Madden NFL 23: Release Date and Latest Info on 'Face of the Franchise' Mode

When gamers dive into Madden NFL 23 on Aug. 19 (or four days earlier, if they preordered the All Madden edition), there will be some notable changes from past years. That includes to the Face of the Franchise career mode.

In recent editions of the popular series, Face of the Franchise has undergone several overhauls. Over the past few years, the story-driven mode allowed users to take a player from college through the draft process and eventually into the NFL.

That's no longer the case for the Madden 23 version of the mode, which is titled "Face of the Franchise: The League." This time, players are going to get into the NFL action much quicker.

This year's Face of the Franchise story moves past all the leadup. Your player is already in his fifth NFL season and will be "seeking a fresh start as you negotiate a one-year deal with a new team and strive for a legendary career," per EA.com.

The decision to change the story in such drastic fashion came following feedback to recent versions of Face of the Franchise mode, according to Clint Oldenburg, a Madden gameplay producer for EA Sports.

“It was like, ‘I want to go play in the NFL; get me there,'" he said, per Owen S. Good of Polygon. "And, this is a big headline, ‘The narrative feels aimless and pointless and lacking context,’ something like that. That was in one of the reviews.”

It's a unique approach for a career mode in a sports video game, because it's become typical for players to begin as rookies (or perhaps not even in the pros yet). So it's quite different to jump in at the end of a rookie contract and immediately have an opportunity to be a free agent.

It also seems this year's Face of the Franchise mode won't have interactive cutscenes, but there will still be moments to complement the gameplay.

"You’re gonna see a lot less longer, drawn-out scenarios that are lacking some context into what you’ve been doing in your career," Oldenburg said. "What we’re going to do is get you into the weekly loop of preparing for your game, playing your game, getting your feedback and rewards from the game."

That also means the cinematic moments will occur after your player's performances, rather than leading up to the games throughout their career.

As for the customization of your player, there is more positional flexibility. You can now choose between five positions for your player: quarterback, running back, wide receiver, linebacker and cornerback. The first four were options last year, but cornerback is a new choice.

It's also worth noting that the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X versions of Madden 23 are introducing the new FieldSENSE technology that will greatly improve the gameplay. That includes the game action that takes place during Face of the Franchise mode.

Madden 23 should provide a fresh take on Face of the Franchise mode. And for those who miss seeing the college uniforms and getting to play a couple of College Football Playoff games, EA Sports is expected to relaunch the college football series in 2023.