“Need it to break” - NFL fans root against Madden 24 as EA faces “make or break” moment for franchise

With the 2022 season now wrapped, Madden 23 has reached middle age. Madden 24 is set to be released in six months, and fans are hoping that long-standing issues will be addressed. EA is also reportedly hoping that the game will be significantly improved over its current iteration.According to Insider Gaming via Daily Snark and JPAFootball on Twitter, the 35-year-old franchise is at a crossroads. Allegedly, either the game will be released in a state that pleases fans at a much higher level, or a lot of changes among the &quot;game's leadership&quot; will be taking place. NFL fans are eagerly hoping for the game to fail. Here's a look at what fans said in response in droves:Will EA's next football game receive a higher score than 70?JPAFootball@jasrifootballReport: EA Sports is considering Madden NFL 24 a “make of break” game for the 35-year-old franchise, per @DailySnark There will be a lot of change among the game’s leadership if they fail to make a game that the public approves of. They have extra motivation.8255703Report: EA Sports is considering Madden NFL 24 a “make of break” game for the 35-year-old franchise, per @DailySnark There will be a lot of change among the game’s leadership if they fail to make a game that the public approves of. They have extra motivation. https://t.co/0k9YAaa5IValex@highIightheaven@jasrifootball @DailySnark need it to break3981@jasrifootball @DailySnark need it to breakᴡᴏʟғ@wolfanizer95@highIightheaven @jasrifootball @DailySnark I need NFL 2K5 back.2@highIightheaven @jasrifootball @DailySnark I need NFL 2K5 back.Peak Work Archie@JoshHarris25@Aj_Marshall17 God is good.121@Aj_Marshall17 God is good.YaFeehMe@raviroyalcomeup@jasrifootball @David_Peters_04 @DailySnark Bring back nfl 2k10@jasrifootball @David_Peters_04 @DailySnark Bring back nfl 2kJamal Swift 🧤@JamalSwift27@jasrifootball @DailySnark They should finally add cross-play, makes no sense to still have PlayStation, Xbox, and PC separate in 20231532@jasrifootball @DailySnark They should finally add cross-play, makes no sense to still have PlayStation, Xbox, and PC separate in 2023Jon Cole@Joncole23@jasrifootball @DailySnark Finally@jasrifootball @DailySnark Finally優木せつ菜 🇦🇷@nijigasakilove@jasrifootball @DailySnark Took them 15 years to actually care about this franchise again lmao2@jasrifootball @DailySnark Took them 15 years to actually care about this franchise again lmaoChris Sherman@Sure_man85@jasrifootball @DailySnark I hope they all go down@jasrifootball @DailySnark I hope they all go downGary Poole@gpoole515@jasrifootball @DailySnark EA selling madden would be the greatest thing to happen to this franchise. They won’t fix bugs in the game but there’s always new content/packs!3728@jasrifootball @DailySnark EA selling madden would be the greatest thing to happen to this franchise. They won’t fix bugs in the game but there’s always new content/packs!🦆 (99-63) (9-7-1)@cantguarddurant@jasrifootball @DailySnark Hoping the game sucks so ea could drop it5924@jasrifootball @DailySnark Hoping the game sucks so ea could drop it🙏Andrew Metcalfe@drewmet_FF@jasrifootball @DailySnark I'll believe it when I see it6@jasrifootball @DailySnark I'll believe it when I see itJdaddytweets@jdaddytweets@jasrifootball @DailySnark It’s been the same graphics and animations for the last 7 years at least@jasrifootball @DailySnark It’s been the same graphics and animations for the last 7 years at leastMadden's praise drops among critics and remains as low as ever among fansElectronic Arts Showcases Its New Games At E3 Event In Los AngelesAccording to Metacritic, the franchise has seen a steady decline in review scores since Madden 20. The game on Playstation 4 earned a rating of 76, which while not amazing, critics saw the game as passable, bordering on good. However, starting with Madden 21, the franchise slipped into the 60s.21, 22, and 23 all failed to cross the 70-mark according to critics. 21 served as the low point for the franchise in terms of ratings over the period, earning a 63 average score. 22 saw it jump to 68 on PlayStation 5 and 23 earned a 69 overall score. While a gradual improvement in quality has been acknowledged in recent years, the franchise still falls far short of how it was rated in 2020.Of course, in terms of user score, the game is rated as one of the worst around. Based on the user score average, the game earned a 1.4 for its 2020 iteration. Agreeing with critics, fans dropped Madden 21's score significantly. It earned a measly 0.3 out of ten. 22 saw a small bump to 0.6 and 23 saw a jump to 1.4.That said, most agree that the user score is largely bombed by a vocal minority and isn't truly indicative of how the majority of people feel about the game. Meaning, while a large part of the user base isn't thrilled with the game and would like to see more features, most agree it is far from unplayable in the way many other similarly reviewed games are.Either way, EA has a lot of work ahead of themselves to attempt to win over the vocal minority deadset on instigating change.