EA is Developing a “Social Open-World Experience” For American Football – Rumor

UPDATE: EA has officially shared its internal letter that was shared with its employees ahead of the company-wide layoffs and studio closures. By doing so, the company has officially confirmed that it is working on Project Gridiron, as well as that its Fight Night revival is now in pre-production. The company’s statement also describes Gridiron as being an entirely new project, indicating that it will be a separate game from Madden NFL.

“We have two new projects in development you’ll hear about over the next few months, including a brand-new, social-first open-world experience for our American Football team that we call ‘Project Gridiron,’ and we are also in pre-production to bring back a beloved, fan-favorite in Fight Night, leveraging capabilities from our simulation fighting team.”

Following its recently reported layoffs affecting around 400 employees, EA has seemingly revealed some major plans for its sports games moving forward. According to Insider Gaming, an internal memo sent out about job cuts and studio closures also revealed some of the company’s plans for the future.

While the company has already announced that it is bringing back its Fight Night franchise in some way, the memo has indicated that a new project is currently in development that revolves around American Football teams. This project has been described as a “brand-new, social-first open-world experience” and is being made under the codename Project Gridiron.

The report further notes that Project Gridiron has already been in development for a few years, and that it was being made alongside EA Sports FC 27’s The Grounds mode. While few details are available about Project Gridiron, speculation indicates that it might be similar to The City in NBA 2K – a social hub where players can hang around between multiplayer matches and show off their character customizations.

It is also worth keeping in mind that Project Gridiron may not necessarily be a full game. Rather, it could simply be a planned feature being developed for future games in the Madden NFL franchise.

As for EA’s confirmed plans, the company took to social media to announce that “The Fight is Never Over” on its EA Sports Fight Night account. This post was accompanied by the text, “To everyone who stayed in our corner: Fight Night is coming back.” Assuming that a full-fledged new boxing game is currently under development, this would be the first mainline entry in the Fight Night franchise since 2011’s Fight Night Champion. The series made its debut back in 2004, and was praised for its innovative control scheme that revolves around using the analogue sticks on controllers to decide which boxing moves a player might want to pull off.

These plans and announcements come in the wake of a new round of layoffs that came to light earlier this week. In its internal letter penned by COO David Tinson and chief studios officer Cam Weber, the company said that the job cuts were part of larger efforts to focus on the company’s core businesses.

“Our greatest opportunity starts with our franchises and global communities that have made EA a leader in interactive entertainment. This is where we’ve had to make our hardest choices. Saying no to some things we’re passionate about allows us to focus our teams and resources so we give our biggest opportunities everything they need to succeed.”

The company seemingly wants to focus on a few key genres – shooters, action-adventure, lifestyle, and sports. This will mean doubling down on franchises like Battlefield, Apex Legends, Marvel’s Iron Man, Star Wars Jedi, The Sims, and Skate, alongside its various projects across sports.

“The decisions we’re making in our priorities, how we work, and with our portfolio reflect our belief in EA’s future. Some open exciting new possibilities.”

More details about the company’s future will seemingly be discussed during the next global town hall meeting in November.