Madden NFL 21

Development

Lamar Jackson, the 2019 NFL MVP and Baltimore Ravens quarterback, was revealed as the cover athlete on April 21, 2020, becoming the second Ravens player to appear on a Madden cover after Ray Lewis in Madden NFL 2005. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a standard photo shoot was not possible; EA Tiburon instead used photos provided by Ravens team photographer Shawn Hubbard. The game includes 18 tracks from artists such as Anderson .Paak, Big K.R.I.T., Rick Ross, Denzel Curry, Yungblud, and Smino, with an original score by Kris Bowers for Franchise mode and additional music by Party Favor and Matt Rad for Yard mode. The official soundtrack was released on August 14, 2020, and Alan Roach, the PA announcer for the Super Bowl, Pro Bowl, NFL International Series, and Minnesota Vikings, served as the announcer.

Release

Madden NFL 21 launched on Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on August 28, 2020, while the MVP edition gave players early access three days prior. The title was first revealed on May 7, 2020, with confirmation that it would arrive on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S when those consoles launched on December 4, 2020. At release, the 99 Club included Patrick Mahomes, Christian McCaffrey, Michael Thomas, Aaron Donald, and Stephon Gilmore. EA also stated earlier that the next Madden would hit Stadia during winter 2020.

Reception

Madden NFL 21 received mixed reviews from critics, according to review aggregator Metacritic. Fellow review aggregator OpenCritic assessed that the game received weak approval, being recommended by 18% of critics. IGN gave the game a 6.0/10, criticizing its persistent unfixed issues regarding Franchise mode amongst several neglected features and gameplay bugs, writing that despite the best core gameplay the series has ever seen and the introduction of The Yard, the continued neglect shown to classic Franchise mode, lack of innovation, and technical issues left the game coming up short.

GameSpot also gave the game 6.0/10, praising the new Yard mode and mechanic updates but noting rampant technical issues and bugs. GamesRadar+ gave the game 3/5 stars, praising The Yard and updates to Face of the Franchise, but knocking Franchise, Superstar KO, and Ultimate Team for remaining unchanged. USgamer gave the game 3/5 stars, writing that Madden 21's gameplay takes appreciable steps forward as the generation comes to a close, with The Yard providing casual fun, but the experience is marred by an abnormal number of bugs and single-player modes remain a major sore point.

Game Informer gave the game a 7.75/10, writing that those looking for a huge step forward won't find it, but despite its lack of major upgrades, it is still a mechanically sound and fun football game. Forbes contributor Brian Mazique cited the game's historically low review scores and said that while gameplay is in as good a spot as it has been for a while, Madden 21 is dragged down by neglected features and stagnant or underdeveloped concepts. Player response to Madden NFL 21 has been overwhelmingly negative.