Madden 20 is adding a Nike cleat that makes players better

Just in time for the Super Bowl, Madden 20 will be getting a new shoe. More specifically, the Nike Vapor Edge Cleat. Among the players getting this special footwear: Christian McCaffrey, Odell Beckham Jr., Kyler Murray, Ezekiel Elliott, and Dalvin Cook (congrats, Dieter). Most notably, it will be the first time an aesthetic update will actually affect players’ abilities in-game, increasing their speed and acceleration. EA says the virtual shoes are available in-game now.

Madden is a strange product already. It’s less a simulation of playing football and more a simulation of watching football on TV. Which means it exists as kind of a bizarre, alternate universe version of the NFL with its own in-game ads and sponsorships. A real-life Nike...

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