Just hours before the NFL and NFL Referees Association came to an agreement to bring the professional sport's 17 union officials back to the field, a rumor sprung that next year's Madden NFL 14 could include some official referee liknesses. It's still up in the air as to whether this is true or just some joke brought on by the ridiculous amount of attention the refs have received from the recent dispute. Kotaku has made these claims based off of "two different sources close to the NFL Referees Association".
That means some of NFL's biggest-named refs could be seen in next year's installment. The rumor suggests that officials' facial features have already been scanned for future in-game use which, if true, could further improve Madden's broadcast-style presentation — a major point of emphasis in Madden NFL 13. Forget gameplay; I want my referee to look as close as possible to Ed Hochuli which is fitting considering Hochuli has served as the in-game motion capture model for Madden's referee since Madden NFL 06. The faces for these refs, however, are considered generic.
The first three weeks of the 2012/2013 NFL season have been flooded with controversy. Thanks to the NFL and Referees Association inability to come to a deal by the beginning of the season, teams had to put up with replacement officials and a series of bad calls that ultimately could end up costing a few teams playoff spots. The frustration built up for three weeks until culminating in a blown pass interference call that resulted in the Seattle Seahawks beating the Green Bay Packers on Monday Night Football.
Let's be honest, at this point referees could be considered to have as much star power and recognition as the actual NFL players. EA Sports has yet to comment on the ref rumors, and probably won't until we get closer to the release of Madden NFL 14. In the meantime, football fans can look to enjoy a week of football with legit NFL referees.
