Truth or LIES: Madden 26 Franchise Mode Edition

We’re still in the early access phase with Madden 26 (until Thursday), but I think I’ve put enough time in with franchise mode at this point to run the first edition of what I think is going to be the next hit game show: Truth or LIES…What? I’m being at least half serious with that statement. I really do think this could be a hit game show, and it’s definitely totally different from To Tell the Truth.

Just a heads up that we started the OS Discord late last week, and I would love if every single one of you joined up. We’re using it like a hangout and another spot to talk about any and all sports video games and regular sports.

In addition, in the near future we’re also going to start running some stuff through that Discord for paid Supporters of the newsletter as a way to show how much I appreciate you all giving back to it (most likely more on that next week). With that in mind, I’ll also mention we’re still running a 30-day FREE trial here for anyone who wants to test the waters and receive the full extra newsletter on Wednesdays.

Upon joining the Discord, DM either Rob S (thekernelpop) or ChaseB (chucklesbiscotti), informing them that you’ve signed up for the premium newsletter. If you reach out to me, I’ll add you to the extra Supporters area on Discord, and if you reach out to Rob he will do the same. On top of that, you’ll get a nifty little Supporters Club role on the Discord.

EA loves to do this thing now, especially with their biggest games, where they write thousands of words explaining all the hard work they’ve put into their games to improve them. You see this with EA Sports FC, College Football, and with today’s contestant, Madden. These deep dives are awesome, and I’m happy they exist because they give us insights into the development process and showcase the things that are changing year to year, which is a huge deal for most of us folks who buy the games every year (or at least most years). At the same time, if you show your work then somebody has got to check your work. I’m here today to check that work as it relates to what EA said was coming to Madden 26’s franchise mode.

Because, look, I’m not saying EA developers are putting in all this time to write up thousands and thousands of words to then not deliver on those words, but video game development is messy work. Developers can come up with all sorts of documents and plans detailing what they want to implement or fix, but time is never on the side of a sports game developer, and video game development even at the best of times is unpredictable. I’m not here to hold feet to the fire, but I am here to be the “arbiter” of sorts and talk about my experience as someone who has played a lot of Madden 26 this past week.

So let’s go through EA’s franchise mode deep dive and talk about what’s true, what’s lies, and what’s DAMNED LIES (there will be no statistics) in Madden 26.

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