For Madden 24, EA Tiburon Has Added Or Adjusted More Than 1,700 Tackling Animations

The Josh Allen-starring Madden NFL 24 was recently revealed by EA, but the studio only revealed the broad strokes regarding what players can expect for changes. In a new blog post, EA Tiburon is sharing a lot more about what players will see and experience on the field in Madden 24. Note that today’s news doesn’t discuss things like the return of Superstar mode or the new additions to Franchise, though we’ve gone over those previously, if you’re curious. This is purely about on-field AI, gameplay, and Xs and Os.

Though the game was plagued by save data issues that persisted for months post-launch, the on-field changes to last year’s game have largely been welcomed by the community, and EA Tiburon says it’s building on that new foundation with Madden 24. Fieldsense, the overarching term for the core gameplay overhaul, is said to benefit from improved AI “especially in opposing QBs, run blocking, and pass coverage,” while improved catch animations are meant to allow receivers to catch balls in stride, bringing more fluidity to the passing game. If done well, it should allow burners like Tyreek Hill a chance to better separate from defenders.

Tackling has also received a sizeable suite of changes. The game’s conservative tackle is gone in Madden 24, replaced with the wrap tackle, with outcomes based on what the team calls the “Tackle Advantage Algorithm.” Like the tackling improvements added last year, this sounds like further animation branching technology, in this case allowing smaller defenders to take bigger ball carriers out at the legs. There’s also the “Big Man Wrap” (unrelated to my preferred restaurant order) which will see bigger defenders, such as Vita Vea, driving the ball carrier backward.

In total, EA Tiburon says it has “added and adjusted 1,700+ tackle animations” as part of the game’s Hit Everything 2.0 system, a subcategory of Fieldsense introduced last year that introduced animation branching technology to defenders.

Perhaps the most memed aspect of on-field play, annually speaking, is blocking AI. Now, EA is talking like this year’s game should offer big improvements, not that the studio hasn’t done that before. Added AI logic is meant to prevent exploiting the offensive line’s priority blocking AI, which is an issue still present in Madden 23 to this day. Now, “the most dangerous defenders to the desired point of attack will be accounted for before players farther away,” EA says.

Furthermore, open-field blocking is said to be improved by the game asking AI blockers to do less. The new system “filters targets” and allows blockers to lock onto a single target sooner, allowing human ball carriers to better anticipate where their blockers will look to create a lane. Elite blockers should now also look the part better than before, the team says, with the game’s best blockers dominating smaller defenders.

The full patch notes run the gamut from further gameplay overhauls to the addition of getting officials (referees) back on the field for the first time in years–an oddly common request from the community. Note, however, that these details do not apply to the last-gen version of the game, of which EA has not actually spoken in any considerable way yet. You can find the full details on the official Madden blog.