All Articles: Madden NFL 20

Chiefs help Madden NFL 20 score with a correct Super Bowl LIV prediction

EA Sports’s Super Bowl Simulation is back to its winning ways, as Madden NFL 20 was able to correctly predict the outcome of Super Bowl LIV.

The Prediction” pegged the final score at 35–31 in favor of the Kansas City Chiefs, and while Missouri’s favorite team wasn’t able to run up that many points, they did pull off a fourth quarter comeback against the San Francisco 49ers to win 31-20. Much of the credit for the comeback has to go to Patrick Mahomes, who threw for 286 yards and two touchdowns. The quarterback also ran for a touchdown in the first quarter on the way to Super Bowl MVP honors (which Madden NFL 20 also predicted).

In addition to his on-field heroics, Mahomes joins Rob Gronkowski as one of only two players to win the Super Bowl in the same year they were chosen as Madden’s cover athlete. Gronkowski rumbled to victory in Super Bowl LI, after appearing on the cover of Madden NFL 17.

With the win, the overall record for the predictive powers of Madden’s Super Bowl Simulation improved to 11-6.

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Madden NFL 20’s Super Bowl LIV simulation picks the Chiefs over the 49ers

EA Sports’s famed Super Bowl Simulation has fallen on hard times lately, botching the predicted winner of both Super Bowl LIII and Super Bowl LII. Will things improve for Super Bowl LIV? Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs sure hope so.

Simulating the “Big Game” in Madden NFL 20, EA Sports is predicting that Mahomes will win the Super Bowl MVP trophy as the Chiefs squeak past the San Francisco 49ers with a 35–31 victory. And as they’ve done several times in the past, the publisher is predicting that this Super Bowl’s outcome will hinge on some last-second heroics:

In the first quarter, the 49ers come out strong, confident and ready to win, scoring the game’s opening touchdown on a 16-yard run from new running back sensation Raheem Mostert and then Robbie Gould hammers a 41-yard field goal. The Chiefs got off to their usual slow start in the first quarter, with no points on the board.

In the second quarter, the Chiefs come alive unleashing their most powerful weapon – the unstoppable Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes throws two touchdown passes to Tyreek Hill and Damien Williams to grab the lead for the Chiefs. However, the 49ers refuse to back down and score a late second quarter touchdown – with a 26-yard pass from Jimmy Garoppolo, to end the half with a 17-14 lead.

Mahomes and the Chiefs refuse to remain silent in the second half, with Damien Williams and Travis Kelce scoring another pair of touchdowns. George Kittle nabs a touchdown for the 49ers, keeping things close in the third quarter – proving no one is safe in this game. The Chiefs lead entering the final quarter, 28-24, but Garoppolo comes in hot throwing another touchdown pass to Raheem Mostert – bringing the score to 31-28.

Not ready to accept defeat, Mahomes drives the Chiefs down the field late in the quarter, pushing the 49ers defense back. Finding Watkins open in the end-zone, Mahomes throws an 18-yard touchdown pass to take a 35-31 lead, seconds before time is up. The Kansas City Chiefs take home the title of Super Bowl LIV champions.

Tune in to Super Bowl LIV this Sunday, February 2, to find out if Madden NFL 20 is able to put an end to the long-running franchise’s recent prediction problems.

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Madden NFL 20 goes back-to-back as the best-selling game of August 2019

The month of August was fairly light on new releases, so naturally, it looks like the game industry went through a lighter period on the business side of things as well.

According to The NPD Group’s Mat Piscatella (via Twitter), EA Sports’s Madden NFL 20 topped the list the best-selling titles for the month, repeating its victory from July (I guess you could say the developer went for two). The rest of the Top 20 was littered with repeat entries, but most surprisingly of all is that Minecraft earned the #2 spot, more than seven years after its retail debut.

The other big story to come out of the Top 20 was Nintendo’s continued dominance of the Summer. The consolemaker placed nine Switch games in the Top 20, including Platinum’s latest project, Astral Chain, at #10. Fire Emblem: Three Houses (#4), Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (#5), Super Mario Maker 2 (#6), Mario Kart 8 (#7), The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (#12), Super Mario Party (#16), Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order (#17), and New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe (#18) were the other Nintendo titles to crack the list.

However, the overall industry felt a bit of a dip in August 2019, totaling $666 million in sales, an 18% drop versus August 2018.

You can find a full list of best-selling games from last month after the break. (more…)

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Mighty Madden NFL 20 was the best-selling game in July 2019

The NPD Group’s Mat Piscatella (via Twitter) has delivered the analyst company’s report on the best-selling games from July 2019, and unsurprisingly, EA Sports’s Madden NFL 20 took the top spot.

A sales juggernaut for nearly three decades now, the latest entry in the Madden franchise was able to fend off a major offensive from Nintendo that included two new games and several holdovers from earlier this year. Fire Emblem: Three Houses topped Nintendo’s July output, coming in at #2. It was followed two spots later at #4 by fellow new release Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order. June’s Super Mario Maker 2 was sandwiched in between at #3.

Several other Nintendo-published titles populated the Top 20, including Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (#7), Mario Kart 8 (#9), The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (#10), and New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe (#18). In addition to its software supremacy, the Nintendo Switch was also the best-selling console platform last month.

The entire game industry (hardware, software, and accessories) recorded $762 million in sales last month, a slight increase over July 2018’s total of $759 million.

You can find a full list of best-selling games from July 2019 after the break. (more…)

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EA Sports will put Patrick Mahomes on the cover of Madden NFL 20 when it launches on August 2

EA Sports has officially announced that Madden NFL 20 will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on August 2. It looks like fans of the Kansas City Chiefs will have to fret over the Madden Curse this year as quarterback Patrick Mahomes will serve as the game’s “Cover Athlete.”

In addition to his appearance on Madden NFL 20’s cover, the 2018 NFL MVP will contribute directly to the game’s development in “Face of the Franchise: QB1,” Madden’s new Career Mode…

Mahomes inspired and contributed to the development of Face of the Franchise: QB1, a brand-new and personalized career campaign in Madden NFL 20 that allows fans to create their own college quarterback to play through the College Football National Championship playoff, the NFL Combine, the NFL Draft, and a career as a starting Quarterback for an NFL team. In Face of the Franchise: QB1 and traditional Franchise, a new Scenario Engine generates unique playable scenarios, events and dynamic challenges that build the story of each fan’s distinct NFL career.

“The last year has been life-changing for me and landing the cover of Madden NFL 20 is both a huge honor and a dream come true as a lifelong Madden fan. To also get the opportunity to impact the experience in the new Face of the Franchise: QB1 by providing input on the gameplay is something I never expected,” said Mahomes. “I played Madden with my dad when I was a kid, and this is definitely a full circle moment for me.”

While Mahomes will serve as the spokesman for Madden NFL 20, many of the NFL biggest stars will get a unique showcase in the game thanks to the “Superstar X-Factor” system.

Seann Graddy, the Executive Producer of Madden NFL 20, explained the basics behind the new feature: “The team this year wanted to ensure that the superstars of the NFL responded and played differently in all aspects in Madden, just as they do on the field every Sunday. We wanted to make sure the stars felt like stars.”

Fans of the franchise can get a taste of the superstar vibe that Madden NFL 20 is going for in the Reveal Trailer embedded above, and they can also look forward to “new player celebrations, run/pass option (RPO) plays, and unique playbooks” when the game ships this August.

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EA’s CEO confirms new games from Titanfall, Need For Speed, Plants Vs Zombies: Garden Warfare, and EA Sports for release in 2019

Electronic Arts delivered their quarterly financial report yesterday, and CEO Andrew Wilson confirmed that the publisher has a healthy slate of new titles on track for 2019.

In his opening remarks, Wilson praised Respawn for Monday’s launch of Apex Legends, and said that a “premium” new Titanfall game (but not necessarily Titanfall 3) will be released later this year:

The Respawn team has a strong plan for Apex Legends that will engage fans for a long time to come. As the live service evolves, Respawn also plans to launch a premium game this year that is a new twist on the Titanfall universe. More to come on that in the months ahead.

The executive later discussed the rest of EA’s 2019 release schedule, confirming the existence of new entries in the Need For Speed and Plants Vs Zombies: Garden Warfare franchises, as well as a full slate of EA Sports simulations (Madden NFL 20, FIFA 20, NHL 20, and NBA Live 20):

Looking ahead to FY20, we have a large slate of new games, beginning with some big new additions in our next FIFA title. There was great energy and engagement from NFL fans throughout this past season, we’re excited for our plans with the Madden NFL franchise. We will continue innovating and driving our NHL and NBA Live games deeper into the fabric of their respective sports. We’ll have a new game for our Need For Speed fans, and a new title in our [Plants Vs Zombies] shooter franchise on console and PC.

Finally, Wilson reconfirmed that the previously-announced Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (also from Respawn) is still on track for a Fall release.

If Electronic Arts follows their typical pattern, we’ll likely learn more about most of these games at E3 2019 in June.

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