Community ManagerGVRH Appreciate the kind words, and respect right back for the depth and clarity of your thoughts here.
Maintaining a two-decade career in this industry has only gotten rougher with time. The pressure to deliver each year, especially for a franchise as big as Madden/FC/NHL, is insane, but feedback like this keeps teams focused on delivering smarter, more meaningful improvements. Players expect more from the studio now because technology increases at a rate that some can barely keep up with.
On Player and Owner Mode—the removal was largely a matter of prioritization and system compatibility as the team restructured how roles worked under the hood. But you're far from alone in calling for their return. The personalization, immersion, and narrative depth that those modes brought—especially in long-running YouTube series and offline dynasties—offered something that Coach Mode doesn’t fully capture. Your take on reviving Player Mode by blending it with Superstar’s RPG elements is exactly the kind of thinking that pushes these conversations forward. That kind of integration could unlock a truly unified single-player journey.
Regarding Owner Mode, I hear you: the concept was strong, but the execution lacked depth. A modernized Owner Mode—complete with dynamic business systems, team branding updates, relocation logic, and community engagement (think: pricing, media, reputation)—could become a powerhouse feature, if done right. Your take on doing this post-launch as a live service update makes a lot of sense. It buys time for polish without throwing off the entire dev cycle.
And I agree, the conversation about industry sustainability is vital. A more flexible monetization model—like paid legacy rosters, cosmetic team packs, or a subscription tied into Team Pass—isn't out of the question. Like you said, the trick is balance: if we give players something meaningful, customizable, and fair in return, the value is clear. Definitely not a one-size-fits-all solution, but this kind of idea-sharing is where better models are born.
Lastly, your breakdown of Franchise vs. Superstar is sharp. The idea of merging what works from Superstar back into a reimagined Player Mode inside Franchise is intriguing. Think of a Franchise where your player journey is a core thread—but everything still ties into the larger league and team narrative. That’s next-level immersion.
Totally agree that Coach Mode deserves focus and polish right now. The foundation is there, and the cutscenes already hint at more story potential. Whether it’s refining those or building optional narrative branches, there’s a lot of opportunity still on the table.
Let’s keep this dialogue going. Your input hits on exactly the kind of evolution many fans are asking for.
Does anyone else have thoughts on integrating Player/Superstar into Franchise?
Or ideas for how Owner Mode could come back stronger?
EA_Shepard You're very welcome, and thank you in kind as it's been an excellent conversation!
I'm not going to lie, it's so nice to finally hear what the thoughts were behind removing these modes. It's left a lot of players confused, including myself, but it sounds like it's just all a part of the process in creating a new, and better Madden. That makes me pretty excited for the future of the game!
It's been a great discussion and fun to get to share my thoughts, but these ideas we've discussed are of course just one way to go about it. They could just keep Superstar Mode, but I maintain that Franchise offers that foundation to build upon where Superstar has been a new thing altogether, and something frankly in need of a solid foundation yet. That's why I feel it would be best to just merge the two. And they could just say goodbye to Both Owner and Player Mode for good too, and really focus on just Coach Mode along with Superstar. And honestly speaking, that may just be the best route to take until they've got Coach Mode built up to its best point. But, when talking about long term sustainability and truly offering a new and exciting experience that works for everyone, I really love the ideas we've discussed and hope at least some of these ideas are passed on through the chain and taken into consideration. Ultimately though, idk what conversations with upper management/ownership look like either, and often that's what makes or breaks so many, and that worries me. DCU and MCU are great examples of this, where the upper echelon totally steers ship into the rocks. When the people that have the vision and know the material are severely limited and forced to swerve in directions they shouldn't go, that never ends well.
To me, Owner Mode is where Team Builder really shines, and honestly maybe that's the best foundation of a new Owner Mode. Everything you mentioned regarding Owner Mode is exactly what it needs, and what if that all starts with Team Builder? What if it were all done initially within Team Builder and then was edit capable within an online game mode that synced up? Here is where I think full customization, which is what Team Builder is all about. What does an owner do? Builds and customizes a brand. Uniforms, Teams, Fields, Stadiums, Logos, etc... everything Team Builder already does. Where should the team be located? Is there a sustainable market there? What should we name the team? What does that team then look like as it relates to the city and the name? Is it something fans like? How do we advertise this team to those fans? What kind of stadium best fits our fans and environment. Then it dives into things it already did in terms of finance and keeping the ship afloat, as well as hiring/firing staff. I've had the idea I've brought up with a few players in a couple different posts for fantasy franchises to make customizable divisions like CFB has too. In terms of fantasy....you could essentially create a whole alternate universe with this...different names, divisions, etc. Ultimately it can offer more options how to rebrand an existing organization, or completely create a new one. The possibilities within this Mode are WILD!!!! What would it look like ultimately? No clue, lol...but that's where gathering ideas from many different people is good.
There are so many people on here with so many great ideas, I'd love to get a separate thread going to gather them all. Then it just becomes a matter of organizing them in terms of priority and what's doable now vs. later.
