EA Just Killed Another Game and I'm Getting Tired of This Pattern

By HOAR Team 30 June, 2025 5 mins read 2677 Views

Well, here we go again.

EA just pulled the plug on Madden NFL 21 today (June 30th), and honestly? I'm starting to lose track of how many games they've murdered this year. This makes it 13 down, with one more execution scheduled for October. My buddy Jake texted me this morning: "RIP to my 89% completion rate." Poor guy was grinding for those last few trophies.

The online multiplayer is completely dead now. No more Head-to-Head matches, no more online leagues, and definitely no more chasing that Bragging Rights trophy (you know, the one where you had to win the Super Bowl in an online league). If you didn't get 100% completion by today, you're officially screwed forever.

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The Body Count Keeps Growing

Look, I get it. Games age out. Servers cost money. But EA's 2025 killing spree feels particularly brutal when you see it all laid out:

January was a bloodbath - they axed Rory McIlroy PGA Tour on the 16th, then came back for The Simpsons: Tapped Out on the 24th. But January 29th? That was the real massacre. Five games died that day: Blood & Glory Immortals, Contract Killer: Sniper, Deer Hunter Classic, Dino Hunter: Deadly Shores, Eternity Warriors 4, Frontline Commando 2, AND Frontline Commando: D-Day.

February brought UFC 3's demise on the 17th. March claimed EA Sports UFC Mobile 2 and NCAA 14 on the 13th (and don't even get me started on how NCAA 14 still had a dedicated community). Today we lost Madden NFL 21.

October's coming for Madden NFL 22.

Here's What Really Gets Me

The thing that drives me crazy isn't just that they're shutting these games down - it's how they do it. Take Madden NFL 21. Sure, it wasn't the most beloved entry in the series, but people were still playing it! Still working on achievements! My editor mentioned he spent $60 on that game back in 2020 and barely touched the online modes until this year.

Now those achievements are literally impossible to get. Forever. That's not just shutting down servers - that's erasing parts of gaming history.

And here's the kicker: they're telling people not to jump to Madden NFL 22 because (surprise!) that one's getting the axe in October too. It's like watching dominoes fall, except each domino cost someone fifty bucks.

The Endless Cycle

Of course, there's a new Madden coming this summer. There always is. 2023, 2024, 2025... and now 2026 is on the way. The machine keeps churning, old games keep dying, and we keep buying the new ones.

I feel stupid for being surprised by this pattern anymore.

Some of these 14 doomed titles are completely unplayable now - not just missing online features, but entirely inaccessible. Others, like today's casualty, still work offline but lost their multiplayer soul. Either way, it's another piece of digital entertainment that just... disappeared.

Guess I'll go update my "Games EA Killed" spreadsheet. Again.

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