Madden NFL 22: Release Date and Latest Info on ‘United We Rise’ Mode

Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

When Madden NFL 22 comes out Aug. 20 (or Aug. 17 for preorder access), everybody has their favorite game mode they’ll jump into first. Perhaps you’ll play a quick exhibition game. Or you could dive right into franchise mode. Maybe it’ll be time to hop online and start building your Madden Ultimate Team.

Another option will be the Face of the Franchise mode, which returns this year with “Face of the Franchise: United We Rise.” And like the first few iterations of this story-driven career mode, this year’s edition has built off the previous year and added some improvements to make it better.

Last year, your Face of the Franchise player could be either a quarterback, running back or wide receiver. In Madden NFL 22, you can choose to head to the other side of the ball as a linebacker.

One of the best parts about Face of the Franchise is preparing your player to enter the NFL. This year’s mode will feature training at Nike Headquarters, the College Football Playoff, interviews with NFL teams and private workouts, all before your player enters the NFL draft.

As always, you’ll want to perform as well as you can in each of those events in order to boost your draft stock before heading into the pros.

Among the biggest additions to Face of the Franchise in Madden NFL 22 is a class progression system. Once you choose which of the four positions you want for your player, there will be classes to pick from, each of which features “three Superstar Abilities and one X-Factor ability for you to unlock as you level up in that class,” per EA Sports.

There will also be class rewards, a new career hub, podcast segments, side activities and a season engine in this year’s Face of the Franchise mode.

While these additions should make this game mode a more enjoyable experience, the premise is still the same as it was last year, even if the story ends up being a bit different. So if you enjoyed Face of the Franchise in Madden NFL 21, there’s a good chance you’ll have fun playing it again in this year’s game.

Although it isn’t clear exactly what the story will entail, EA Sports released a trailer further explaining some of the new features in the mode this year:

Many likely enjoy being on offense more in Madden, and there will still be opportunities for that with quarterback, running back and wide receiver being among the positions for your player. But the addition of linebacker is welcome news that will allow players to experience Face of the Franchise in a different way, making it one of the most substantial additions to the mode for Madden NFL 22.  

Still, many of the biggest changes in this year’s Madden will come in other areas, such as franchise mode. But that doesn’t mean Face of the Franchise won’t be a fun playthrough that should be a step up from last year.