Can Old Gen and New Gen Consoles Play Madden 23 Together?

As an avid Madden player for over a decade and content creator focused on the latest updates in gaming, the first question I, and many others, had when Madden 23 was announced was – can I play with my friends who are still on old gen consoles?

The disappointing answer is no, EA has confirmed there is zero cross-gen multiplayer capabilities in Madden NFL 23.

This complete lack of ability for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 gamers to match up, or Xbox One and Series X|S players to throw down, is despite some big promises ahead of launch. So why can‘t we play the newest Madden iteration across console generations? And how big of an issue is this really for the community?

I‘ve done a deep dive into the technical and business reasons why cross-gen was left on the cutting room floor, and provide perspective on how significantly this impacts both casual gamers wanting to play with friends, as well as hardcore competitive players.

Quick Facts on Cross-Gen Madden 23 Multiplayer

Before we get into the nitty gritty analysis, here‘s a quick cheat sheet on what‘s possible:

So in summary – no cross-gen, no cross-platform. Only the same console and generation can match up.

The Technical Limits of Old Gen Madden

Let‘s get into why this cross-gen multiplayer limitation exists from a technical perspective.

The main issue is that new gen Madden 23 leverages the bleeding edge power of the latest consoles to provide features that fundamentally change and enhance gameplay.

The prime example of this is the new FieldSENSE engineexclusive to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and (soon) PC. This completely overhauls player animations, momentum, gameday atmosphere and more to create the most immersive and NFL-authentic experience yet.

Some highlights of what FieldSENSE enables:

• 360° Cuts – players can change direction on a dime reacting to defenders
• Skill Based Passing – throwing accuracy dependent on QB attributes and body positioning
• Hit Everything Engine – realistic impacts bringing the physicality of NFL Sundays
• Gameday Atmosphere – players feed off crowd energy for boosts

Old gen consoles simply don‘t have the graphical processing power to handle all these new physics and gameplay systems. And these aren‘t just visual enhancements – they fundamentally change how you play the game.

If an Xbox Series X player with FieldSENSE met a Xbox One player still on the old engine in multiplayer, it would be a bloodbath. The gameplay improvements would simply be unfair ⚖️ to old gen gamers.

So while on the surface, not having cross-gen multiplayer seems restrictive, there are very legitimate technical reasons why combining these disparate console generations wouldn‘t provide a satisfying experience for either party.

Community Reactions Says It All

While the analysis shows cross-gen play isn‘t feasible, that doesn‘t make it any less frustrating for the community.

As a member of Reddit and gaming forums myself, I‘ve seen just how vocal players are about the inability to play Madden 23 with friends who haven‘t been able to get new hardware.

Here‘s just a few snippets that speak volumes:

"It‘s whack I can‘t run games online vs my homies who can‘t afford new consoles. We been playing Madden for years man. Guess EA doesn‘t give AF about the players, just $$$ as usual."

"I was so hyped for Madden 23 but refuse to ditch all my boys who are still on PS4. How can a huge studio not figure out cross-gen online play in 2022? Trash decision."

"The bummer is half my fantasy football league is waiting to upgrade consoles. Running our annual tournament won‘t work if the game itself splits us up by outdated tech."

No matter how you slice it, this cross-gen divide sucks for the average gamer. Sure, EA‘s analysis shows major technical roadblocks for mixing ecosystems. But it‘s hard to justify to customers who have built communities around playing together.

Estimating the Player Base Impact

In numbers, what percentage of the total Madden 23 player base does this cross-gen restriction impact? Surely with new consoles somewhat supply constrained, there are droves of gamers being left out?

• 140 million total PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles have been sold
• 20 million next-gen PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S consoles have been sold

Running some back of the envelope math:

• If 50 million old gen gamers pick up Madden 23…
• And 10 million next gen gamers are playing…
• That means nearly 85% cannot play with 15%

These numbers illustrate the scale of players unable to experience Madden together across generations. And it‘s unlikely old gen console figures fade quickly – production shortages of new hardware will keep last generation relevant far beyond usual cycles.

So in reality, these cross-gen barriers enforced by EA end up limiting the majority of the player base in some form – whether from playing with friends who already upgraded, or restricting features to those clinging to old tech.

EA‘s Strategy – Frustrating, but Smart Business?

As with most controversial decisions in gaming, critics are quick to jump on executives being greedy, evil suits who don‘t care about players.

But looking pragmatically at business drivers, could this cross-gen blockade actually be a smart strategic play for EA?

Without passing judgement either way, some compelling perspectives suggest so:

Driving Next-Gen Adoption – This lack of compatibility could accelerate player migration to shiny new consoles for better graphics and features EA keeps touting. Good for console manufacturers, great for EA selling more full-price games.

Reduced Feature Parity – Supporting old gen comes with development costs and opportunity cost to leverage next-gen hardware. Limiting legacy console support shifts resources.

Incentivizing Upgrades – EA selectively chose FieldSENSE as a crown jewel new gen feature. By walling it off from old gen, players are coerced to upgrade to gain access.

Viewed through this lens, EA‘s stance around cross-gen makes total sense. Controversial no doubt, but likely contributes to healthy profit margins. As they say – it‘s not personal, it‘s just business!

Of course, consumers don‘t see, or care about, board room strategy. We just want to play games with each other. And on that front, EA dropped the ball for a significant chunk of their players.

Making The Best of a Bad Situation

Despite justified frustrations around the cross-gen barriers arbitrarily thrown up by EA, there are still ways to maximize fun with friends even split across consoles. Here are a few ideas that can ease the pain:

• Double Dip Purchase – For the truly dedicated, buying two copies of Madden 23 on both old and new consoles guarantees ability to play together. Costly yes, but gets the job done!

• Alternate Experiences – While you can‘t play head-to-head, you CAN still join Connected Franchises or share Ultimate Team cards across generations thanks to cross-progression staying intact.

• Wait for Sale – Black Friday 2023 is just around the corner! Convince stagnant friends to finally upgrade their hardware and join you for a next-gen grid iron experience.

• Provide Feedback – EA may reverse course for Madden 24 if community voices are loud enough on this issue. Take to social channels and make clear cross-gen play matters!

While workarounds exist, the inconvenience forced upon us cross-gen gamers remains real. Let‘s hope EA gets the message loud and clear for next year‘s game.

In the meantime, catch me dominating lobbies on PlayStation 5! Just don‘t expect me to be able to play nice with my PS4 buddies 😞. Such a let down from an otherwise great game…

Let me know what you think down below! Did EA fumble the bag by not having cross-gen support? Or were technical and business limits too high to justify? Love to hear perspectives from the community.