Rich and Bryan return to sum up the year in sports games, which, ultimately, means solely discussing the game that mattered most: College Football 25. The two recap having faced off in a game that was a decade in-the-making in their college football online dynasty.

Check out the show through�Apple Podcasts for iOS�or on any of the popular podcast platforms including�Spotify! Subscribe and give the podcast five star reviews to help support the show. You can also listen with the Spotify streaming player found below.

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Rich and Bryan discuss the release of College Football 25. 11 years passed between licensed college football video games – so how did EA Sports do with the highly anticipated return? From general first impressions, to a planned dynasty mode with 32 people, and a viral broadcast camera tweet, there’s a lot to get into from just the early days with the game.

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Rich and Bryan reunite for a podcast 11 years in the making. EA Sports College Football 25 had its first trailer and initial feature list reveal. Will the game be able to live up to fan expectations?

Check out the show through Apple Podcasts for iOS or on any of the popular podcast platforms including Spotify! Subscribe and give the podcast five star reviews to help support the show. You can also listen with the Spotify streaming player found below.

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The wait for a fully licensed college football video game will have been 11 years should EA Sports College Football 25 release as now scheduled. Rich and Bryan discuss the return being pushed back from summer 2023 to 2024. Why it happened and what the first game back could benefit from the extra year as EA juggles extensive legal and development challenges.

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EA Sports’ initial pitch to licensors regarding the launch of a new college football gaming franchise targeted release in July 2023. It’s disappointing then to get word today that the first game in the new series will instead release in 2024.

That shouldn’t come as a surprise however given the scope of the project. In the initial news post about its return and in several podcasts and tweets in the years since I cautioned this was not only a possible scenario but a more likely one than hitting a 2023 date.

While college football will share some architecture, assets, and devs with Madden NFL it is still being very much built from the ground up for current-gen (PS5 & Xbox Series X/S) only with extensive work to be done in all areas. More so than that however, are the remaining legal hurdles and NIL deals that have to be struck.

Given that there is still no player’s association that would provide for group licensing EA will have to come to agreement with every player that they wish to be in the game individually. While many may sign away their rights for a copy of the game, others will surely want to negotiate. This goes not just for current players but historic ones that will be used in Ultimate Team. It’s also quite possible that EA has had trouble securing the licensing for every FBS program. In their 2020 statement they only stated there would be “over 100 institutions” rather than guaranteeing that they would be all there. Notre Dame, Wisconsin, and USC are notable universities that have reportedly provided resistance. It’s difficult to imagine a college football game without some of the biggest programs in the country.

It’s critical for EA Sports to hit a homerun with the first launch. The hype will be extraordinary while playing against the nostalgia of the very good NCAA Football 14 – the flaws of which have largely been forgotten. The extra time won’t ensure EA Sports College Football 25 will be a great game. It will give them more of an opportunity however to make it a complete one.

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Following an extended hiatus the Press Row Podcast is back with two episodes hitting early in this sports game season! In “The Return” Rich, Bryan, and Owen Good discuss the release of Madden NFL 23 and assess the upcoming battle between 2K and EA golf games. The more recent episode just went live and features Rich and Bryan primarily focusing on NBA 2K23 and impressions of The Jordan Challenge and MyNBA Eras.

Check out the show through Apple Podcasts for iOS or on any of the popular podcast platforms including Spotify! Subscribe and give the podcast five star reviews to help support the show. You can also listen with the Spotify streaming player found below.

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Today the prerelease stream schedule for MLB The Show 22 was announced. Rather than what was present being the story it’s what was absent. There is no mention of Franchise Mode for any of the seven streams to come.

In recent years Franchise has at least been included, even when barely addressed in the actual stream. Now, despite pressure from fans on social media, it’s been made more clear than ever that Franchise not only the lowest of priorities but may not be around much longer.

There’s a decade’s worth of evidence that Sony San Diego doesn’t care for Franchise Mode. It’s never been the worst of its kind in the genre but it has gone essentially unchanged and yearly updates to match the real world are often left out. Meanwhile NBA 2K continues work expanding multiple Franchise Modes and Madden has at least made commitments to major Franchise improvements. MLB The Show now won’t even acknowledge the mode exists or any of the fans who are begging just to be heard.

The exclusion of Franchise from the stream schedule was certainly not an oversight. It was going to be scrutinized by fans and immediately recognized for its absence. This was a deliberate action that was taken with a plan in mind.

The introduction of March to October three years ago came directly after the removal of both Online Franchise and Season Mode. In the case of the former the developer only announced its removal a few weeks before the release of the game. Season Mode being stripped was shamefully hidden until it was discovered after release by consumers.

There is little reason to believe that Franchise Mode wouldn’t be treated the same way. A year or two from now taken out without being discussed until forced to do so. The very same justification Sony had for the removal of Season and Online Franchise could apply here, that usage rates are not high enough to invest development resources, as they continue to build out March to October and monetize it by creating a connection with Diamond Dynasty.

When the day comes that Franchise is removed, who will be left to object? The most passionate fans will have been worn down and are beginning to expect it. The fight feels over at this point. That’s exactly the campaign that seems to be taking place from Sony – to demoralize Franchise fans so that they just don’t care anymore.

For all the people who claim they’d be done with the series if Franchise comes to an end, following through on that would barely make a dent in the success of the series. Publishers are now not concerned with how many people pay $70 for their game (or download free from Game Pass). Their focus is on those who spend hundreds or thousands of dollars after getting the game. People who are investing their time in Franchise are seen as a liability.

Not only can MLB The Show survive without Franchise but it very well may continue to thrive despite the pleas of the hardcore fans that helped get the series to where it is today. It may actually make financial sense to go that direction once the storm is weathered, and right now it appears they are conditioning fans for that very future.

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Rich and Bryan discuss the reveal of MLB The Show 22 amidst the lockout, the sales of Activision-Blizzard and Bungie and what it would mean if EA were to be acquired by Microsoft or Sony, and go into the latest in their Madden online franchises.

Check out the show through Apple Podcasts for iOS, on Android with the Stitcher app, or with Pocket Casts on iOS, Android, and Windows. The PRP can now also be found on Spotify! Subscribe and give the podcast five star reviews to help support the show. You can also listen with the Spotify streaming player found below.

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Rich Grisham and Bryan Wiedey return to wrap up a year in sports gaming that, depending on perspective, either featured a handful of quality efforts from long-running franchises or will be remembered as one of the worst in the history of the genre. The two discuss what they’ve been playing – mainly Madden NFL 22 and Forza Horizon 5 – and look ahead to 2022 and new games that could inject life back into the genre.

Check out the show through Apple Podcasts for iOS, on Android with the Stitcher app, or with Pocket Casts on iOS, Android, and Windows. The PRP can now also be found on Spotify! Subscribe and give the podcast five star reviews to help support the show. You can also listen with the Spotify streaming player found below.

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Whether one chooses to look at it as a feature arriving late or one that would otherwise have been held until next year if not for consumer pressure, the update bringing in a big scouting revamp for Franchise Mode is out today for Madden NFL 22.

In addition the patch makes considerable changes to gameplay, adds a new mode to The Yard, and inserts over 20 new player likenesses to Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5.

Franchise – Scouting

With a full scouting department at your disposal, deploy your four area scouts and your national scout to scour the map for the best talent in the country. Assign area scouts to one of four different regions, and adjust assignments from the first week of the preseason until the first week of the regular season. Gather prospects from all regions of the map using your national scout. Choose general scouting, position-focused, super-focused, or private workouts to evaluate prospects.

Garner the most information about prospects when you conduct private workouts. Collect information like player traits, athletic abilities, and skills all of which are relative to the rest of that seasons’ prospect pool. Over the course of the season, there will be five mock drafts. Mock drafts showcase which teams are interested in which prospects, based on respective team needs and existing draft position. Mocks will be dynamic over the course of a season as teams perform, sign players, and loose players in free agency.

Prospects will change positions on the draft board throughout the season based on notable storylines reported on by the media. Track a player’s big board movement by seeing their Rank Change during the season.

Franchise – Other

Tuned the logic for the MVP award via boosting weight of sacks, greater emphasis on touchdowns, and more significant penalty for turnovers
Fix to some teams missing their draft picks on the active/preseason roster
Addressed an issue with Weekly Strategy fatigue where CPU/auto manage rep teams get too fatigued by the end of the season
Addressed an issue where running backs had very high yards-per-reception in simulation
Fixed an issue where the right tackle position did not appear in the trade menus.

Gameplay – Pass Coverage

Hook Zones: Fixed an issue causing the Mid-Read defender in Tampa 2 to drift the wrong direction vs. trips, leaving the TE open off the snap. This fix makes sure the Mid Read is opening with that vertical by #3 and carrying it better vertically downfield
Curl-Flat Zones: Improved Curl Flat Zone logic so they would prioritize out breaking routes instead of shading under verticals. Also improved some logic so Curl Flats and Quarters Flats won’t chuck out breaking routes that were causing them to give up any leverage they had to cover the sideline.
Flat Zones: Improved Cloud Flat Zone logic to better carry vertical routes to protect the fade and improve their facing direction immediately following the chuck
Fixed an issue so Cover 2 Sink soft-squat defenders could better shade receivers in the flat
Fixed an issue preventing Hard-Flat defenders from covering Inside Receivers and Tight Ends in Bunch and Close formations running Flat Routes and the flat portion of wheel routes
Improved Man Defender motion logic so man defenders will properly follow and align when their receiver motions across the formation when the AI team is using the CB Matchups
Fixed an issue causing man-coverage assignments to incorrectly swap when the offense motioned a receiver across the formation.

Gameplay – QB Contain

Tuning to QB Contain behavior so contain defenders will get more depth off the snap
Tuning to open up disengage angles to allow contain defenders to anticipate better getting off blocks to more quickly react to QB’s dropping back too far behind the line of scrimmage

Gameplay – Tackling

Fixed a rare issue preventing a QB slide from being ruled down
Fixed a rare issue that could allow a defender to warp off the ground from a diving tackle into a standing wrap tackle

Gameplay – General

Fixed a blocking issue preventing the blocking RB from picking up an edge rusher vs. Nickel 3-3-5 Wide flipped
Addressed an issue where QBs would be able to scramble deep in the offensive backfield at full speed until they found an angle to get around Pass Rushers. DEV NOTE: QBs will start to fatigue faster and slow down when trying to scramble 15+ yards behind the line of scrimmage. This reflects the realistic amount of effort and energy loss QB’s suffer in real life when scrambling so deep in the offensive backfield.
Fixed an issue causing players sometimes to start the second half of the game extremely fatigued
Fixed an issue causing the user-controlled player to get stuck running on touchbacks during kickoffs
Fixed an issue causing sideline characters sometimes to warp or pop randomly
Fixed issues around Deadeye abilities triggering in the wrong situation. Inside Deadeye was not only triggering on passes to targets inside the numbers but targets outside the numbers
Fixed a rare issue that could result in an Offensive Pass Interference penalty to be called after a defender would hit-stick a receiver while running his route
Tuning to inaccurate passes to make passes more inaccurate when the QB has scrambled to 15 yards or more behind the line of scrimmage
Fixed a rare issue that could result in the referee saying a call had been reversed via a challenge even though the play result had not been reversed

Gameplay – Dynamic Gameday

Fixed an issue with the Colts Home Field Advantage failing to show the Hat-Count visual that could be used as pass/run play-tell
Tuning to the ‘Adrenaline’ M-Factor so instead of infinite stamina, it now reduces the rate of stamina drain.
Fixed an issue causing a logo to appear over players heads instead of a question mark for specific M-Factors
Fixed an issue sometimes causing the ‘Shook’ play-art to remain on the field after the snap

Gameplay – Play Art

Fixed an issue causing the WR Icons to stay visible after making a defensive adjustment
Fixed an issue preventing the art from updating to the correct route after making a hot-route on the RB and then sending him in motion to the slot
Fixed an issue preventing art from updating on Speed Option plays after flipping the play
Fixed an issue causing the art to sometimes disappear on defense when hot-routing a defender to blitz while inside the tackle box
Added scaling to Play-Art inside of The Yard when backed up into either end zone

Gameplay – New Abilities

Run-Off Elite – Players with this ability will distract defenders for longer with their runoffs/ DEV NOTE: Receiver Run-offs are when the receiver fakes as if he is running a pass route downfield. This is done to pull the defenders away from the LOS and give the ball carrier more room if he gets to the edge. Some Receivers are masters at pulling this off and making the defender feel like it is a real route he is running, that is what this Ability emulates.
On The Ball – Players with this ability are much less likely to be fooled by WR runoffs.
Precision Kicker – Kickers with this ability can see the entirety of the kicking arc
Crusher – Defenders with this ability will cause heavy fatigue penalties when tackling a ball carrier with a hit-stick tackle.
Demoralizer – Defenders with this ability will clear a ballcarrier’s progress towards entering the zone with a hit-stick tackle.
Mind Reader (X-Factor) – When activated, defenders can see offensive play art via coach cam. DEV NOTE: This powerful X-Factor Ability can only activate once the defensive player possessing the Ability gets in the zone by landing three successful Hit Sticks on Simulation or Arcade or five successful Hit Sticks on Competitive. You will be able to view your opponent’s play art when you bring up Coach Cam. To knock the player out of the zone, you will need to gain 30 yards on offense. This X-Factor will not be immediately available in Madden Ultimate Team, but it will be available in Franchise.

The Yard

The Yard: Ranked has been added. The Yard: Ranked will allow you to earn Gear, Cred, and Madden Ultimate Team packs all year long. Earning Tier Points will allow you to place on the leaderboard. You can earn extra Tier Points each game by completing in-game goals known as “Props”. Rank up, Prestige, and show the world who’s the best in The Yard!

NFL Authenticity Updates

99 Club Cleats and new Jordan 5 low and mid cleats added
Panthers and Saints Stadium renovations added
Browns 1960’s helmet updated
Colts 1960’s jersey updated
Multiple mouthpiece placement issues fixed
Some heads appearing grey on Gen 4 fixed
Lighting issues around shadows are fixed across multiple stadiums.
New throwback uniforms added for 49ers, 1980’s Away, 1994 Away, 1998 Home/Away
New Likeness added for the following players: Brandon Aiyuk, Ja’Marr Chase, Caleb Farley, C.J. Henderson, Darnay Holmes, Jaycee Horn, Javon Kinlaw, Trey Lance, John Johnson III, Dalton Schultz, Gerald Everett, Xavier McKinney, Sean Murphy-Bunting, Kenneth Murray Jr, Michael Pittman Jr, Patrick Queen, Trey Sermon, Laviska Shenault Jr, DeVonta Smith, Patrick Surtain II, Kadarius Toney, Jaylen Waddle, Antoine Winfield, Rock Ya-Sin

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