Shameful Account Recovery / Dead Support Links in Madden 27
Hello, friends.
Over the past four days, I’ve been trying to access my old EA account so I can play Madden 27 online.
I hadn’t bought Madden in a while, so I was actually excited this year. I paid for Early Access, bought a new Xbox, got a new TV, sat down to play — and immediately got stopped by an EA login tied to an old college email address and an old phone number I no longer have.
The frustrating part is that I still have full access to my Xbox gamertag. That gamertag is connected to the old EA account, and EA clearly recognizes that connection. I know the old email, I have the console account, I have the purchase, and I can provide plenty of information to prove who I am.
But because I no longer have access to the old email or phone number, I can’t get into the EA account — and because my gamertag is already linked to it, I can’t just make a new EA account and move on.
That’s where the loop starts.
EA gives me options to update my information, but those options still require verification through the old email or phone number. Even the recognized-device recovery process eventually sends me back to those same old contact methods.
I’ve now spoken with EA Support several times, and I’m still in the same place: I can prove I own the Xbox account, I can prove I bought the game, I know the EA account involved, but I cannot update the two pieces of contact information I no longer have.
And I really can’t believe I’m the only person this has happened to.
People change phone numbers. College email addresses disappear. People skip Madden for a year or two and come back. None of that should be enough to permanently strand someone behind an old EA login.
At this point, I’m not looking for sympathy. I just want somebody at EA to explain what a legitimate account owner is supposed to do when they still control the connected gamertag, but no longer have access to the old email and phone number.
Attached are a couple of the many asinine screenshots from this adventure. One is essentially EA saying, “We’re sorry you’ve contacted us five times, but maybe try again and it’ll work this time.” The other is from Madden 27 itself, linking to “other ways” to contact support — including Twitter and Facebook accounts that no longer exist.
This is shameful. Everyone involved in maintaining this support system should be embarrassed.
[CM edit: remove personal info]
