In 2013, EA Sports added a relocation feature to the Madden NFL video game series. That franchise relocation feature remains within Madden NFL 16, and Los Angeles is of course one of the destinations available to chose from. With the approval Tuesday for the Rams to move back to the city, fans may have interest in doing that now in the video game instead of waiting for Madden NFL 17.
The steps to doing so are simple, however, the team won't reach Los Angeles until the 2016 season. So either that first season in St. Louis can be played through as normal or it can be simulated so as to reach the 2016 season immediately. There are the steps in between, such as free agency and the draft, that will alter the makeup of the team.
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First, start a new Franchise, and select the Rams. Then go to "Change Role" and choose owner. It doesn't matter whether you create an owner or stick with Stan Kroenke. Adjust any other desired settings and then begin the season.
In Week 5, the option to declare intentions to relocate appears. This is when the destination city of Los Angeles would be chosen.
In Week 6, the name of the team is chosen. The Rams name can be carried over instead of rebranding with one of the three other options. Logos can't be changed, so you're stuck with the modern one, but at least the uniform options include the throwbacks.
In Week 8, the new stadium is chosen. The Rams will be temporarily playing at LA Memorial Coliseum while their future home is being built in Inglewood. The closest stadium option to the Coliseum would be the "Basic Traditional Stadium" but there are others to choose from including more futuristic looking ones that would be closer in nature to what they'll eventually play in.
Play the rest of the season, complete free agency and the draft, or sim all the way ahead. Now, at the start of year two in the franchise, the Rams are officially in Los Angeles.
In recent years, EA Sports has been adding stadiums to the Madden NFL video game series one year prior to their openings. In Madden 25 (2013) it was Levi's Stadium for the 49ers which began being used in the 2014 season. In Madden 16 (2015) it was the Vikings' U.S. Bank Stadium, which will open for the 2016 season.
That means Mercedes Benz Stadium, the new home for the Falcons which is scheduled to be ready for the 2018 season, will likely be in Madden NFL 17. Because of the relocation and the Rams utilizing the LA Coliseum, it won't be the only stadium to debut in the video game this August.
It's extremely rare for a league-licensed sports game to change as dramatically as having a team relocate or expansion take place, and even new stadiums don't come around every year, so they become intriguing changes and additions for consumers to look forward to and play around with when they do. The Coliseum did appear yearly in the NCAA Football franchise, however the last edition of the game released in 2013 due to legal proceedings.
With a timeline that places the new Inglewood stadium as opening in 2019, should the trend hold of them appearing in the video game the year prior continue, it will first be seen in the 2018 release of Madden NFL 19.
Bryan Wiedey posts sports gaming news and analysis daily at Pastapadre.com, has co-founded the new site HitThePass.com, is the host of the Press Row Podcast, and can be reached on Twitter @Pastapadre.