What Was the Biggest Announcement From FIFA/Madden Yesterday?

OS Staffers were watching along with you as we learned new details from EA about both FIFA and Madden. Here’s what we thought stood out in the announcements.

Phil Varckette

I’m really interested in the Superstar X-Factor players in Madden. It’s been way too long since we’ve seen any real discrepancies between players on the field.

Ratings never seem to matter except for maybe speed. Having to actually prepare for certain players and figure out ways to stop them adds a whole new dynamic to the game. I’m just hoping they aren’t too overpowered and there are ways to stop then through real football strategy.

I’m also not sure I like that you have to do certain on-field criteria to activate some of the X-Factor abilities. Patrick Mahomes can throw the ball 80 yards anytime he wants to — not only after he completes a few 30-yard passes. I guess we’ll see how EA address these elements going forward. I don’t expect this to change this year, but this might be something they want to look at beyond. Other than that, I think this will add something to the game we haven’t really had for a long time, if ever.

Matt Llewellyn

For me, the answer is simple: Volta. FIFA is the trendsetter among EA’s sports franchises, but this year it seems as if Volta is borrowing from the NHL franchise. Considering the size of the user bases, Volta should provide much more impact than World of Chel did for NHL 19.

Any time a game gives more agency and options to the player, the better, and having a FIFA Street-style mode for FIFA 20 is huge. As much as I love Madden, Superstar abilities and RPO can’t compare to what FIFA has to offer.

While it remains to be seen how fleshed out Volta will be in terms of being able.to squad up or play with friends, the foundation is there for an EA title to finally try and compete with NBA 2K’s industry-standard Park/Neighborhood.

TJ Henderson

FIFA’s Volta continues the trend of titles realizing that the return of “Street” franchises is not really necessary. Rather, you can have that experience within the flagship titles.

FIFA’s world reach is second to none, with the rich and the poor commonly having a soccer ball ready for neighborhood matches. That gritty experience is as important to the culture of the sport as the brightest stadium lights.

And it deserves a warm welcome back.

Raychel Sanner

The biggest announcement I think is Volta. You basically have a version of FIFA Street built within the game in some form now. It’s a good way to give a new experience to the flagship title, and in a way that feels like it adds value.

The plethora of modes and the obvious online components to Volta really make it seem like a potential big deal to gamers who trend towards the online game. I’m going to reserve some judgement as I want to wait and see how it all seemingly fits together, but the early returns are positive.