How will the NFL’s unnamed Washington franchise be represented in the upcoming installment of EA Sports’ long-running Madden series? Electronic Arts addressed that concern Friday, announcing the team will simply be known as “Washington,” at least until the organization commits to a new name. The California-based video-game developer plans to move forward with a generic logo for the team amid Washington’s current rebranding efforts.
“We are pleased to see Washington's decision to change their team name and visual identity," the company said in a statement released Friday. "We are quickly working to update Madden NFL 21 to feature a generic Washington team, while we await final word on the updated team name and logo design."
Facing immense pressure from corporate interests including FedEx, for which the team’s stadium is named, Washington finally scrapped its longstanding emblem with plans to introduce a new name and logo in the coming weeks. Appealing alternatives like Redtails and Red Wolves have gained traction on social media with support from both current and former players, though Washington still has trademark hurdles to leap before it can unveil its new identity. Brainstorming name ideas may be the least of Washington's concerns right now as the team continues to deal with fallout from a bombshell sexual harassment scandal first reported by the Washington Post earlier this week.
Those buying physical copies of Madden NFL 21, set to hit shelves on August 25, will still see the team’s previous name and logo—game discs were already in production when Washington retired its old brand in favor of a new, more politically-correct moniker. However, all announced changes will be apparent on the game’s online version featuring fresh uniforms, fan and player graphics, stadium signage and audio commentary, among other updates.
“Players may continue to see some outdated Washington references in other areas of the game at launch,” EA Sports said Friday as noted by ESPN’s Jacob Wolf. “But we are committed to removing all of those from the game in additional title updates coming shortly after launch."
In other Madden news, the game released its full player ratings Friday night with Aaron Donald, Stephon Gilmore, Patrick Mahomes, Christian McCaffrey and Michael Thomas each achieving overall 99s. DeAndre Hopkins, George Kittle, Zack Martin, Bobby Wagner and J.J. Watt weren’t far behind, rounding out Madden’s next ratings tier with scores of 98.
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