 9 uniform combinations per team.

Interesting how over half of the new cities aren't even in the nation the sport is played in, but that's alright, we suppose. However, that's not the issue. The issue is that this feels like a rushed route to resolving an issue rather than improving the overall game experience.

Here's why Madden NFL 24's Relocation Improvements Aren't Enough.

Why Madden NFL 24's Relocation Improvements Aren't Enough

Madden NFL's Relocation and Team Creation in recent years hasn't been good, to say the least. You look back at any old games like Madden NFL 09, where players created teams entirely on their own. Sure, you had to choose from a set of pre-made logos, but you could also:

  • Pick Any City
  • Customize Team Uniforms, Colors, and Stadiums
  • Make the team's alternate logo the main one

It's hard to believe a sports game on next-generation systems (and PC) can't keep up with features its predecessors implemented three generations ago. And it's not like every other sports game franchise does this. Players can still create their own teams and logos in MLB The Show 23 and NBA 2K23, so why not Madden? Even smaller titles like Super Mega Baseball 4 let you create your own custom team.

It's getting a little ridiculous at this point.

The relocation aspect is fine, but there's so much more that can be done. Why can't players change the colors of the relocation team they want to be? Why can't they change and update uniforms over time?

Wouldn't it be cool if you started with a new team in 2023, but could change their uniforms later on? Additionally, wouldn't it be even cooler if you could save those old uniforms as alternate, or throwback designs, to wear for special matchups?

Here's an example of how it could've worked: You relocated to Brooklyn to be the Beats in 2023. In 2024, you change the team's colors and uniforms. Then, the old 2023 uniforms could be saved as “20xx home/away jersey” in the pre-game menu. Perhaps there's a limit as to how many that could be saved, but it would still be an improvement.

Having more cities and updated uniforms is fine, but it still limits player creativity.

Conclusion

The problem is just one in a whole laundry list of missing or removed features from Madden NFL. Instead we have tackling animations that most players won't notice, and a Mahomes Dive-Pass that looks controversial already. We've lost presentation features like league-wide or local newspapers, radio shows, or broadcast packages.

Mini-Games are returning, sure, and the improvements to player management seem fine, but it doesn't feel like enough for a game that's supposed to be a “make-or-break” for EA Sports Management. Hopefully the upgrades to relocation are enough to get the ball rolling on bringing team creation features back. But one can only hope.

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.