12s Will Impact Seahawks Home Games in Madden NFL 22
The 2021 NFL season is almost here and, as has been the case for the past 31 years, it will be accompanied by a new entry in EA Sports' Madden NFL video game series. This year's iteration features a decent amount of new changes, including an overhauled franchise mode, re-tuned animations and polished graphics for next-generation consoles.
But with fans set to return to NFL stadiums this fall, there is perhaps no bigger addition to this year's game than its new home-field advantage mechanic. Each stadium will have its own unique advantage, either giving the home team a boost or nerfing the away team in some fashion.
On Thursday, EA officially revealed the home-field advantages for all 32 NFL stadiums in Madden NFL 22.
Of course, the Seahawks' advantage at Lumen Field comes as no surprise: the 12s. Known for their passion and record-setting noise, the 12s will assist players by scrambling their opponents' pre-snap play art. Visitors looking to make adjustments at the line of scrimmage will see nothing but squiggly lines when analyzing their play call, simulating the confusion real-life offenses often deal with on Sundays in Seattle.
It's an accurate representation of the Seahawks' iconic fanbase and serves as a celebration for their return to Lumen Field this season. On June 23, the organization officially announced that fans will be welcomed back at full capacity with over half of the state of Washington's population fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and climbing.
Due to the global pandemic and consequent state guidelines, the Seahawks were unable to host any fans for the entire 2020 season. Despite the loss of one of the greatest home-field advantages in professional sports, however, the team managed to go 7-1 at home during the regular season.
But eventually, the absence of the 12s was felt. Hosting the Rams in the wild-card round of the postseason, the Seahawks came out flat and stayed that way for most of their 30-20 defeat. The loss marked their first home playoff defeat since 2004, coincidentally against the Rams.
Fortunately for Seattle, Lumen Field will go silent no longer. And gamers can get their first taste of the 12s' return when Madden NFL 22 releases on August 16 for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X | S, Xbox One, Google Stadia and PC.
