Here's What a Perfect Franchise Mode Looks Like in 2026

If you were creating the perfect franchise mode in 2026, what would be in it?

Franchise mode has become a theme for the month somewhat by accident, but following up on the non-negotiables for franchise mode and the worst part of every major franchise mode, it’s time to talk about the “perfect” franchise mode.

As different as sports games — and sports themselves are — I do think there are qualities that are universal. A baseball game should obviously not feel the same as a basketball game, but I think every sports game is still chasing the same “ideals” no matter the context.

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Now, the “perfect’ franchise mode for me — or probably many of you reading this — might not 100 percent align with every other person out there who plays sports games, but I think more times than not everyone does align.

Casual, hardcore, simulation, and arcade are descriptors that do separate the games and the audiences on some level, but within those groups I still think we all want the same things.

It’s not until you get a little more granular with it that the divide shows up. For example, something like the Vision Cone might have a higher support level among our cohort than it does the arcade or casual audience, but we all want the best QBs to play in a way that separates them from the worst QBs.

This means even a “perfect” franchise mode has to execute on certain ideas in different ways and may not please everyone along the way. However, I think an issue we have today is that certain franchise modes are not even in the right ballpark, so they can’t even strive for perfection.

In essence, I want this edition of the newsletter to serve as what I think is a “blueprint” of sorts that outlines the core components that every franchise mode should include as they’re built and improved in 2026 and beyond.

Execution is still what ultimately matters most and that is where this newsletter won’t be as helpful — I’m not audacious enough to think I know what the next brilliant gameplay idea is that will live on for years and years like the Hit Stick has.

On top of that, this is not me saying I know better than a lot of the very smart and creative people working on these modes, rather this is me simply giving a bird’s-eye view of things as someone who has played a lot of franchise modes for most of his life.

At this point, I know why I like certain franchise modes and don’t like others, and I usually can pinpoint it by thinking about parts of the franchise mode “blueprint” I want to jump into right now.

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