Madden NFL 19

Did You Know?

• A Hall of Fame Edition was released three days early for EA Access subscribers.
• On August 26, 2018, a shooting occurred during a livestreamed tournament for the game at the Jacksonville Landing in Jacksonville, Florida, resulting in two deaths, numerous injuries, and the suicide of the shooter.
• The Windows release was the first for the series since Madden NFL 08 in 2007.

Development

Terrell Owens was announced as the cover athlete for the Hall of Fame edition in May 2018, depicted in a Dallas Cowboys uniform, a choice questioned by some given Owens played eight seasons with the San Francisco 49ers versus three with the Cowboys. The standard edition cover features Antonio Brown. The soundtrack includes over 30 tracks from artists such as Migos, Pusha T, Post Malone, and others, plus an original score by John Debney, with additional tracks added during the 2018 NFL season.

Reception

According to Metacritic, Madden NFL 19 received generally favorable reviews from critics but generally unfavorable ratings from users. IGN's Dustin Toms noted that real player motion and franchise mode customization made the game feel less repetitive. GamesRadar+'s Bradley Russell praised the catching and running mechanics and the Longshot: Homecoming mode, calling it a stunning return to form. GameSpot commended the animation and commentary updates but found the Longshot changes disappointing.

Before release, the game faced criticism for censoring Colin Kaepernick's name from the song Big Bank on the soundtrack; Big Sean called the action disappointing and appalling. EA responded that it was a mistake by team members who misunderstood that lacking rights to Kaepernick's likeness as a player did not apply to his mention elsewhere, and released an update restoring his name before the game launched.