Highlights

  • Madden 24 struggled with lack of evolution, tech issues, and player dissatisfaction, and Madden 25 will face a new dilemma: its title.
  • Potential naming issue arises as Madden 25 has already been used for the series' 25th anniversary, posing an SEO conundrum for the upcoming release.
  • Despite repeat names being somewhat common in gaming, EA may consider a shift in naming convention to signal a fresh start for Madden, potentially returning to the four-number year option via Madden 2025.

The Madden series of games is en route to yet another entry in its yearly release cycle. However, the next iteration of the Madden franchise will be facing a unique, albeit minor, problem: its title.

Despite being at a crossroads for EA, Madden 24 failed to uplift a series that's remained stale for some time. While it didn't suffer the save file issues found in Madden 23, it failed to make the grade in a big way. The title saw a deluge of negative reviews, with players citing a lack of evolution and another trough of technical issues. The decline of the series coincided with the injection of microtransactions into the mix, which has pitted the games against the overcrowded live service market. With microtransaction-laden releases increasingly moving toward being free-to-play, Madden is getting left behind. This is not the only issue the next game may have to consider, though, as it also has to consider an old game name.

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There's Already A Madden 25 Before Madden 25

In addition to the series' ills, the next Madden game will have to contend with a naming problem. Far from the issues plaguing Madden 24, this year's entry is lined up to have a moniker already found in the franchise. Madden 25 came out in 2013, breaking the established naming convention that continues to this day—a special title to signify the series' 25th anniversary. What's a nuisance now is that the game that would normally take 25 as its number is upcoming, and it could create an awkward situation for EA.

The Next Madden Game's Name Might Go In A New Direction

It's unlikely to be a big issue, but there are some small encumbrances that come with two games in the same franchise sharing a name. Not only is it confusing, but it can create something of an SEO conundrum. Those searching for Madden 25 may find themselves looking at the 2013 title, something which could harm eyeball traffic overall. With all the criticism levied against Madden in recent years, it might not be something EA wants to deal with.

There are a few ways a shift could manifest. Madden might follow FIFA's example and get a big name change, but there's no current concern around the NFL license that might provoke such a shift. An easy fix would be changing that hypothetical 25 to 2025, and that's probably the most likely route for EA. That would then invite the question of what the game after that would look like. A choice would have to be made, at such a point, whether to stick with 2026 or revert to 26. Whatever happens, an oddity is almost certainly on the horizon.

On the contrary, there is some precedent for a different name within Madden itself. The current trend of two numbers only started with the infamous Madden 06, with full years being in the titles of its 6 predecessors. Two numbers were used from 1991-1998, so switching back and forth between systems isn't actually unheard of. Moreover, a switch in convention could be used to signal a fresh start for Madden. With all the negative press circling the series, a real evolution might just put it back on track.

In The End, EA May Not Even Take Much Notice

Additionally, repeat names are actually not at all uncommon. Call of Duty and Battlefield are franchises rife with this confusion, as is Mortal Kombat. In the latter's case, the recent Mortal Kombat One has a name vague enough for players to confuse it with the two games named just Mortal Kombat, one of which is the real first entry in the series. However, these names all typically signal reboots or fresh starts for a franchise. The next Madden game is lined up to be a totally incidental entry, so even keeping the same name will seem weird to those in the loop.