NFL Rivals Y3 - New Year, New Look, New Vibe

Let’s Talk.

By now, you probably know we don’t do soft launches in NFL Rivals. We roll up our sleeves, hit you with the truth, and get to work.

Alright, here’s the deal:

At 3am ET on August 20, NFL Rivals is hitting the showers for a few hours. When we come back out? It’s Year 3, baby. But don’t get it twisted, this ain’t the full playbook just yet. From 8/20 to Kickoff a week later, we’re treating it like Training Camp. Features are live, pads are poppin’, but we’re still tuning things up behind the scenes. You’ll see a 1-week Power Pass in there, that’s just a placeholder to bridge the gap. We’re not flipping to short Battle Passes forever. Chill.

And yeah, no Program Currency or Program Store for that first week. Doesn’t mean we benched ‘em,  they’re just in pregame mode. Full rollout hits at Kickoff.

This is your sneak peek before the fireworks. You’ve got questions? Good. You’ve earned answers.

First, the Tough Stuff: Why We Had to Make Big Changes

Let’s call it like it is, we hit a wall in Year 2.

A lot of new users started fading out.

And it wasn’t their fault. It was ours.

The gap between rookies and vets got way too wide.

Events were overwhelming.

League matchups felt hopeless.

The store made you feel like your wallet had to play QB1.

We had monsters with 2,000 more PWR than newbies in the same event. That’s not competition, that’s a buzzsaw. And for too many players, the game stopped feeling like fun and started feeling like pay-to-cope.

So we went back to the locker room, broke it all down, and rebuilt the playbook.

We’re retiring Base Cards

We love a good underdog story, but base cards just weren’t cutting it anymore. They were old, with old stats and had players on wrong teams, dragging down the experience.

So here’s the play: When you log in after August 20, all your base cards will be automatically quicksold into Training Points. Boom. Gone. Used to upgrade better things.

Training Tokens? They’re transforming into Rank Up Tokens.

Blueprints? Still around, and will be very useful in the new upgrade system. Don’t count them out just yet. 

We’re not just clearing the deck, we’re setting the table for something way better.

Locked Cards, Mint Tokens, and a New Way to Build Your Squad

Here’s the change that’s going to define Year 3:

Most cards you earn from packs now start locked. Can’t trade it. Can’t sell it. It’s yours to use and level up.

Want to mint it and take it to the open market?

You’ll need a Mint Token, rarity-based, not card-specific. That makes minting more flexible, while also keeping our marketplace clean and under control.

Why do this?

Because locked cards let us lower pack prices.

They let us put more/better cards in each pack.

And they let us create a smoother, more rewarding onboarding for new users

It’s a win for everyone, from grinders to collectors to the high-end dogs chasing mythicals.

Year 2 Captains: A New Chapter

We know a lot of you have invested time and effort into your Year 2 Captains, and we hope they provided you value across past seasons. As we step into Year 3, Synergy rows will be resetting and that includes the Captain row. This change opens the door for new ways to strategize and grow with minted cards. A new chapter, where everyone gets to start fresh with exciting opportunities ahead.

Upgrades Are Evolving, Too

With base cards gone and way more cards flowing in, we had to rethink upgrades.

Here’s the deal:

Cards now train with Card XP (CXP), not training points.

• To upgrade a player, you feed them other cards, yep, LEs included.
• Minted cards require time to be consumed (because they are on the blockchain) but provide considerably more CXP.
• Milestones are now called Ranks, unlocked with Rank Up Tokens or "same name" cards. You need to rank up Pat Mahomes? You’ll need Pat Mahomes cards or Rank Up tokens or a combination of the two. We went for flexibility.
• Season 3 minted cards get an extra rank, an extra special star and 5 bonus levels.

We’re aiming for that sweet spot:

Easy to start. Hard to master.

Welcome to Stadiums Mode – Competitive Play That Matters

An improved version of RIVALS ATTACK?? This is the real season.

We built a new mode that brings:

• Skill Based Matchmaking, Wagered, Real Time PvP matches
• 10 Stadiums with escalating difficulty, unique environments, and modifiers
• Coin-based entries (so coins have real value now)
• Trophies that unlock new Stadiums
• And Crates that reward players based on wins, League standing, and Stadium progress

And oh yeah, it’s not timed. We’re moving to total plays per game. Why? More time to strategize and dominate. Also, because timers stress out users. Plays + a clock = more football, less panic.

DEV NOTE : "We heard your feedback about wanting to play more so we added this central mode that has unlimited play. No fuel, play as much as you want"

Leagues Get the Makeover They Deserve

We heard you loud and clear: Leagues felt broken.

We put a lot of effort into improving them.

• Leagues are now passive, meaning no more daily games. Instead, your ranking and promotions come from how many coins you win playing in Stadiums and Events!
• Coins won in Stadiums and Events now determine your League standing
• Your League rank boosts how many bonus cards you get in Crates

Higher League = better rewards. Not just bragging rights.

DEV NOTE: Leagues will be 7 days long, Mon-Mon in line with the community request.

Events Stay Familiar, But Smarter

Events aren’t changing much, because they work.

But we’re improving segmentation to match your League tier better.

You’ll need coins to enter.

And those coin wins still go toward your League rank.

Same competitive vibe, just more fair for everyone.

DEV NOTE: your League Division (color) determines eligibility into which Event difficulty you can compete in.

Crafting, Synergy, and Squads: What’s New, What’s Coming

Crafting gets more important in Year 3.

With locked cards flooding your inventory, Crafting is now a go-to way to make those cards count.

Synergy?

It’s resetting; again. Y2 Synergy Cash is not carrying over instead of being part of Captains.

Only minted cards will provide or receive Synergy in Y3.

And Squads?

As-is...with a few tweaks based on the new systems we’re adding. Your squad ranking will be determined by each squad member’s performance in Stadiums and Events. But we’re making it our #2 priority post-launch. You deserve a team mode that feels like Sunday tailgate meets fantasy football war room. We’ll get there.

The Launch Set – A Clean Slate, A New Roster

We’re dropping 800+ new cards across all 32 teams.

Each one starts locked.

Each one represents the new standard of what an NFL Rivals card should be.

We’re also planning special legendaries with 145–150 PWR, one per team. Just enough spice to keep things interesting.

Let’s Wrap This Up Like a Postgame Speech

Look, we know change is hard. And this is a lot of change.

But we believe in this game.

We believe in you.

And we believe that Year 3 can be the best yet, not just for longtime legends, but for every new kid trying to build a dream team from scratch.

This isn’t just a reset.

It’s a relaunch.

A recommitment to doing it the right way.

So August 20. 3am. Maintenance kicks off.

Then the whistle blows. And we start again.

You ready?

Let’s ride.