The year was 2005 and the console was the XBOX 360. The game - Madden NFL 06, a showcase launch title for Microsoft's brand new console. Fast forward to 2013. The console is the XBOX ONE (and Playstation 4), the game is Madden NFL 25 and the comparison is inevitable.

Both games are launch titles for a new generation of hardware. Both titles had much talked about trailers. Both have been hyped as changing the way we experience video game football. But come with me and let's delve a little deeper into these two games and how EA Sports' approach has changed - and how it might have stayed the same with the Madden NFL franchise.

 

Madden NFL 06 was heavily focused on it's newfound graphical prowess.

 

Marketing Emphasis

The first thing we need to break down is the marketing emphasis for each title. Back in 2005, EA Sports emphasized the huge leap in graphics showing off a pre-rendered interpretation of what the next-generation could look like. EA told us that the real thing would actually look better than the target. We were shown a 60 second vision of the Eagles and Giants playing through a fierce battle in the snow. We saw Donovan McNabb and his every facial expression. We saw Michael Strahan and his menacing pre-snap intensity. We saw Terrell Owens making a spectacular diving catch for a touchdown. It all looked so real! Yeah the animation was a little stiff but look at the details!

What wasn't hyped was gameplay, features, or much else. We heard bits and pieces about a brand new game engine, animation engine, and a new online infrastructure but EA kept directing us back to the next-gen visuals. That was clearly the focus. Now let's compare that with how Madden NFL 25 for 'gen 4' has been marketed so far.


Madden NFL 06 Next-Gen Trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02ajPL3Kna4

Madden NFL 25 Next-Gen Trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VWVSwEtJQU

 

Madden NFL 25's Marketing is more gameplay related, with graphics being an unspoken plus.

 

Marketing Focus - Graphics

Madden NFL 06 - Graphics were the big selling point for Madden NFL 06. This was where the major focus was from the start when the trailer was revealed during the NFL Draft. We expected facial expressions in real time, cloth physics, dynamic weather, and so much more just from the trailer alone. EA Sports was making the leap to high definition and Madden NFL 06 was it's showcase game. And the game did look beautiful for it's time. It never could live up to the pre-rendered footage and the framerate was locked at 30 fps, but it was a pretty game.

Madden NFL 25 - Graphics are obviously something that EA Sports is proud of in Madden NFL 25 but it's really taken a back seat to gameplay related issues. The footage shown is supposedly all in game footage as well, compared to the pre-rendered interpretation from Madden NFL 06. The team at EA Sports has learned a lot since the launch of that game and it shows with how they've chosen to present Madden NFL 25. If what we've seen in the trailers is even close to the final product, then EA Sports will actually be much closer to the 2005 target render then I ever thought possible.

 

Player movements/animations are a focal point of the marketing for Madden NFl 25.

 

Marketing Focus - Player Movement/Animation/Control

Madden NFL 06 - Player movement wasn't a big focus for the team at Tiburon. Madden senior producer Jeremy Strauser said at the time that the game had "a new animation engine that drives player movement and gameplay." If there was truly a new animation engine to drive player movement then it wasn't done very well, because Madden NFL 06 for XBOX 360 didn't control particularly well. Animation were improved from the XBOX/PS2 version but not by leaps and bounds.

Madden NFL 25 -One of Madden NFL 25's biggest touted innovations is what EA Sports is calling "True Step" player motion and this is supposed to calculate every step and give the player an unprecedented level of player control. Feel is a big buzzword coming from EA Sports about this iteration of Madden and that's a huge difference between the way these two games were marketed. We've also heard a lot already about the "war in the trenches" finally improving, "Player Sense" with up to 50x as many contextual calculations per ball carrier, and a much smarter AI. Whether these innovations work as intended we won't know until the next-generation consoles arrive, but what we do know is that Madden NFL 25 is working hard to be seen as more than a cosmetic upgrade.

 

Madden NFL 06 was trimmed down even to spite the TV broadcast presentation -- not so with Madden 25.

 

Marketing Focus - Feature Set

Madden NFL 06 - Madden NFL 06 was widely panned by series fans for removing many of the features found in it's XBOX and PS2 counterparts. Gone were fan favorites and pro football game staples such as the ability to challenge a call on the field, player editing, create-a-player, scaled back defensive playmaker controls, mini camp mode, and owner mode. The game was felt like it was made more for one off matchups and online play than a complete NFL experience.

Madden NFL 25 - Madden NFL 25 made it known far and wide at E3 that the Xbox One and Playstation 4 versions would be fully featured, the exact same feature set as this generation. This was a monumental announcement that really spurred many to go ahead and give Madden NFL 25 a shot for next-gen. This announcement couldn't be more welcome by the beleaguered football gamers of this generation of console gamers

 

The Presentation in Madden NFL 25 remains a mystery, but it's likely to be a step up, not down.
 

Marketing Focus - Presentation

Madden NFL 06 - To be honest this was probably the most underwhelming part of Madden NFL 06 for XBOX 360. Gone were commentators John Madden and Al Michaels. In their place, a generic "radio" announcer with very generic lines. On-field audio was supposedly a huge focus this year and player chatter was more noticeable than ever before. But the loss of the announcer crew, coupled with only a PA announcer and a radio guy, left a bad taste in a lot of people's mouths. The UI and menu screens were re-done for Xbox 360, but I don't think you'll find too many who were in love with them. They were unnecessarily cluttered at times and slow to respond at others. The whole presentation package was just a bad deal on Madden NFL 06.

Madden NFL 25 - Presentation, next-level presentation in fact, is a key part of the marketing for Madden NFL 25. EA Sports promises the most intelligent commentary in franchise history. Phil Simms and Jim Nantz will supposedly recall everything about your career - injuries, stats, awards, etc and do it in the right context. Not only that, but there is the promise of a dynamic, living stadium and crowd, something that has been sorely lacking for a long, long time. Presentation is not being neglected this year. Again, EA Sports does not want to repeat the mistakes of Madden NFL 06, and that's obvious here too.

 

Online play will be fully featured in Madden NFL 25, but not likely revolutionary.
 

Marketing Focus - Online Play/Multiplayer

Madden NFL 06 -Madden senior producer Jeremy Strauser said in an interview back in 2005 that "Madden for the Xbox 360 has been built with online gaming in mind." Madden NFL 06 wanted to be out front as a champion of Xbox Live and did so with this game. One of the first "always online" console video games, Madden was a big hit with online gamers looking for one on one competition. No online league play or anything like that was available, but it offered matchmaking and other standards at the time.

Madden NFL 25 - Madden NFL 25's Connected Franchise mode is something that gamers in 2005 were just dreaming about, or setting up themselves and keeping track of outside the game. This evolution in Madden's single player mode also extends to online multiplayer with the identical feature set as the single player mode. We saw a glimpse of how this would work last year with Madden NFL 13's Connected Careers mode, but this year may be the year where it really comes together.


As you can see, there are two vastly different marketing strategies between Madden NFL 06 and Madden NFL 25. One emphasized the leap to high definition while the other tries not to emphasize any one part of the game over the other. I think whether or not Madden NFL 25 disappoints the fans or not, you can't put that at the feet of the marketing job done by Electronic Arts. They have learned a lot since the last console launch and they are very skillfully building up excitement for their new next-generation Madden experience without taking away too much from the current generation game. The same couldn't be said about Madden NFL 06, which suffered from constant comparisons to it's XBox/PS2 version because of the amount of missing modes and features.

Yes, EA Sports has learned their lesson and I think we're in for a treat this November.