EA Game is Permanently Shutting Down This Month

Another EA game is about to lose most of its online functionality, rendering it obsolete for those still playing an older game in an annual franchise. Unlike EA’s recent shutdown of Battlefield Hardline, which only affected PlayStation and Xbox consoles and not PC users on Steam, this latest title is being impacted across all platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

Unfortunately, video game shutdowns are happening at an increasing frequency. Sometimes it’s the case where servers are shut down and the game is technically playable, even if some or most parts of it are not. Sometimes it’s a complete shutdown like Anthem back in January 2026. Either way, it never sits right for someone to pay for and purchase a game to no longer be able to play it, bringing up serious questions of digital ownership for EA and all major publishers.

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EA is Shutting Down Madden NFL 23 on July 13

Publisher Electronic Arts has confirmed Madden NFL 23 will permanently retire its online services on July 13, bringing an end to online multiplayer, in-game purchases, and ongoing support nearly three years after its release. The biggest change is the loss of online access. Once the servers go offline on July 13, players will no longer be able to access online modes or purchase in-game content. EA has also warned players that Madden Points were removed from sale back on January 12, giving anyone with an existing balance several months to spend it before the shutdown. After July 13, any unused Madden Points will expire permanently, leaving no way to recover or use them.

Who’s That Character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

Madden NFL 27 is set to release on August 13.

Technically, the older sports game in the annualized franchise isn’t becoming completely unplayable. EA confirmed that Madden NFL 23‘s offline modes will remain available on all available platforms, even if players can’t go online on them. However, for many players, modern Madden games are built around their online features (particularly Ultimate Team and competitive multiplayer), meaning a significant portion of the experience will effectively disappear once support ends. In that sense, the game is largely shutting down, even if offline play “survives.”

The move also follows a familiar pattern for annual sports games. As newer entries release every year, older Madden titles gradually lose active support before eventually having their servers retired. That allows EA to focus its resources on the latest games while encouraging players to move on to newer releases, and it happens to other annualized sports franchises like the WWE 2K games. For longtime fans, though, it also means each sports game has a relatively limited lifespan compared to many others, especially if they primarily play online. For anyone still regularly playing Madden NFL 23, the remaining days before July 13 represent the final opportunity to experience everything the game has to offer. After that date, all that is today simply becomes part of the game’s history.

Scratch & Peek

Identify the cover art while scratching off as little foil as
possible.

While Madden NFL 23 will continue living on through its offline modes, its online era is officially coming to an end. Beginning July 13, Madden NFL 23 joins the growing list of shut down games, leaving its offline content as the only way to revisit the game going forward.