EA Sports enhanced the presentation in Madden 26 by updating field art, mascots, stadium motion graphics, and more.
Madden 26 officially launches on August 14. Ahead of release, the development team has revealed some of the new features fans can expect. For example, the weather has a more significant impact on games, QB DNA matches the same behaviors of star NFL quarterbacks, and Coach DNA replicates the philosophies of the greatest minds in the league.
Meanwhile, Franchise overhauled staff management and copied the Wear and Tear system from EA Sports College Football. While those gameplay improvements are essential, it’s not as impactful if the visuals don’t also match the same quality.
Madden 26 Presentation Updates Explained
One of the most exciting new additions to Madden 26 is the return of NFL legends to lead the pre-game rituals at stadiums. Here are a few examples included.
- Rob Gronkowski ringing the bell in New England as the Keeper of the Light.
- Greg Olsen returning to Carolina to bang the Keep Pounding drum.
- Charles Woodson lighting the Al Davis Memorial Torch in Las Vegas.
- Joe Montana blaring the foghorn in San Francisco.
Additionally, EA Sports licensed more than 40 songs for stadium music. Some of these stadium songs include the following.
- Lil Uzi Vert “Just Wanna Rock”.
- Beastie Boys “Sabotage”.
- Chappel Roan “HOT TO GO!”.
- Flo Rida ft. Kesha “Right Round”.
- Foo Fighters “The Pretender”.
- Metallica “For Whom the Bell Tolls”.
EA also added authentic motion graphics for 26 teams.
- 49ers
- Bears
- Bengals
- Bills
- Broncos
- Buccaneers
- Cardinals
- Chargers
- Colts
- Commanders
- Dolphins
- Eagles
- Falcons
- Jaguars
- Lions
- Packers
- Panthers
- Patriots
- Rams
- Ravens
- Saints
- Seahawks
- Steelers
- Texans
- Titans
- Vikings
And it wouldn’t be an NFL Sunday without mascots. EA wasn’t able to get the licensing rights for every mascot at launch, but did manage to get most.
- 49ers – Sourdough Sam
- Bears – Staley Da Bear
- Bengals – Who Dey
- Bills – Billy Buffalo
- Broncos – Miles
- Buccaneers – Captain Fear
- Cardinals – Big Red
- Chiefs – K.C. Wolf
- Commanders – Major Tuddy
- Cowboys – Rowdy
- Dolphins – T.D.
- Eagles – Swoop
- Falcons – Freddie Falcon
- Jaguars – Jaxson De Ville
- Lions – Roary
- Rams – Rampage
- Ravens – Poe
- Texans – Toro
Additionally, the development team was able to capture iconic stadium sounds, thanks to a partnership with NFL Films. For example, Madden 26 added both types of Gjallarhorn sounds for Minnesota Vikings games, added Cincinnati’s Who Dey chant, and New Orleans’ Who Dat chant.
Is your favorite team properly represented? Let us know on the Insider Gaming Forums.
In other gaming news, Phil Spencer released a memo detailing massive staff layoffs at Xbox, and the “Stop Killing Games” petition has surpassed 800,000 signatures.
