Madden NFL 15 Not Getting a Demo; Only Xbox One Owners With EA Access Can Try It Early

Update: EA has issued a statement on the lack of a demo, telling Polygon, "The difficult decision not to do a demo for Madden was strictly a result of the team's commitment to deliver the highest-quality game possible. We chose to put 100 percent of our development resources toward the full game."

Original Story: EA Sports will not release a demo of this year's Madden NFL 15, meaning the only people who will be free to try it without a purchase are Xbox One owners with an EA Access membership.

This news comes by way of EA Sports community manager Andrew Johnson, who responded to a question on Twitter by saying, "There will not be a Madden NFL 15 demo." An EA representative has since confirmed this is indeed the case with GameSpot, but would not provide any explanation for why.

The lack of a demo comes a surprise given that Madden is a series which ordinarily offers a demo each and every year. As an annual sports series where subtle refinements to the core gameplay are so critical, a demo can go a long way in convincing players that the latest game warrants a purchase.

The reaction so far, as you might imagine, has been extremely negative. EA recently announced EA Access, a subscription program for Xbox One that provides members with unlimited access to a selection of games for $5 per month or $30 per year. Other perks include discounts on DLC and early access to select games (which may be limited to a period of two hours).

One such game is Madden 15, which EA Access members will be able to play early. In lieu of a demo, this early access now becomes the only way to try Madden prior to its release. This is of concern to fans not only because demos for future EA games could be locked behind this paywall, but also because it means Xbox One--as the only platform that currently supports EA Access--is the only system that offers a way to demo Madden 15. That leaves most platforms that Madden is coming to--it's also scheduled for release on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360--with no way to sample the game.

EA Access is now available for all Xbox One members, with Madden 15 set to launch on all platforms on August 26. A special Xbox One bundle that includes a free copy of the game will also be available on that day for $400.