Madden NFL 20's new career mode will take players from college to the pros

Madden NFL 19 was the first game in the very long-running sports series to come to PC in more than a decade, and it was quite good. It was also apparently enough of a success on the platform to warrant a PC version of the next game in the series—Madden NFL 20—which EA announced today will be out on August 2.

Madden NFL 20 will feature a new career campaign mode called Face of the Franchise: QB1, which sounds similar to FIFA's The Journey career mode, but with more personalization.

The mode will enable players to create their own college quarterbacks and then lead them through the College Football National Championship playoffs, the NFL combine, the NFL draft, and then a career as a starting quarterback for an NFL team. A new Scenario Engine will generate "unique playable scenarios, events, and dynamic challenges" in both the Face of the Franchise and the standard Franchise modes "that build the story of each fan’s distinct NFL career."

Also new is "Superstar X-Factor," which will apparently recreate individual NFL players more accurately than in past games. "The team this year wanted to ensure that the superstars of the NFL responded and played differently in all aspects in Madden, just as they do on the field every Sunday," executive producer Seann Grady said. "We wanted to make sure the stars felt like stars."

This year's cover athlete is Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, the NFL MVP and Offensive Player of the Year for 2018, and the only quarterback in history to throw for more than 5,000 yards in a single season in both college and the NFL. He is now doomed to suffer some terrible misfortune.

"The last year has been life-changing for me and landing the cover of Madden NFL 20 is both a huge honor and a dream come true as a lifelong Madden fan. To also get the opportunity to impact the experience in the new Face of the Franchise: QB1 by providing input on the gameplay is something I never expected," Mahomes said.

"I played Madden with my dad when I was a kid, and this is definitely a full circle moment for me."

Madden NFL 20 is available for preorder on Origin in one of three editions: The standard for $60, the Superstar for $80, and the Ultimate Superstar for $100. The higher-end versions come with extras including three-day early access, Training Quick Sell Packs for Madden Ultimate Team, a Past and Present Elite Player Pack, and a Madden Championship Series Pack.

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Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.