Madden NFL 21 Will Make Washington a "Generic" Team With Update
Electronic Arts will reflect the recent ditching of Washington's old team name.
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The new year of Madden is only a month away, but developments in the world of football are happening fast. In response to Washington ditching its old team name, Electronic Arts will be making the team generic in Madden NFL 21 until a new name and logo is chosen.
In a statement to USgamer, a spokesperson for Electronic Arts confirmed the change. "We are pleased to see Washington's decision to change their team name and visual identity," said the spokesperson. "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."
The update will have to be downloaded via title updates that will download automatically, and they're not just cosmetic. Electronic Arts says the update will include audio and commentary updates, motion graphics and presentation, stadium art, environments, crowd gear and signage, and uniforms.
The statement does say that players may "continue to see some outdated Washington references in other areas of the game at launch," but EA says it is committed to removing all of those from the game in additional title updates after launch. The company also states that the game is in the final stages of preparation before shipping, so those who purchase a physical disc will need to connect online to see the Washington changes in-game.
News broke earlier this week that Washington would be retiring the "Redskins" name and logo and determining a new name, following years of pressure to do so. The team has also found itself the subject of other controversy this week, as reports surfaced of sexual misconduct within the organization.
Madden NFL 21 is currently slated to launch on August 28 for current-gen consoles and PC. The football sim will also have a next-gen verison for both Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 when those consoles launch later this year.