Electronic Arts will remove all references to the Washington Redskins in Madden NFL 21, after the football team’s announcement that it will be developing a new name.
Earlier this week, the Washington Redskins said that following a review that started July 3, it decided that the Redskins name and logo will be retired, after years of criticism that they perpetuate racist stereotypes against Native Americans. The team’s new name and logo have not yet been revealed.
With Madden NFL 21, the latest game in the long-running football series, set to release on August 25, Electronic Arts is working to replace the Washington Redskins with a generic team.
“We are pleased to see Washington’s decision to change their team name and visual identity,” an Electronic Arts representative said in a statement to Kotaku. “We are quickly working to update Madden NFL 21 to feature a generic Washington team, while we await final word on the updated team name and logo design.”
The representative said that the physical version of Madden NFL 21, which is now in the last stages of preparation before shipping out, will still include the Redskins name and logo, but once players go online, an update that will remove them will start to download.
Digital Trends has reached out to Electronic Arts to find out whether the Washington Redskins name and logo will also be replaced in previous Madden NFL games once the team reveals its new identity. We will update this article as soon as we hear back.
EA Sports against racism
EA Sports said in June that it will be taking a stronger stand against racism in its games, following Electronic Arts’ pledge of support in fighting against racial injustice.
EA Sports’ NHL team said that it will deliver harsher penalties and strengthen its profanity filters, as racism has been rampant in its games.
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