In the NFL, when players pull off something special on the field, fans occasionally refer to it as a “video-game move.” But Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley took that to another level earlier this season when he evaded a defender by jumping over him while looking the other way. EA couldn’t resist adding that no-look hurdle to the latest update for Madden NFL 25, but Barkley is the only player who can use it and it’s not easy to pull off.
As part of the notes for the new Madden NFL 25 update, EA explained that the development team immediately decided to put Barkley’s “once-in-a-lifetime move” in the game by combing through hours of motion-capture footage. From there, they determined which animations could be modified to recreate Barkley’s leap, with some additional help from “animator magic” to complete the move.
While that move would be incredibly useful for any player, the developers have put some restrictions on it beyond limiting to Barkley’s in-game avatar. In order to perform a Saquon spin hurdle, the defender has to approach the front of the player at a 45-degree angle. The move also requires very precise timing, as well as close proximity between the player and the defender. So it’s possible, but it may not be the guaranteed outcome of every play under those circumstances.
Later this month, Amazon’s Prime Video will debut It’s in the Game, a four-part documentary series about the history and development of the Madden NFL games. That show will hit Prime Video on November 26. Further into the future, Nicolas Cage will play John Madden in a new biopic from writer and director David O. Russell.
The complete list of changes and notes for Madden NFL 25’s new update is below:
Gameplay
- Triggering the Saquon Spin Hurdle – To trigger the spin hurdle the ball-carrier must be Saquon Barkley, the defender must be incoming from a 45 degree angle in front of the ball carrier, the defender must be within a close proximity to the ball carrier, and the user must press the hurdle button with the right timing.
- Addressed an issue where users were able to create illegal formations by motioning the tight end after an audible
- DEV NOTE: This tactic was most effective when having the offense audible into formations like Trips TE or Bunch TE. Users could motion the tight end over to the same side as the trips receivers and create offensive overloads. The formations created were not legal formations and this functionality has been removed.
- Fixed the QB walking through the center on QB Kneel plays. The QB now is in the correct position to start and walks into the correct position behind the center
- Fixed the defensive end lining up in the same spot as the defensive tackle in the 4-3 Over Solid formation
- Addressed an issue where no power kicks would land at spots in the front of the landing zone that were difficult for the kicking team to recover
- DEV NOTE: There has been a change made to kick power and ball placement so no power kicks will now fall short of the landing zone. There will need to be at 25% power for the ball to make it to the landing zone
- Fixed an issue with outside deep fourth defenders biting down on return routes instead of staying deep
- Fixed an issue where deep zone defenders would not keep depth when they had no receiving threat in their zone and would allow Post Routes from the other side of the formation to get behind them
- Fixed an issue where deep third defenders in Prevent defense were not all staying deeper than the deepest across the field
- Fixed an issue where the inside deep fourth safety would leave the slot receiver unguarded, going vertical in the Empty Bunch Verticals play
- Fixed an issue where the inside deep fourth safety allowed the slot receiver in bunch formations on a streak to run past him for a TD
- Fixed an issue where Seam Flat defenders in the Dime 1-4 FS Zone Blitz play were not covering the correct sides of the field against the Gun Bunch Str Nasty: MTN Curls play
- Alignment improvements in Cover 4 Quarters, Palms, and Cover 6 where the outside Deep Fourth, Quarter Flat, and 3 Rec Hook triangulate their positioning against Bunch Receivers to handle first inside, and first to flat, and deep threat
- Fixed an alignment issue where defenders were lining up in the wrong position on Nickel 3-3 Odd Pinch 0 allowing the middle slot receiver to be left unguarded in Empty sets
- Fixed an issue where outside cornerbacks and inside cornerbacks would align side by side against a nub-set tight end (TE aligned next to the OT with no WRs outside of the TE)
- Superstar X-Factor Updates:
- New X-Factor Players
- C.J. Stroud
- Nico Collins
- Aidan Hutchinson
- Antoine Winfield Jr.
- Quinnen Williams
- New X-Factor Players
- New Superstar Players
- Jayden Daniels
- Baker Mayfield
- Alvin Kamara
- Malik Nabers
- Xavier McKinney
- Chris Olave
- Nnamdi Maduibike
- Jaylon Johnson
- L’Jarius Sneed
- Christian Darrisaw
- Joe Thuney
- Alex Highsmith
- Chavarius Ward
- Rashawn Slater
- Trey Smith
- C.J. Mosley
- Jordan Mailata
- Trent McDuffie
- Brandon Aubrey
- Garrett Wilson
- Tariq Woolen
- Downgraded Players
- Tre’Davious White
- Jalen Hurts
- Darius Slay
- Mark Andrews
- Keenan Allen
- Mike Williams
- Jordan Poyer
- Trevor Lawrence
- Za’Darius Smith
- D’Andre Swift
- Kyren Williams
- Raheem Mostert
- Aaron Rodgers
- Josh Jacobs
- Tyron Smith
- Chase Young
- Stephon Gilmore
- Austin Ekeler
- New Face Scans
- Charvarius Ward
- Rhamondre Stevenson
- Jake Ferguson
- Tyson Campbell
- Paulson Adebo
- Martin Emerson Jr.
- Nick Bellore
- Jaylen Warren
- Tee Higgins
- Joey Porter Sr.
- Quinnen Williams
- Charles Woodson
- Ryan Kelly
Playbooks
- Added plays to Nickel Over in the following playbooks: 4-3, 46, Cover 2, Multiple D, 49ers, Bears, Bengals, Browns, Chiefs, Colts, Commanders, Jaguars, Jets, Packers, Saints, and Texans
- Nickel Over – Edge Blitz 0
- Nickel Over – Edge Blitz 3
- Nickel Over – FS Will Blitz 0
- Nickel Over – Cover 3 Buzz Mable
- Nickel Over – Sim Pressure 3
- Added plays to Nickel 2-4 in the following playbooks: 3-4, Broncos, Buccaneers, Cardinals, Chargers, Dolphins, Falcons, Giants, Lions, Patriots, Raiders, Rams, Ravens, Seahawks, Titans, and Vikings
- Nickel 2-4 – Edge Blitz 0
- Nickel 2-4 – Edge Blitz 3
- Nickel 2-4 – FS Will Blitz 0
- Nickel 2-4 – Cover 3 Buzz Mable
- Nickel 2-4 – Sim Pressure 3
- Nickel 2-4 – Double Bracket
- Nickel 2-4 – 1 Double WR1
- Nickel 2-4 – 1 Double WR2
- DEV NOTE: We unintentionally omitted some new plays from the previous gridiron notes; these plays were added to Nickel 3-3 Odd in the previous update.
- Hot Blitz Bail
- Double Bracket
- Cover 6 Willie
- 1 Double WR1
- Cover 4 Palms
- 1 Double WR2
- Tampa Sim Pressure
- Tampa 2 Drop
- Cover 9
- Added New plays to the Run & Shoot playbook
- Pistol Spread – Speed Option, Wide Zone, Wide Zone Wk
- Pistol Trips Open – Houston, Houston Mesh
- Gun Spread – 90 Cube, RPO Alert WR Screens, RPO Alert Bubble
- Gun Trips Slots Close – Blast, Georgia, Georgia Mesh, Speed Option
- Gun Trips – Blast, Georgia, Georgia Mesh
Franchise Mode
- Addressed a crash when users are creating a new offline league using the Active Roster entry point
- Fixed an issue where the Hub Timeline doesn’t display final scores during the Playoffs
- Resolved mismatches between Player Traits on the Player Card and Edit Player screen
- Corrected commentary errors and presentation issues when using a Teambuilder team that referred to an incorrect Bears vs. Bears matchup
- Addressed Franchise settings issues with the Draft Timer and Adjusting Depth Charts when both settings were set to “OFF”/“Manual.”
Superstar Mode (PS5, Xbox Series X|S & PC only)
- Fixed an issue where the CAP would not be present in some plays.
- Updated default difficulty settings
- Vanity
- Snowman Helmets (3)
- Candy Cane Capsule
NFL Authenticity
- Gear
- Xenith Orbit Helmet and Masks
- Light Gladiator Helmet and Masks
- Vapor Edge 360 Untouchable Cleat
- Nike Vapor Knit 4 gloves
- Jordan Vapor Knit 4 gloves
- Nike DTack FG gloves
- C Patch updates for multiple teams