Broadcast presentation, please?

Hi Madden Team,

I’ve been playing Madden since 04, with tons of memories of couch co-op and the emerging online play at the time. Now, as I approach 40, I still enjoy Madden, but I play exclusively by myself. I play because of my love of the sport, the NFL, and the chance to experience the ambiance and excitement of an NFL broadcast.

I play exhibition games only. I line up the matchups that happen each Sunday, get to know the players, and try to feel their play style. It really expands my enjoyment of both the TV broadcast and Madden itself.

I’m not concerned about bugs or gameplay improvements—they may be harder to fix—but my suggestion might be simpler. Please, bring back an option for a more broadcast-like experience. I want more replays, stat overlays, longer cutaways of players, realistic walks to the line of scrimmage, and the slow moments in between plays. I just want to feel moderately in control of a broadcast and enjoy the graphics and atmosphere of key moments. I hate how it cuts to the play call screen the moment the ball carrier hits the ground.

The last Madden that did this moderately well was Madden 16, but we can do so much better. I understand the need for faster-paced online games, but can you please give offline players a way to really soak in the game-day atmosphere? MLB The Show does a great job of building ambiance, though even they are starting to slip. Sports fans love the in-between moments in sports—that’s where the tension builds. The powerful machines we have now allow almost no need to mask loading screens with replays, but faster games do not always mean better.

Each year, I’m disappointed by how much of that feel is removed. I zip through plays. Replays blurred and hidden under play selection art just aren’t the same. Full-screen, please? Madden 16 had replays of incomplete passes and other benign plays, and that was awesome. First down, let me soak it in. Tipped pass, sack, hitting the hole following a block—let us enjoy it. When EA tried to bring back NBA Live, you could click the right stick to trigger a computer-generated replay—at the very least, put that in Madden!

You have the privilege and burden of being the only NFL game. You have to please everyone, but I don’t think I’m asking for anything developmentally taxing. Just let the game play out—you don’t have to look for ways to make it faster. I’ll never play online, and you’ll never get my MUT money. But if I can feel the excitement of Sunday each time I turn on Madden, you will have your biggest cheerleader, an early-access preorder every year, and, most importantly, a happy fan of both the NFL and Madden. You have the responsibility to do better for the fans.

Thank you for listening to my thoughts, and good luck with the game.