The latest Madden game, Madden NFL 21, will receive a day one patch to alter Washington's team name as the American football franchise has decided to rebrand itself. After nearly a century, the Washington NFL team will no longer go by the term Redskins, a derogatory slur for Native Americans, instead switching to a new, to-be-decided moniker.
EA will reflect Washington's decision in this year's Madden, but since the NFL simulation game is coming out next month, changing the data on the disc itself is no longer feasible. Instead, an update will be available as soon as players install and launch the sports title, replacing Washington's moniker and logos with generic counter-parts until the official new label for the team is announced.
"We are pleased to see Washington's decision to change their team name and visual identity," EA told USGamer in a statement. "We are quickly working to update Madden NFL 21 to feature a generic Washington team, while we await final word on the updated team name and logo design." All the major instances of the Redskins symbology will be gone, including audio and commentary mentions, though some smaller appearances are likely to slip through the cracks at first as EA works to scrub every inch around launch.
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