As Madden 26 Trailer Draws Horrible Reviews, Fans Urge NFL to End EA Sports’ “Lazy” Licensing Monopoly

The release of anything related to the newest EA Sports Madden game always stirs up a hubbub within NFL gamer circles. This year’s cover reveal was a big hit. The game creators made the right choice by selecting Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley.

Barkley was a 2,000-yard rusher, OPOY, and Super Bowl winner last year, so he was certainly deserving. And it’s hard to argue the cover didn’t follow the rule of cool, featuring him mid-air during his iconic backward hurdle. Unfortunately, it’s gone downhill from there. The trailer for Madden 26, which officially drops on August 14, hasn’t received such rave reviews.

The trailer features all the biggest players you’d expect. And there are more than a few players with unique animations, like Caleb Williams’ jump throw, Barkley’s reverse hurdle, and a few memorable touchdown and pre-game celebrations. The trailer wraps up with a clip of rookie Travis Hunter scoring a TD. The game’s tagline went like this:

“Built from real tendencies. Built from real schemes. Built from real weather. Built from real traditions. Built from Sundays.”

Official Reveal Trailer for Madden NFL 26: pic.twitter.com/9N55tuj7h6

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) June 4, 2025

Based on that extended tagline and what they showed in the trailer, it’s clear what they’ve focused on. They made sure to add unique movements and animations for the top players. They emphasized how weather affects gameplay.

And, for some reason, they focused heavily on pregame rituals. It’s also been reported that they’ve added more in terms of halftime shows, new broadcast packages, and recaps by Scott Hanson.

Those last few additions are peculiar, considering most Madden players will tell you they skip through all the pregame, halftime, and post-game content anyway. Many players even choose regular weather conditions for every game.

People want to play the game, not watch knock-off versions of already boring halftime shows. The pregame rituals for specific players are a cool touch, but largely unnecessary given how often they’re skipped.

Needless to say, the graphics and features for the new game did not impress the fans. As one internet user said on Twitter, “Look like same game from 15 years ago and my goofy a** gone buy it again.”

Others shared their sentiment, with one chirping, “Wow! Still looks like sh**. Stop buying it people,” while another penned, “I speak for everyone when I say this, we are NOT buying this roster update.”

Another more shrewd fan blamed the NFL for the continually subpar games: “NFL do the right thing and end the licensing agreement! I speak for everyone when I say we want a competitive market where under companies can use the NFL LICENSE to make a great product. @EASPORTS has been lazy and unproductive because they have no competition when it comes to making an NFL game.”

The fan has a point. The NFL and EA Sports have had an exclusive licensing agreement, making Madden the only licensed football simulation video game with real NFL players and teams. That agreement is ending after the 2026 season, so there is a sliver of hope. But only a sliver.

Unfortunately, reps from both sides have intimated that a new agreement could be imminent between the NFL and EA Sports. It has yet to be announced, however.