Madden NFL 12 will present concussions realistically - as realistically as removing a player from the game, forbidding his return, and delivering commentary that highlights the seriousness of the injury. The game will not include suspensions for players who dole them out; nor is there any way to intentionally cause one.
Madden executive producer Phil Frazier shared more details on concussions with ESPN yesterday. "It's not based on the Hit Stick," Frazier said, the right-analog control that causes big hits on defense. "It's based on the area of the collision. So you have to actually hit a guy in the head as part of a tackle for it to even be considered for a concussion, but causing a concussion in the game is rare."
How rare? Frazier said in the NFL last year, there were 25,000 plays run, and 200 concussions. "So in Madden, on any play, there is a .59 percent chance of a concussion happening. It's a very rare injury and it will be rare in the game," he said.
In the NFL, players who have repeatedly delivered hits that caused concussions have been fined and suspended. Nothing of the sort will be found in Madden, Frazier said. "We don't have a mechanic in the game that causes a concussion. There's nothing you can do to increase the likelihood of a concussion. We're not going there."