Madden NFL 25 Title Update - January 8, 2025

Hey Madden Fans!

Welcome back to Gridiron Notes, your home for news and information on the updates coming to Madden NFL 25 straight from the development team. 

Today’s Title Update focuses on a range of gameplay improvements and tuning based directly on your feedback. Our team is always watching and listening and in this update, the aim is improving the balance between offense and defense. There are also more than 800 playbook updates stemming from real-life play-calling innovation. We’re also revealing player likeness additions and more. Let’s dive in!

Gameplay 

• Increased the amount of force necessary to cause a physics-based knockout on interception attempts, reducing the amount of dropped interceptions.
  • DEV NOTE: We’ve noted lots of feedback regarding too many dropped interceptions. We found that many of the drops were a result of physics-based catch knockouts. In this Title Update, we have increased the amount of force necessary to cause a catch knockout on interceptions, which will result in fewer interception drops. This gameplay adjustment will apply when playing on Competitive Game Style.  
• General Tuning to lower the ratings threshold necessary for a player to have a guaranteed catch chance on an interception attempt on Competitive Gamestyle. This gameplay adjustment will apply when playing on Competitive Game Style.
• Updated the ‘Throwing Dots’ achievement description to appropriately detail what is necessary to unlock the achievement. 
• Reduced the accuracy of High Throw mechanic passes on Competitive Gamestyle.
  • DEV NOTE:  We are reducing the pass accuracy of high throws to bring more gameplay balance between offense and defense, based on player feedback. The mechanic will still be effective but players will not be able to successfully use it with such high frequency. This gameplay adjustment will apply when playing on Competitive Game Style. 
• User-controlled ball carriers are no longer able to dive when they have their Ball Carrier Coaching Adjustment set to Conservative.
  • DEV NOTE: Users will still be able to slide and give up when their Ball-Carrier Coach Adjustment is set to Conservative but they will no longer be able to use the high leaping dive animation. Regardless of whether the user taps or holds X/Square, they will only be able to Slide or Give up. 
• Increased the chance of catch knockouts when a receiver is hit immediately after the catch point.
  • DEV NOTE: After receiving feedback from players about wide receivers, running backs, and tight ends holding onto too many catches when being hit hard immediately after the catch point. Our goal here is for the skilled Catch-In-Traffic receivers to still hold onto catches when being hit while trying to secure the catch but lesser skilled Catch-In-Traffic receivers will get the ball knocked out on those bang-bang plays. This gameplay adjustment will apply when playing on Competitive Game Style. 
• Fixed physics-based tackling issue that would cause the ball carrier to spin on the ground after a hit stick
• Addressed an issue where the outside receiver on the Gun Trips Slot Close: Blast play had the wrong assignment and would not block appropriately on the play

Playbooks 

Huddle up!

Before we break into our regular Gridiron Notes Formation… let’s talk about the more than 800 updates spanning all 32 NFL Team playbooks, all stemming from real-life utilization and play-calling. 

In today’s Title Update, offensive ingenuity is front and center. More than 800 updates have been made to offensive playbooks alone, including the addition of some plays that are brand new to Madden after they’ve made a splash in the 2024-2025 NFL season. 

Let’s take Justin Jefferson’s 97-yard Week Two touchdown, for example. That’s now in Minnesota’s offensive playbook as PA Shot Post. You can even custom stem the Shot Post route that led to Jefferson’s house call!

Sample New Formations:

• 49ers
  • Gun Bunch Spread Nasty 
• Chiefs
  • Gun Bunch Spread Nasty 
• Commanders
  • Pistol Doubles Hip
    • DEV NOTE: New play added: Z Shake Crosser - Terry McLaurin’s Week Four Touchdown against Arizona. 
• Chargers
  • Gun Bunch Spread 
• Falcons
  • Gun Bunch Spread
  • Pistol Doubles Hip
• Jaguars
  • Gun Bunch Spread Nasty 
• Packers
• Gun Bunch Spread 
• Rams
  • Gun Bunch Spread
• Seahawks
  • Gun Bunch Spread Nasty 
• Vikings
  • Gun Bunch Spread Nasty 

Notable New Plays: 

• Bears
  • Gun Doubles HB Wk - Boomerang Y Delay (Cole Kmet TD)
• Bengals
  • Gun Trey Y-Flex - PA Deep Over. (Ja’Marr Chase TD)
• Bills 
  • Gun Bunch TE - Boomerang Mesh Traffic (James Cook TD)
• Broncos 
  • Gun Bunch Wide Nasty - Mesh Drive (Courtland Sutton TD)
• Browns 
  • Gun Doubles Flex Wk Swap - Mtn Slot Post (Cedric Tillman TD)
• Bucs
  • Gun Bunch TE - Mtn Snag Under (Mike Evans TD)
• Cardinals
  • Gun Ace - Flood Post (Marvin Harrison Jr. TD)
• Commanders
  • Pistol Doubles Hip - Z Shake Crosser (Terry McLaurin TD)
• Chargers
  • Split T Tight - HB Lead (Goalline TD Run)
• Colts
  • Gun Bunch TE - Mtn Mesh (Mo Alie-Cox TD)
• Falcons
  • Gun Bunch Spread - Mtn Slot Out (Drake London TD)
• Jaguars
  • Gun Trey Y-Flex - Stick Nod H-Angle (Travis Etienne TD) 
• Jets
  • Gun Trips X Nasty - Mtn Triple Slants (Garrett Wilson reception)
• Lions
  • Gun Spread DBL Flex Wk - Mtn Out N Up Seam (Amon-Ra St. Brown TD)
• Lions
  • Singleback Bunch X Nasty - Mtn PA Deep X Over  (Jameson Williams TD) 
• Patriots
  • Singleback Wing Close - PA Cross Y Delay (Hunter Henry TD)
• Ravens
  • Gun Wing Slot Wk - Mtn Stutter Wheel (Justice Hill TD)
• Saints
  • Gun Doubles Flex Y Off Close - Mtn Slot Post (Rashid Shaheed TD) 
• Seahawks
  • Gun Bunch Spread Nasty - Z Swirl Choice (Tyler Lockett TD)
• Vikings
  • Singleback Wing Flex Close - PA Shot Post (Justin Jefferson 97 Yard TD) 

Franchise Mode

• Updated NFL Head Coach Likeness for New Orleans Saints and Chicago Bears 

NFL Authenticity 

• Added Jordan 1 Vapor Edge Cleats
• Added Jordan 3 Cement Cleats
• Added Light Robot Jagged Facemask
• Added Robot 808 Jagged Facemask
• Added the following Face Scans
  • Jaylen Warren - RB - Steelers
  • Ryan Kelly - C - Colts
  • Donovan Wilson - SS - Cowboys
  • Wyatt Teller - G - Browns
  • Skylar Thompson - QB - Dolphins
  • Aidan O’Connell - QB - Raiders
  • Jake Haener - QB - Saints
  • Luke Musgrave - TE - Packers

Madden PlayerCard & NFL Team Pass

This update introduces the Madden PlayerCard & NFL Team Pass.

The Madden PlayerCard is a new customization feature that allows players to design their own unique PlayerCard featuring content of your favorite NFL Team! Set your Background, Profile Picture, Border and Badges to represent your favorite franchise. Your PlayerCard will be displayed in online games to other Madden Players. NFL Team Pass content requires in-game purchase and gameplay to unlock.

NFL Team Pass is a new objectives system that allows players to unlock awesome themed content for the Madden PlayerCard. Select your favorite team and complete objectives across multiple game modes to unlock the coolest NFL Team Pass Content. 

And that is a wrap! Thank you all so much for checking in to the Gridiron Notes! Be sure to tune into Good Morning Madden on Twitch and MaddenNFLDirect for more updates and announcements.

-- The Madden Team

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