The rumors have been swirling for a while, and now it's been confirmed by the man himself; Rex Dickson, EA's creative director for the Madden franchise over the past six years has left EA. He confirmed the news via Twitter, stating:
“Time to confirm the rumors. I have left EA Tiburon and the Madden team. The decision was made after numerous talks with other leaders on the team. We collectively agreed this was the best path forward for everyone involved,” he tweeted.
He went on to say that his departure will give the "Madden franchise a chance for a new direction,” which is interesting, given that last year included a few notable firsts for the series, like using the Frostbite engine, and including a new story mode called "Longshot" which was nominated at the Writer's Guild of America Awards ceremony for outstanding achievement in video game writing. The game was reasonably well reviewed, and it sold spectacularly, as most games in the franchise do, but after being at EA for 12 years, perhaps Dickson was just ready for a change,
Madden 2019 hasn't been announced yet, but you can count on it like the seasons changing. It will be interesting to see what (if any) new changes come to the franchise when the newest title arrives next year.
Read the full announcement below.
