Madden NFL 20's X-Factor abilities turn elite players into superheroes

We already know quite a bit about Madden NFL 20: it will be on PC again this year, it's arriving on August 2, and at long last a genuine career mode is returning to Madden, called Face of the Franchise. 

At EA Play at E3 today, we learned more about Madden 20's Superstar X-Factor, the system that lets you unlock special abilities for star players after completing objectives. The X-Factor will help differentiate elite players from one another, created to "make the sure the stars felt like stars" according to Seann Graddy, the game's executive producer.

For Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, for example, completing four passes of thirty yards or more will unlock his exclusive 'Bazooka' ability, which will increase his max passing distance by fifteen yards.

It feels to me like the abilities could wind up being a bit OP—some of the X-Factor abilities we've heard about are things like perfect passing accuracy on cross body throws and perfect accuracy while throwing on the run. I get the idea of wanting elite stars to truly stand out among the rest of the players, but no matter how gifted a player is, no one is perfect. On the other hand, it does kind of suck to be controlling the best players in the league and watch them goof up a simple play. But it happens. 

Meanwhile, Face of the Franchise will let you create your own college quarterback and steer them through the college championships, the NFL draft, and into a starting quarterback role in the NFL. 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."

Other new features are the addition of the RPO—run-pass options—new signature animations, and more formations ripped from the playbooks of NFL teams. New plays will be added to Madden during the season based on real plays. 

There will be a closed beta of Madden NFL 20 from June 14-16.

TOPICS
Christopher Livingston
Senior Editor

Chris started playing PC games in the 1980s, started writing about them in the early 2000s, and (finally) started getting paid to write about them in the late 2000s. Following a few years as a regular freelancer, PC Gamer hired him in 2014, probably so he'd stop emailing them asking for more work. Chris has a love-hate relationship with survival games and an unhealthy fascination with the inner lives of NPCs. He's also a fan of offbeat simulation games, mods, and ignoring storylines in RPGs so he can make up his own.

Latest in Sports
A goalkeeper in a plague mask wields an axe
Silent Hill gets a soccer league in FEAR FA 98, and you can play the demo now
Roman Reigns in the ring in WWE 2k25
WWE 2K25: Every superstar on the roster
Tony Hawk doing a kickflip or whatever the hell it is in the cover art for Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 remake is real, and it's coming in July with new skaters, parks, music, and more
Image for
Sure seems like the new Call of Duty map is teasing a Tony Hawk's Pro Skater game
Football players flying through the air
PC Gamer's simulated Super Bowl 2025 predicts Eagles victory, player getting hit so hard he flies out of the stadium and into the parking lot
Football Manager key art - manager of a football team watching play on the field
Sports Interactive announces the shock cancellation of Football Manager 25, but fans are weirdly pleased: 'Better to be honest and admit a mistake'
Latest in News
Crying laughing emoji with disturbing realistic elements for REPO
REPO's first update will add a new map and a 'duck bucket' so we can finally give that pesky quacker a time out
Man facing camera
The Day Before studio reportedly sues Russian website for calling infamous disaster-game a 'scam'
Will Poulter holding a CD ROM
'What are most games about? Killing': Black Mirror Season 7 includes a follow-up to 2018 interactive film Bandersnatch
Casper Van Dien in Starship Troopers
Sony, which is making a Helldivers 2 movie, is also making a new Starship Troopers movie, but it's not based on the Starship Troopers movie we already have
Assassin's Creed meets PUBG
Ubisoft is reportedly talking to Tencent about creating a new business entity to manage Assassin's Creed and other big games
Resident Evil Village - Lady Dimitrescu
'It really truly changed my life in every possible way': Lady Dimitrescu actor says her Resident Evil Village role was just as transformative for her as it was for roughly half the internet in 2021