This year's Madden 22 did well

The main criticism, repeated time and Madden 22 coins time again, is that each year's updated version is an improvement on the last. Since EA Sports has the exclusive license, it is the only company that can make the "simulation-style" NFL game.

Thus springs an argument that EA Sports is in no pressure to meaningfully improve the game every year. In 2020, an enthralling tweet campaign in the Twitterverse urged the league to launch EA as its official partner- #NFLDropEA. But despite the outrage over social media that also included coordinated review-bombing on Madden's Metacritic pages, Madden 21 sales were in the ascendancy. This year's Madden 22 did well, as well, and the series remains the top-selling sports franchise in history.

The critics are the minority that is vocal, but one of the minority groups whose work is to be extremely vocal. We're talking about YouTubers, who make their living by watching and documenting themselves playing a sport they say they don't like.

The diversity of YouTuber focuses speaks to just how vast the game today. There are YouTubers such as Belton who post videos of their own games or playing of users who upload tips and tricks, then there are people who are dedicated to the game of Madden.

Last fall, one channel named SOFTDRINKTV published a 14-minute clip that was titled "The Madden with the Worst Madden of All Time," followed a week later by a 19-minute film titled "Madden NFL 22 isn't good - review." They returned to the same place recently by releasing a video called "Everything Wrong with Madden NFL 22 (in 16 minutes)." The narrative of that one opens memorably and, if not a bit dramatically: "This is the kind of game that can make you want to put a the thumbtack into your eyes. If your playing Madden 22, the gift of life is turned into buy mut coins something of a curse. You will no longer want to live. It can cause existential dread."