
After releasing just over a month ago, Madden NFL 20 is already getting a new game mode focused on shorter, faster co-op matches.
Just in time for tournament season, the Superstar KO mode is out today and offers five-minute matches in solo or duo mode with ultimate team rewards. This newly-launch mode is meant to be short enough to play through commercials during standard NFL televised events and allow quick drop in / drop out gameplay for new players not dedicated to a longer match.
Madden NFL 20 was released through EA Sports — the sports division of publisher Electronic Arts [stock_market_widget type="inline" template="generic" color="default" assets="EA" markup="(NASDAQ: {symbol} {currency_symbol}{price} ({change_pct}))" api="yf"] — on Aug. 2, 2019.
To show off Superstar KO mode and bring in a new crop of players as the Madden online tournaments get underway, the game is now being offered as part of a free play weekend from September 5 – 9 for console players.
Following that free weekend, the Superstar KO mode will remain free to play for owners of Madden NFL 20 who have the Xbox Live Gold or Playstation Plus monthly memberships.
Madden NFL 20 will also be featured today at the start of the Twitch Prime Crown Cup in Chicago, where Twitch streamers will compete alongside celebrity appearances by a variety of NFL players and internationally recognized musicians.
Former NFL stars Devin Hester and Ahman Green will be on-site to play the new Superstar KO mode with players attending the Cup, while online viewers watching through Twitch Prime will be able to unlock a variety of Madden Ultimate Team in-game items.
On the eSports front, the yearly Madden Classic finals just wrapped up at the start of September and were sponsored by the new Starbucks Nitro Cold Brew rolled out to select locations this summer.
Following the Classic finals, the online ladder for the Madden Club Championship is currently ongoing, with the elimination rounds due for late October. The live Championship finals will then take place from November through the end of December.
The Madden Challenge tournaments meanwhile will kick off in November and run through early February of 2020. Finally, the Madden Bowl – with an announced prize pool of $220,000 – is now set for April 23, 2020.