EA has finally released details for its upcoming Madden NFL 22. This year's Madden outing is promising some major changes to improve gameplay and immersion, specifically for the fan-favorite Franchise mode. This could be quite refreshing for a series that has been stagnant for years, but Madden 22 PC players won't get to experience some of the biggest new additions.
Some of the most significant improvements to Madden 22 are new features for Dynamic Gameday that make each matchup more interesting, but these will only be available on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. While understandable that last-gen consoles might not be able to handle newer tech, it's strange to PC excluded, but it's unfortunately not the first time EA has left PC players in the cold. From 2007 to 2018, PC didn't even get the game; it wasn't until Madden 19 that the franchise finally returned to computers, and just a few years later, it seems EA is again splitting the player base.
Perhaps there really just aren't that many PC players - at least by EA's standards. But despite poor reviews, Madden 21 sold more than its predecessors, repeating a trend from the previous years. The PC audience played at least some part in this, even if it was relatively small, and yet it's still being ignored for several key parts of Madden 22.
Madden 22 PC Lacks Major New Features
Madden 22's Dynamic Gameday features will improve on Next Gen Stats utilization, meaning in-game players will better mimic their real-world selves, with more accurate movements and tendencies. Gameday atmosphere adjustments will bring back some fan-favorite stadium details and add new stadium effects that change the feel of each game. These upgrades look to recapture some of Madden's best moments, lost over the years as the game engine could only output so much detail within the restraint of last-gen consoles. PCs are free from those limitations and even have the potential to outperform current-gen systems, so these features' omission makes little sense.
During the franchise's absence from PC, the fanbase was vocal about it wanting it back, and EA eventually listened. For years, Franchise Mode had been stagnating, despite it being the series' flagship single-player mode. EA recently confirmed on its Madden 22 preview page that it had heard fans' complaints, leading to its focus on improving on the Madden 21 Franchise formula. This vocal fanbase can be seen all across Reddit and social media platforms, and a significant portion of them appear to play on PC. Yet EA is giving that group a lesser game. PC players are missing a sizeable chunk of Madden NFL 22, and EA hasn't said why that is.