It's been another tough start for Madden NFL 22. In the wake of mixed reviews, EA's NFL franchise is once again suffering a variety of strange glitches and bugs, some of which can break the game.
Among the worst of these glitches is the so-called "Loss Glitch" reportedly affecting those who started an offline franchise. Over the past several days, social media has been aflame with reports of franchise games registering as a loss even after a big win.
Franchise mode played the whole game won 42-7 to come back to main screen to find out no stats count and I got a loss. What’s going on @EAMaddenNFL pic.twitter.com/5AkTCfHEez
— Charlie (@SBrudnok67) August 28, 2021
I think you should fix the Loss glitch on franchise mode. @EAMaddenNFL https://t.co/KczeXsE6ST
— Jodie2stroke (@2cold_joe) August 29, 2021
The problematic nature of the "Loss Glitch" is clear: it's tough to keep the motivation to stick with a franchise mode game if the results aren't accurate. This follows reports of online franchise desync issues that were addressed by server maintenance late last week.
Franchise mode isn't the only area of Madden 22 racked by bugs. Visual glitches abound on the field, and playing defense has proven to be difficult as players fail to move to the correct part of the field.
"Madden will always be home base. EA has been great to me in the limited capacity I've worked with them. And it's not about any individuals," one streamer wrote today in reference to the various frustrations surrounding the gameplay, including the lack of word on a patch. "I'm considering streaming some other games while they figure it all out. I don't feel valued as a player."
Visual glitches and gameplay bugs have become an annual tradition for Madden NFL, particularly at launch — issues only exacerbated by the shift to work-from-home during the COVID-19 pandemic. While multiple EA devs have told me that many of the process problems raised by the move have been ironed out, this year's version still seems notably buggy.
"We're gonna fix all the bugs and make Madden 22 the best one yet."
Madden 22: pic.twitter.com/joamIoZRwO
— Matthew DeFazio (@manu5049) August 29, 2021
Big things coming, HOW ABOUT YOU FIX YOUR GAME FIRST. since the EA Trial my game has crashed every 10 minutes in franchise mode. Also WTF is this. FIX YOUR GAME🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️#FixMadden22 pic.twitter.com/6kBpVAfVDG
— ColtsDynasty94 (@ColtsFan4Life94) August 29, 2021
I encountered plenty of these bugs in my own review of Madden 22, writing that it was evident that it was the "same old Madden" after just a few hours. I didn't encounter the loss glitch due to saving my franchise to the cloud, but I did get repeatedly booted back to the main menu after completing games — an irritating if ultimately harmless issue. Much worse were the strange bounces by the ball, the field glitches, and a multitude of Face of the Franchise issues, such as Trevor Lawrence being drafted back-to-back with my own highly-regarded rookie quarterback.
EA has thus far been silent on timing for a major title update that will address many of these issues. Based on Madden's prior history, it should be happening relatively soon, and it's apt to be extensive. Right now, though, Madden seems to be focused on teasing upcoming College Football content on social media.
I have reached out to EA regarding potential patch timing and will update this story if I hear anything. Madden NFL 22 is now available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN