Madden Sales Have Improved as Game Became More Realistic, Director Says

There is a positive correlation between how authentic a Madden game is with its sales and review scores, according to creative director Rex Dickson.

He mentioned this on Twitter recently after someone brought up how they got called for roughing the passer with what they thought was a legal hit. Dickson explained that you can't hit the QB low anymore due to real NFL rules. Not everyone may agree with the NFL's rules changes to protect the QB. But EA's decision to follow the league has paid off with better sales and review scores, according to Dickson.

Responding to someone else who said good gameplay doesn't have to be realistic, Dickson said, "Maybe, but we are a sim and the more real/sim the game has become, the more sales and review scores have gone up."

The newest game in the Madden series, Madden NFL 17, strives for authenticity beyond what happens on the field. For the first time in franchise history, EA Sports is updating the game's commentary regularly to reflect what happens in the league. This will mostly focus on the on-field performance of players, as well as major news like trades, free agency signings, and injuries.

In some cases, the new commentary team, Brandon Gaudin and Charles Davis, will talk about off-the-field matters. One example of this is that they will "briefly" discuss San Francisco 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick's controversial decision to sit during the national anthem during multiple preseason games in August.

In other Madden news, EA Sports has released a new patch that makes fumbles happen less often (in some scenarios) and zaps a glitch that could let your opponent know what kind of play you were running.

For more on Madden NFL 17, check out GameSpot's review and what other critics are saying.