Madden NFL 21 Addresses Various Bugs in Patch With Additional Updates Planned

The new Madden NFL 21 has had a rocky launch with players experiencing day 1 bugs and graphical glitches that have affected their time with the game.

Executive Producer Seann Graddy mentioned that fans know the series is a live service and that the launch is just an annual journey. The team has planned updates based on feedback to improve the experience. However, one could argue that this is stuff they could have found through playtesting, but the turnaround for these yearly released games are always a gamble.

To alleviate some of the issues, a launch day patch was released that addressed several issues, including:

Face of the Franchise

• Resolved an issue in Face of the Franchise Legacy where the Player Archetype players chosen in certain sequences did not follow them into the NFL
• A number of soft-locks were fixed
• Resolved a very rare issue where the user’s avatar skin tone wasn’t always carrying over into NFL scenes
• Resolved a rare issue where there was no season game in one of the storylines
• Fixed a rare visual bug where the coach’s head texture wasn’t loading correctly

Madden Ultimate Team

• Fixed an issue where users were experiencing long load-times when entering or leaving sub-menus

Superstar KO

• Replaced a placeholder model for a coach in Superstar KO: Backyard Heroes

Content Updates

• Buffalo Bills stadium name updated
• Washington team rebranding elements
• Addressed an issue with uniform geometry
• General Stability Fixes (Crashes/Desyncs)

However, the team has also outlined upcoming balances and adjustments that they plan to release on September 10, which is only a targetted time frame. Here’s the list of updates:

Pass Rush

• Fix to an issue preventing defenders in contain from staying in contain when being blocked by a running back in the backfield. The rusher will keep their contain behavior when blocked by any blocker on the line or in the backfield
• Fix to an issue causing the initial pass-rush move of contain players to take them to the inside gap instead of their assigned outside gap.
• Addition of logic to support QB Contain vs. play-action passing plays
• Fix to ‘On-Field Trainer’ issues related to pass rush
• Addition of logic so that defenders without the Strip Specialist Ability will no longer cause fumbles on QBs standing in the Pocket with Normal Sack animations on Competitive game-style only. Only defenders with the Strip Specialist ability will be able to force a fumble on a QB standing in the Pocket on Competitive.

Defensive Coverage

• Fix to an issue when using motion in a Twins/Slot formation vs. Nickel/Dime/Dollar defenses, defenders inappropriately swap assignments, leaving the receiver uncovered
• Addition of logic to Cover 4 Quarters to better handle plays like PA Crossers
• Fix to an issue preventing defenders in press-alignment from backpedaling appropriately
• Fix to an alignment issue when flipping Nickel 2-4-5 SS Reno Zone

Tackling

• Fix to some tackling issues sometimes preventing tackle animations from triggering vs. Juke and Jurdle moves
• Fix to an issue causing a receiver to warp up off the ground into a tackle during a possession catch
• Fix to an issue causing the QB to not react after throwing an INT while being hit by a defender
• Fix to an issue allowing ball carriers to fake-out defenders behind them when using the Spin Move

Throw Out of Sack

• Addition of new logic for when a defender is hitting a QB on his throwing arm the QB will no longer be able to throw the ball. The QB will be forced to tuck the ball or the ball will be fumbled
• Increase to the fumble chance for QBs throwing out of a sack that is hit significantly before they have started their forward arm movement. The greater the Defender’s Tackle vs Quarterback’s Strength rating discrepancy is in favor of the defender, the higher the fumble chance
• Fix to a throw out of Sack animation where the ball was not getting released by the Quarterback
• DEV NOTE: Our goal with the Throw Out Of Sack Improvements was to provide more balance to this new feature that has a significant impact on Gameplay. There is more risk of trying to throw the ball every time a defender is close to the passer. Now it is upon the user to make sure they have started the pass in time or else a defender will be able to force a fumble when they are hit before the arm has started going forward. We have also ensured that when you do start the pass in time, you get the ball off appropriately with the correct distance and accuracy

Blocking

• Fix to an issue preventing the left tackle from blocking the correct defender when running HB Zone Weak plays against Nickel 3-3-5
• Fix to an issue with graphical distortion occasionally being displayed over blocker-resistance bars
• General Fixes
• Tuning to RAC-catch win-chances to reduce the frequency of low-rated coverage defenders getting catch-knockouts vs. higher-rated receivers
• Fix to an issue where Hitting RT/R2 + A/X at the snap would sometimes result in the Quarterback instantly throwing to the A/X Receiver
• Tuning to give user control a little sooner after an interception
• Fix to an issue causing Quarterbacks to use drastic turns on subtle movements
• Fix to the run-speed for ball carriers on Triple Option and Speed Option, allowing sprint speed earlier
• Tuning some celebration animation issues to clean up some minor hitching
• Tuning to QB’s front elbow when inside the pocket to improve visual quality

That’s a lot of updates and it seems like they are ready to put out more. A look at the full blog post can be found on the game’s website.

In case you missed it, check out our review of the game.