It's the Super Bowl this weekend and since that has nothing to do with video games, it might seem a little odd to be talking about it here. Well, the reason we're very briefly casting our video game gaze over the NFL finale is because EA Sports has insisted on using Madden to try and predict how the game will unfold, and if recent attempts at that have taught us anything, it's that the football game has probably got it wrong.
Anyone with a passing interest in football will have told you who they think is going to win the Super Bowl this weekend, even though you probably didn't ask. The same applies to EA which has been running a simulation of the sporting spectacle through its Madden games every year since 2003. However, as highlighted by Kotaku, even though its overall record is pretty great, Madden has gotten really bad at accurately calling who will win in recent years.
Madden has predicted the Super Bowl winner correctly 11 times, meaning it has missed the mark on eight occasions. A pretty good return, but hold your horses. Most of those successful predictions came early on in this ritual and even includes a time the game's simulation got the score right too. In recent years, however, Madden has become less adept at knowing who is going to win the big game before a ball has been kicked.
Of the last five Super Bowls, Madden has picked the wrong team four times, and has rooted for the losing team on six occasions out of the last nine. With that in mind, you're probably better off betting against the Eagles this Sunday. Madden has them winning 31-17 which likely means the Chiefs will be the ones lifting the Vince Lombardi Trophy at the weekend.
Madden might be bad at predicting match winners, but it doesn't appear to be an EA thing. The studio also simulates World Cups using FIFA ahead of big tournaments and has a terrific track record on that side of the football coin. FIFA accurately predicted Argentina would win this year's World Cup, meaning it has picked the right team to win in four consecutive tournaments.
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