Madden on Nintendo Switch could be a possibility according to a recent EA job listing

EA and Nintendo hadn't been on good terms for a long time, but the doors may be opening for collaboration once again.

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It’s been a long time since a Madden NFL game was on a Nintendo system. The relationship between Electronic Arts and Nintendo soured long ago when Nintendo wanted to do sports games that were not EA Sports and it kept games like Madden, FIFA, and other EA titles from coming to the Nintendo consoles in the years after. That said, times have changed, bitter feelings have healed, and Nintendo Switch has been selling ridiculously well. To that end, a job listing on EA’s website may signify that it may want to port a Madden title over to a Nintendo console for the first time in many years.

The job listing in question appeared on EA’s career website pretty recently, as spotted by YouTuber Doctre81. Calling for a Madden Online Software Engineer, the listing asks that potential candidates have “2+ years of experience working on Microsoft, Sony or Nintendo game consoles or other embedded systems.” According to Doctre81, EA does not usually use Nintendo in its usual listings when talking about Madden games and development.

Madden NFL 13 was the last Madden game to appear on a Nintendo System due to a complicated dispute between Nintendo and EA. Years later, they finally may be ready to bury the hatchet with work on a Nintendo Switch title.
Madden NFL 13 was the last Madden game to appear on a Nintendo System due to a complicated dispute between Nintendo and EA. Years later, they finally may be ready to bury the hatchet with work on a Nintendo Switch title.

That said, as Doctre81 further points out, Electronic Arts has plenty of reason to want to be on the Nintendo Switch. The console is selling extremely well, having crossed over 79 million units, as reported in February 2021. EA has also shown itself willing to explore other opportunities with Nintendo as well recently. For instance, Apex Legends just launched successfully on the Nintendo Switch, bringing Respawn Entertainment’s hero-based battle royale over to the handheld console hybrid. Efforts like these add further credence to the idea that EA is further ready to open the door for its sports titles.

We probably won’t see Madden 21 on the Nintendo Switch anytime soon (and really why would we want to?), but EA’s job listing speaks to an interesting possibility. It will remain to be seen if anything comes of it down the line.

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.

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