Madden 21’s “The Yard” Breathes New Life Into Series
EA has constantly heard the online criticism from Madden fans about how the game doesn’t change much in Madden’s yearly release. Criticisms include things like “Why are old features missing?” “Why do we pay $60 for an updated roster every year?” “The in-game mechanics hardly change and need improving.” “We asked for a better franchise not some bs rival to the new NFL 2K game #fixmaddenfranchise”
Now that changes. EA has officially introduced a new way to play Madden 21 that will make Madden 21 truly stand out against all previous Madden entries. This mode is called “The Yard.”
The short version would be you’re playing street ball playground style. The full details can be found here, but I’ll share some of the details too and talk about my thoughts overall.
The first thing about The Yard is that it doesn’t follow traditional football rules. The field is 80 yards by 40 yards, and first downs are gained through 20 yard markers, compared to the NFL normal 10.
The Yard features double passes behind the line of scrimmage, infinite laterals, and multi-snap. Multi-snap allows you to snap the ball to any player on the offense, which is drastically going to change the way the field is used. You can stack a formation on the right side, but the play starts at the left, leaving you with an insane amount of possibilities to pull off when you consider the new features described above and in the quoted article.
The Yard features 6 players (3 that are human controlled, so 3 versus 3 when it’s all human players.) on each team in which you play both offense and defense. You have the customization to make your avatars better at certain skills like QB, WR, etc. Want to be a QB that is also a cornerback? You can do that. The Yard features prototypes, which naturally makes you better at a certain position and comes with a specific x-factor skill, however there are skill points to improve other areas and you aren’t locked into the position your prototype excels most in. You can choose a QB prototype, but play WR if you wish. This can make you a very threatening dual threat option.
These aren’t the only ways The Yard is changing Madden as we know it. You can score up to 13 points in one play. Yes, you read that right. 13 points. The Yard features different scoring numbers and possibilities as well. Touchdowns are still worth 6 points, but if you have atleast one successful double pass or pitch, you gain an additional 2. Gain a touchdown of 40 yards or more, that’s an additional 1. A defensive interception is automatically worth 1 point. The fact The Yard will reward you for your creative ways to score and for making a defensive play is a huge plus to Madden 21. I can’t wait to see the clips of all the unique ways players score these additional points.
The vision EA had behind The Yard was that it’s a throwback to playground football when you were in school. Fans of sports video games as a whole have a soft spot for games like NBA Street and NFL Street, and it’s hard to believe that there wasn’t any motivation by EA from NFL Street, as well as the fact that 2K can now make Football games as long as they aren’t simulation style.
The Yard seems like a new mode built to not only provide players a brand new way to play Madden 21, but also to try to get a head start on 2K focusing on an arcade style football game, since The Yard is more like an arcade style way to play football.
I’m excited to see the potential of where The Yard goes, as they plan to add more to the mode throughout Madden 21’s lifespan. Could The Yard be the premium competitive mode for esports for Madden this year? It would be quite the shift. With all the unique possibilities The Yard provides, I don’t see why not. It’s an insane, whacky, and potentially hyper competitive and alluring way to play football like never before. Will you be at “The Yard” or will you stick to the traditional way to play?
