Something went wrong. Try again later
    Follow

    Madden NFL

    Franchise »

    The best selling NFL-based franchise.

    A little surprised there's no thread on the passing of John Madden

    Avatar image for bigsocrates
    bigsocrates

    6149

    Forum Posts

    162

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 0

    Obviously the man was a titan in sports video games. Not only did he lend his name and commentary to one of the biggest franchises in the world (possibly the biggest game franchise named after a real person; unless you lump in all the Clancy games together) but he helped design the initial versions of the game and make sure it was realistic and true to football.

    Like a lot of people I no longer play Madden, but I did put tens of hours in every year for like a decade and a half and I loved a lot of those games. I was a real football fan back then too, but Madden will always be associated with the video game that bore his name, and presumably will continue to do so now that he's gone.

    I'm sad to hear of his passing. He was a unique and eccentric fellow, criss crossing the country on a bus because he was afraid to fly and introducing all of us to turducken and other culinary delights. Rest easy, big John. You earned it. You'll be telestrating plays in heaven from now on.

    Avatar image for ryan3370
    Ryan3370

    195

    Forum Posts

    0

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 0

    #2  Edited By Ryan3370

    Those early 90's madden games (and early 90's EA sports games in general) were so much fun. I sort of lost interest around the ps1 era but madden 93 might be my favorite sports game ever

    Avatar image for cikame
    cikame

    4463

    Forum Posts

    10

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 0

    Me and a friend are going to play Moonbase Alpha later and say John Madden a few times.

    Avatar image for monkeyking1969
    monkeyking1969

    9095

    Forum Posts

    1241

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 18

    I think it goes without saying then NFL, players past & present, and the video game sports community mourns the passing of Coach Madden. I do not think there has been a athlete, coach, and commentator from a real spot who has had a greater impacts on video game renditions of sports. He brought an authenticty to video games sports that changed the industry for sure, Madden was a blueprint for how to represent sports in game form.

    Avatar image for kyary
    Kyary

    142

    Forum Posts

    209

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 0

    Honestly never really got into the games - their authenticity to a sport I don't really care for ( I mean, Football is fine, I guess) kind of kept me away - but it's obvious that without his initial involvement sports games just would not have evolved the way they did.

    I wish I could find the source for this (maybe some other wiki page?), but from what I understand the Madden games have always had a full team on both sides, which was a real technical challenge back in the day. I think that kind of thing really speaks to a kind of hands on, take the medium seriously approach that most people just would not have bothered with.

    Avatar image for gezora
    gezora

    12

    Forum Posts

    0

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 0

    #6  Edited By gezora

    some of my fondest gaming memories were playing madden on the gamecube with my dad and brother and laughing about his commentary. rip to a legend that crossed boundaries between sports and video games

    Avatar image for josh185
    Josh185

    2

    Forum Posts

    0

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 0

    What you gotta do is keep breathing. If you stop breathing, you’re gonna die!

    ”Very true, John.”

    Avatar image for undeadpool
    Undeadpool

    8414

    Forum Posts

    10761

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 20

    User Lists: 18

    He's truck-stickin' from the Great Beyond.

    Loading Video...

    Avatar image for meteora3255
    meteora3255

    683

    Forum Posts

    0

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 3

    User Lists: 2

    #9  Edited By meteora3255

    @kyary: That story is in the Polygon article on his passing: https://www.polygon.com/22857879/john-madden-obituary-nfl-video-games-ea-sports-sales-legacy

    EA founder Trip Hawkins went to Madden with the idea of doing a 7-on-7 football game but Madden was adamant that if he was going to put his name on it then it had to be real 11-on-11 football.

    For me, Madden changed the way I watched football. I no longer "ball watch" but actually see plays develop. I can pick out open receivers, I can spot whether the defense is in man or zone before a snap or I can spot which gaps linebackers are assigned to plug. As cliche as it sounds I really believe games like Madden have helped teach a generation of fans how football really works and helped popularize analytics among fans, after all we were already going for it on 4th down everytime at home.

    Avatar image for inspectorfowler
    inspectorfowler

    173

    Forum Posts

    0

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 0

    I have never played Madden football, but if you think about it, this guy probably got as many game consoles out the door as Miyamoto. I know plenty of people who started with “just Madden” and then “Madden and Call of Duty” and now they play all kinds of stuff. Even if football isn’t your thing, if you play games this guy contributed to your hobby an awful lot.

    This edit will also create new pages on Giant Bomb for:

    Beware, you are proposing to add brand new pages to the wiki along with your edits. Make sure this is what you intended. This will likely increase the time it takes for your changes to go live.

    Comment and Save

    Until you earn 1000 points all your submissions need to be vetted by other Giant Bomb users. This process takes no more than a few hours and we'll send you an email once approved.