Madden 21

Publisher

Developer

Platforms

Genre

Dev Cycle

Release Date

Team

Role

Core Loop

Electronic Arts

EA Tiburon - Orlando, FL

Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PS4, PS5, PC & Stadia

Sports & Simulation

~ 1 Year

August 28, 2020

Forge - Madden Ultimate Team Live Services

Game Design

Play > Collect > Upgrade

Systems & Live Services Design

Power Curve Design and Planning

Madden Ultimate Team progression is based on a power chase. The power being OVR, which is a weighted average of player stats.
In pre production I work with various PM and player design stakeholders to determine what the max possible OVR will be at release.
Working with PMs and lead producers, I determine the cadence or important dates at which we will increase the power ceiling through out the product life cycle.
During live service cycle the rate at which the power curve increases is closely monitored. I work with the players designers and live content designers to make sure the planned increases in power are being executed and to coordinate make any necessary adjustments as required.

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Item Valuation

In any heavily itemized system, all items need a system value assigned. From the core system value, all items derive their relative value.
During pre production, and through out the live service cycle, I determine and maintain core system values and the relative values of all items and currencies released.
Through this process I determine dusting values, rewards, progression pacing, crafting costs, monetization and upgrade costs.

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Item Upgrade Balance

In Madden Ultimate Team some player items can be upgraded in OVR by spending dusting currency and/or inputting specific variations of that player item. This is the Power Up system.
Player items can unlock special abilities and stat boosts by spending dusting currency on them.
In pre production I determine the incremental costs of OVR upgrades for Power Ups by all possible permutations at which they can be upgraded.
In pre production I work with player designers to determine the dusting currency cost of abilities and stat upgrade slots for player items.
I work with the player designers through out the live service cycle to determine when these upgrade opportunities unlock and how much dusting currency they cost or what item variations they require.

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PVE Rewards Design and Tuning

Ultimate Team has many different PVE activities a player can participate in to earn coins, collectibles and player items.
In pre production I work with data analysts, content designers and PMs to determine the proper pacing to implement for all the various PVE activities. This determines the relative value of rewards per hour each mode will be allotted through out the year.
I work with content designers to design the reward structures of launch and live content being built to best fit their creative visions and adhere to the strict standards I put in place for progression and economy balance.
For all new content releases, I simulate player behavior in spreadsheets and playtests to ensure no loopholes exist and that players are getting fair value for their time spent.

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PVP Rewards Design and Tuning

Madden at its core is a competitive simulation PVP experience. Ultimate Team has a robust set of PVP activities for all skill levels.
Similarly to PVE rewards, during pre production I work with data analysts and PMs to determine what the hourly payout, seasonal (weekly/monthly) and leaderboard payouts of the various PVP modes should be.
Once relative payouts are determined, I then design the rewards for each mode based on its reward structure. Through out the live service cycle I update the reward designs based on live data and power curve progression.

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Economy Design and Tuning

Madden Ultimate Team has a complex economy with a very active auction house.
Item and currency loops are very carefully designed, curated and maintained. Any mess up can be magnified and extremely damaging due to the very large active player base of the game.
Currency balances and flows as well as item prices on the auction house are monitored to determine economy health.
Item/currency sinks and faucets are introduced or removed as needed to maintain a healthy and rewarding economy for all player types.

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Feature Design

I work with many different disciplines of design to make sure the economic and progression implications of any given feature design are accounted for and designed appropriately based on the direction of the game.
In regards to feature design, I am often consulted for my systems expertise for designs not just related to Ultimate Team but for other game modes within Madden and Madden adjacent products.

Monetization Design and First Party Support

In Ultimate Team, the primary monetization method is from users purchasing points through first party portals or origin to spend on packs and items in the in-game store.
I plan, design and implement most pack and item offers in the store through out the year.
When a special offer is needed for first-party storefronts I am consulted as to what the included items should be and work with PLM (product lifecycle management) to implement the entitlement game side.
Working closely with PMs and analysts, the performance of the store is monitored and offerings are adjusted based on KPI impact and needs.
The store also includes many non premium offers that I design and implement to offer free to play methods for users to obtain valuable items. These are most often released alongside major content releases and weekly content beats.

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