Madden 22: Franchise mode’s Player Scouting update delayed until October
Madden 22’s revamped Player Scouting feature has been delayed. Originally projected to arrive with the September title update, EA has updated its timeline, confirming a new mid-October release for the highly requested feature.
EA simply stated they need additional time to ensure scouting is polished. For fans who have been waiting since August to start their Franchise with the new scouting, this is an big blow. Because players will be forced to restart their franchise if they want the new scouting, many have simply waited to start. Otherwise, you can choose to continue playing your franchise with the legacy scouting.
When the October title update does arrive, Player Scouting will deliver on many fan requests. EA previewed the new scouting feature coming to Madden 22’s Franchise back at EA Play Live this past summer. They touched on the national and regional scouting, in-depth scouting reports that include things like player physicals, traits and ratings, mock drafts and live media scouting board with updated projections.
While the delay is a tough pill to swallow, EA did provide a deeper dive into scouting and I have to say, it definitely looks like a big improvement to the legacy system currently in place. Over on the blog, EA took us through an actual season of scouting in Franchise mode.
Scouting begins in Week 1 where you’ll see the current draft class for the first time and be able to view the National Region of the Region Breakdown map to see the identity of the draft class. You’ll be able to see overall positional strengths and weaknesses of that draft class and adjust your scouting team (hire, fire, re-assign scouts) so that they better align with your first analysis of the draft class.
"For example, if one of the strengths of the Southeast region is cornerbacks, make sure you assign the scout that has the expertise in scouting cornerbacks to reap the most benefits. You’re in charge of optimizing your five scouts to help you find those draft gems."
EA noted that those who aren’t necessarily interested in micromanaging their scout team can simply “set it and forget it.” You will not be penalized for not interacting with scouting.
Throughout the season, there are some key dates to keep an eye on:
"Week 1: Final time to re-assign/hire/fire scoutsWeek 2: Assign region scouts to individual positionsWeek 8: Assign national scout to individual positionsWeek 11: Choose 3 players to focus on where you’ll unlock 30% of a players profileFree Agency Stage 3: Choose 3 players to host for private workouts where you’ll unlock 40% of a players profile"
As you scout a player, you’ll slowly unlock more details about them. At 1%, you’ll get basic physical information about them. At 10%, you unlock notes such as traits, throw style and more. Every 10% thereafter will uncover 1 attribute as a letter grade. At 70% you’ll reveal the player archetype and at 100% you’ll be able to see all of that player’s attributes and true talent range.
Throughout the season, the mock drafts will offer projections for how the draft will unfold. This will include projections as to who your team will draft, even though they may not necessarily align with what you are targeting.
As you’ll see in the season sim from EA, the new scouting feature goes much more in-depth with the type of information you can discover about a player. Additionally, the mock projections are much more dynamic, with good players rising and lower-tier players falling in the projections.
I know it sucks having to wait another whole month before we get this new scouting feature, but it certainly looks promising. That is, if it works as intended. I suggest checking out EA’s most recent deep dive to get a better idea as to how the new scouting feature will work in Madden 22.