Madden NFL 10 gets online co-op; online franchises en route?

EA Sports confirms connected cooperative play will debut in this year's professional gridiron sim; senior designer hints at Internet-enabled Dynasty mode.

At the tail end of March, EA Sports made its customary announcement for the latest season of Madden NFL football, saying this year's edition will arrive on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, PSP, and Wii on August 14. Today, EA unveiled one of the headline features that will be introduced with Madden NFL 10, saying that for the first time, the football simulator will include online co-op play.

Fact: The Bengals will be good this year.

Even more intriguing, however, were statements made by senior designer Ian Cummings in a developer diary introducing the online co-op functionality. In talking about the new feature, Cummings notes that an even more requested online feature may also be en route with this year's edition of the game. "[Online co-op] might attract a lot of different people to try out online who maybe they'll go try out online franchise after that," Cummings said. (Emphasis added.)

An online franchise mode was a notable omission from Madden NFL 10, especially considering the feature's high-profile inclusion in NCAA Football 09. Responding to requests for comment, an EA Sports representative wasn't willing to explicitly confirm an online franchise mode in Madden NFL 10, saying only, "We'll be making another major announcement regarding our online plans for Madden NFL 10 at our [Electronic Entertainment Expo] press conference on June 1."

GameSpot will be on hand in Los Angeles to deliver news from EA's E3 press event, which is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. PDT on Monday. For more on Madden NFL 10, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.

50 Comments

  • Virus780

    Posted Jun 1, 2009 1:48 pm PT

    They should make a football game where you can replay past seasons on current gen systems.. Id love to have the opportunity to change the outcome of history by having my franchise mode start in the 90s as opposed to starting in 09.. Playing Madden with Jerry Rice, John Elway, Dan Marino, Joe Montana... and so on.. Any football fan would love it

  • gamepunk86

    Posted May 31, 2009 11:58 pm PT

    when is this ea-nfl contract up? can't this be some form of monopolizing?

  • Red122

    Posted May 31, 2009 5:30 pm PT

    How far really can you go with a sports game? I mean really yes Madden is the king of football for one they have the rights to the NFL so we wouldn't know if there was one better right? But anyways that's why I rent them owning them each year is just sad.

  • bschroth

    Posted May 31, 2009 10:48 am PT

    I want this kinda online co-op franchise/dynasty mode in NHL 09. I think all team sports games should implement something like this.

  • boro18

    Posted May 31, 2009 10:44 am PT

    i agree with salarianchemis ...2k5 was the last time a football game actually felt like...football...not just some buggy game system that allowed you to exploit the offense/defense by running the same 2 or 3 plays over and over again no matter what adjustments are made...

  • Smithers2286

    Posted May 31, 2009 9:10 am PT

    Well I bought Madden 09 and Tiger 09 last year for Wii and loved them! Now I need to sell them so I can get 10 of each, because they both are going to be amazing.

  • SalarianChemist

    Posted May 31, 2009 9:06 am PT

    NFL 2K5 on the original Xbox was by far the best football game ever made.

    The whole reason why EA entered that contract with the NFL where only they get to make third-party football games is because of the fact that the 2K games were cutting into their sales so much. I remember when NFL 2K actually outsold Madden!

    I will never forget how the first NFL 2K game on the Dreamcast was so many light years ahead of the competition. I wish that the NFL 2K series could be brought back. The thought of playing NFL 2K10 on Xbox Live is a fantasy that I suppose will have to remain a dream.

  • knicknut17

    Posted May 31, 2009 3:16 am PT

    Co-op isn't a new feature in Madden. It's a feature that existed many years ago and then was removed for some inexplicable reason and now has been brought back. This really doesn't impress me at all...Online franchise mode with fantasy leagues like MLB 09: The Show would impress me.

  • Wuflungdung

    Posted May 31, 2009 1:59 am PT

    this might sound stupid, but I hate how they advertise these "Online Co-Op" things. is it co-op on the same console or with different people on the net? they better have both, it was really missed in 09 thats why I didn't bother playing online. I would have played heaps if i was able to play with my mate on my team on the same console online

  • pacman2O6

    Posted May 31, 2009 12:02 am PT

    ok the gameplay looks like its going to be AMAZING but what about their presentation? 2k had ESPN NFL PRIMTIME! i mean since they got the liscense and they use the virtual playbook on ESPN why dont they inherit some espn presentation or something and cheerleaders and nfl mascots if they can do it in ncaa and 2k5 they definitely can do it in madden 10 that would just make it that much better and authentic

  • dcipher80

    Posted May 30, 2009 8:13 pm PT

    I've been playing madden for years and the biggest problem I had with last year's madden is the computer's ability to throw a million times at the end of games/halves. The defense never responded realistically and you can never get enough pass rush. I think the pass rush needs to be tweaked more than anything else.

  • thetravman

    Posted May 30, 2009 8:03 pm PT

    They didn't have it before? What has EA added throughout all these years? I really don't get sport games, releasing the same game every year.

  • rotten__eggs

    Posted May 30, 2009 7:42 pm PT

    Thank you Jesus! online co-op i always wondered why they didnt have it b4

  • PSgamer99

    Posted May 30, 2009 7:16 pm PT

    hell ya maaly81, i cant wait for that day

  • maaly81

    Posted May 30, 2009 7:08 pm PT

    2k is a sleeping giant, waiting for that exclusive license to expire

  • godzillavskong

    Posted May 30, 2009 5:54 pm PT

    Wow. I remember playing NFL2k5 online co-op with some friends, man was that a blast. I guess we can realize how much ahead of the pack Visual Concepts was, it took 4-5 years for the big giant EA to finally implement this in their baby. I'm not hating on EA, I actually liked last years Madden, but I really do miss the 2K series. If you can't beat em , bite em.

  • TexasAnMGrad2K

    Posted May 30, 2009 5:50 pm PT

    Great idea EA! Now, put it in NCAA Football 2010 too!

  • chris1074

    Posted May 30, 2009 3:04 pm PT

    Madden is finally on the right track. Although I love football, i never been a fan of the madden games because their players were so cartoony looking. I always liked 2k for their commentaries and realistic animations. With 2k games I always felt like i was watching a prime time football game and feeling like I was a part of it because the commentators were so enthusiastic with their play calling.

    Well I'm happy to see Madden has finally out done 2k visually. Gameplay looks great as well. I'm sure some will disagree, but the only flaw left that I don't like about Madden is their commentators. Not that I don't like them, cause I know they're actual football hosts in real life, and one of them sounds like Chris, but they just sound so monotone. If you watch football then you know they sound so much more exciting than how they do in the game.

  • pakhair

    Posted May 30, 2009 1:48 pm PT

    Looks Cool



    Check out My Pre E3 Blog

  • Flint247

    Posted May 30, 2009 1:46 pm PT

    Online Co-op FTW.

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