Madden NFL 12 online servers down

Multiple reports suggest EA's Madden NFL 12 servers have gone mysteriously AWOL.

According to users of ProSportsDaily, online play has been patchy at best since the game's release on Tuesday.

The complaints are echoed on the Gamespot Madden forums, with some users reporting they can't even activate their Online Franchise codes - the equivalent of an online pass - let alone initiate multiplayer and online features.

A post on the EA Sports forums offers network troubleshooting with mixed response - some users have resolved their issues, but those suffering repeated disconnections are still voicing complaints.

Although support has continued to recommend following troubleshooting a generic error message - "The EA servers are not available at this time" - and reported comments from tech support suggest a more serious issue.

The problems appear to affect both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 players.