As murky clouds of discontent gather in the virtual football space, an annoying audio issue is creating a vexing cacophony for PlayStation 5 and PC Madden 24 players. In an ironic twist of the serenity before the storm, gamers are reporting bizarre sound glitches including popping and crackling audio, underscored by sporadic disappearing sound channels.
According to reports from the Madden subreddit, these audio hiccups occur during gameplay. Essentially, half the audio vanishes, then resurfaces with an unpleasant presence of static each time a play concludes and a cutscene rolls. Treating these glitches like an unwanted halftime show, players with surround sound audio setups—be it speakers, soundbars, or headphones—appear to be the primary victims.
Electronic Arts, the gaming giant behind Madden 24, has yet to provide a full breakdown of the issues or a promise of a server fix. However, it hasn’t fallen on deaf ears, as avid players of this beloved franchise are throwing their audible touchdowns on forums, desperate for a solution.
Interestingly, The Verge’s Nilay Patel provides a player’s perspective on the issue. Confirming firsthand that the problem persists on his PS5 while using a Dolby Atmos rig, the saga of stubborn sound hiccups refuses to subside even after switching the PS5’s output to just stereo. A browse through the labyrinthine Reddit post also reveals users expressing their audible angst via loud popping sounds that strike every few seconds or whenever the game comes to a pause. These aberrations potentially suggest that the issue lies within a modification in the output set up.
Repairing the sonic landscape isn’t as easy as piecing together Madden’s defensive formation. The lack of an official patch from EA has left gamers doing their workaround calisthenics, figuring out remedies to these ear-grating issues. In an amusing occurrence, a PC user managed to contrive an incredibly intricate solution that involves shutting off an array of features. Although we’re currently unable to test this potential panacea, various video commentators suggest it works—an abstractly gratifying protocol in the absence of a professional fix.
The controversy over these troubling sound-blems appeared to rope in rap legend Snoop Dogg, initially thought to be irked by the audio glitches. However, it later turned out that his grievance was primarily rooted in the game’s server issues.
Whilst the Madden community awaits an official fix from EA, the soundtrack to the game has become an orchestra of popping and crackling for many. Should you decide to brave these field goals of discomfortable noises, it’s wise to note that your surround sound setup might just be the 12th Madden player, throwing off your in-game strategies with unexpected audible interferences.
The game of football is as much about acoustics as it is about actions, and when the roars of the crowd, the crunch of a tackle, or the referee’s whistle is punctuated by unsettling sound glitches, it’s a missed pass for everyone involved. Gamers around the globe are all hoping that EA can soon provide a fix to this grand audio performance, turning down the distortion and bringing back the resonant, clear calls that Madden 24 should deliver.
