‘Madden 21’ Added A SpongeBob Theme To ‘The Yard’ For Some Reason

If you ask people who play Madden 21, particularly on last-gen consoles, what they want to see in the game, I have to imagine SpongeBob SquarePants-themed gear in “The Yard” game mode would be high on the list. However, with the NFL set to have a playoff game shown this weekend on Nickelodeon for a kid-themed broadcast, the corporate synergy has demanded we get a SpongeBob x Madden crossover.

Unfortunately, this does not mean any of the SpongeBob characters are in the game, which might actually be incredibly fun in the backyard football mode, but a “Reef-Top” stadium with a SpongeBob-themed look, along with special uniform options that can be unlocked and more.

I fully understand that I am not in the target audience for this, but it feels like a strange investment into the game that I cannot imagine will drive an awful lot of users to play the mode — again, I could be very wrong! It’s certainly not apples to apples, but as players ask for improvements to game play or the ever-stagnant Franchise mode, trotting this out as your big development to start 2021 doesn’t exactly hit the mark.

Now, again, if I could go out there and put together a Bikini Bottom squad to play with, I’d be far more intrigued, and I know the technology exists to do this because the NCAA Football franchise had a mascot mode a decade ago. Let me turn Patrick Star into an elite pass rusher, you cowards.