Madden NFL 07 Producer Interview

IGN: Similar points systems are currently being used in Madden to unlock Madden Cards. Will those still exist, or will they be supplanted by the Gamer Level?

David: For current-gen Madden, I know there will still be Madden Cards, but for the next-gen, the Madden Gamer Level is the core experience for how things get unlocked.

IGN: Considering the tracking systems that you have in place for the Gamer Level, will this affect online play at all? For instance, will Gold level players be able to access exclusive rooms or competition?

David: We still have a separate online ranking system based on your online performance, which will still drive how you select your opponent when you're online. Your Gamer Level itself will not factor into your selection process by itself. However, when you're playing an online game, your in-game accomplishments will still count towards your Gamer Level.

IGN: Will there be any exclusive features depending on the PS3 or 360 versions of the game?

David: Right now, the Gamer Level feeds into the Xbox Live achievement system as well, so there are some accomplishments that are given to you based on your Gamer Level that you'll only be able to get on the 360. What we're going to do with the PS3 is yet to be determined: we'll figure out a little more what we'll be able to do with the PS3 once we learn more about its online system.

IGN: Okay, let's switch gears a little bit: can you tell me a little about the Hall of Fame mode for the Next-Gen game?

David: There will be 142 players included this year, and we've already spoken about how all of these players will be able to be unlocked and used on a team for Franchise or Head-to-head play. Based on how well you do in your Gamer Level, you'll unlock groups of players at a time. In addition to that, within the Hall of Fame area is something we call the Hall of Fame Bio section, which lists all the inducted Hall of Fame players that we have the rights to. As you select each player, you'll see a biography which contains the same information that the Hall of Fame keeps on those players and their accomplishments -- which imparts a great sense of history. We show the stats for those players that we have stats available for: They didn't keep stats for all defensive players or offensive lineman, but we've been able to communicate the history of their accomplishments and their stats with what we were able to get a hold of.

Also, there's a select group of individuals in the bio section that we have highlight reels for, narrated by NFL Films. For example, a guy like Jim Thorpe or Mike Singletary will have a great video associated with them that breaks down why this player was great and shows you why this player became a Hall of Famer. It's great to see these guys in action, and it's great to see what they did. It also encourages you to unlock these guys when you see why they were significant to the League. We're excited about it because it's a great piece of NFL history that we've been able to include in Madden.

One other thing: If you're playing in playing in franchise mode and one of your current NFL players becomes a Hall of Famer, the game will recognize that. For instance, say you're taking the Packers through Franchise mode and Brett Favre retires. He'll actually be inducted into the Hall of Fame in the game as well and he'll be included in the Hall of Fame list with the other players with the same visual treatment, stats presentation and information that we provide for everyone else sans, obviously, the biography.