It's that time of year again as Madden NFL 24 is just around the corner. The official reveal of Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen as the cover athlete came a few weeks ago, and on Wednesday, EA Sports released an official gameplay trailer showing off some new features. Additionally, several gaming outlets have had the chance to go hands-on with the game and share even more information. Through those previews, we've learned more about a fan-favorite mode: Franchise Mode.
Franchise Mode has fallen by the wayside in recent editions of Madden as other modes like Ultimate Team take the spotlight. However, EA has promised big updates to the mode this year, so much so that it's the top section on the game's features page. The description of the mode is as follows:
“Lead your Franchise into history with new mini games, streamlined relocation, more trade slots, and contract restructuring. Experience these updates to Franchise mode on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.”
Those are nice bullet-point changes, but there's not a ton of detail there. Through the gameplay previews, though, we can piece together what this new-and-improved mode may look like.
New Mini Games
This will be a welcome sight for fans of Madden on the PlayStation 2 and original Xbox, as the mini-games from those days are reportedly back in Madden 24's franchise mode. The game's official site points out a couple of specific games, but previews have mentioned more.
“Upgrade your team with fan favorite mini-games returning to Madden NFL 24,” EA writes. “Test your skills with dozens of new mini-games including moving obstacles and destructible targets in Franchise training camp or weekly strategy.”
In a preview by VideoGamer, Connor Dougan, Madden 24's senior game design director, specifically said that fans of the older games will appreciate the returning mini-games.
“Minigames are back and we’re super excited about that,” Dougan said. “Anyone who’s played Madden knows and loves minigames like rushing attacks, and we brought those back into the franchise mode space.”
Streamlined Relocation
For years, the options for relocating a team in franchise mode have been identical, featuring the same basic cities and logos to pick from. According to EA though, the relocation options will receive a revamp this year, along with making the process smoother. VideoGamer also reports that each relocation team will have an alternate uniform in addition to the standard home and away.
“Utilize a streamlined team relocation feature with new cities, logos and uniforms to create your own Franchise story,” EA writes.
Improved Trades
Previously, players could only include three assets per team in any given trade. In Madden 24, though, that number will double to allow teams to include six assets, allowing for more realistic trades. EA also says that trade logic has received an adjustment, allowing AI-controlled teams to make more accurate moves.
“Acquire and retain superstars using 50 new unique draft generators, new trade logic tuning, six trade slots and new talent trees for coaches,” EA writes.
Additionally, Madden School reports that teams can now send draft picks from three years in the future instead of the usual two. So in a new franchise mode, players can trade draft picks through 2026 rather than 2025.
Contract Restructuring
Teams have been using restructures to better navigate the salary cap for years, and that practice has finally made it into Madden. It won't be as flexible as real life, as Madden School says players can only “reduce a players salary to the league minimum and redistribute it to that player’s bonus money across the rest of the contract.” However, that alone will be a big addition to Franchise Mode players and allow for greater realism. EA adds that the game has seen other tweaks to free agency, such as being able to make counter offers.
“Build your future using Free Agency 2.0 by restructuring contracts and making counter offers to cornerstone playmakers,” EA writes.
Other Changes
With EA's main bullet points out of the way, this will be an all-encompassing section of all other tweaks. Many of these changes may be smaller, but still key to improving the mode.
Most of these smaller changes come from Madden School's preview. First, players will now be able to automatically reorder depth charts, a welcome change to avoid everything being shuffled. Second, commissioners will have more tools to customize experience progression, can turn off M Factors to adjust momentum and customize cooldown periods between offense and defense. Finally, there will be more variety in auto-generated draft classes and the ability to use a snake format for fantasy drafts.
Unfortunately, Franchise Mode will not allow cross-play between systems, as other modes do. On a much more positive note, EA says it is actively listening to community feedback and continuing to make improvements.
“In Madden NFL 24 we have addressed some top community requests, while giving our players some new ways to play that we’re super excited about within the franchise as well as some improvements to customization,” Dougan said.
Madden NFL 24 launches on August 18 for PlayStation 4, Playstation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC. Cross-play will only be available for PC and the current-get systems.