Hey Maximum Football crew — what’s up?
We’re trying something new with the Monthly Mailbag. In the past, we’ve done these as videos, but the reality is: there’s a whole team of folks working behind the scenes on Maximum Football, and a blog gives us a better way to tap into their insights.
By shifting to this format, I can pull in answers from across the dev team and give you a fuller look at what’s happening under the hood. So with that—let’s dive into your questions.
1: What has Unreal Engine 5 enabled this team to do with Maximum Football that other engines wouldn’t have allowed?
We chose Unreal Engine 5 for two big reasons. First, it lets us hit next‑level graphics faster and more efficiently — real‑time global illumination, super‑realistic materials, and all the visual polish you expect from a modern title.
Second, UE5’s robust physics system powers the core of our gameplay. From the ball’s arc through the air to the trench battles at the line of scrimmage, every collision and movement is driven by real‑time physics calculations. That level of fidelity simply wouldn’t be possible in most other engines.
2: When is the next animation package being added?
Animations are constantly being added to Maximum Football. Seriously. Every single update we release includes new animations and updated animations. Starting in February, our updates have addressed locomotion with a new sprint animation
We have another mocap session that’s planned for this summer where we will continue to capture new blocks, catches, tackles, running animations, and more!
3: With hurry-up offense now in the game, where is the team at with addressing CPU late-half clock management?
This is still a work-in-progress for us, but we are making strides to not only improve the CPU’s late-game situational awareness but overhaul the CPU playcalling system altogether.
For now, you will see the CPU leveraging the new hurry up mechanic in late-game situations when it makes sense.
As for the remainder of the overhaul, our philosophy is simple, we will continue to polish it on our end while asking ourself “is this new system better than the system we have in the game now.” The moment we can answer that with a resounding yes, we will implement the new system into the game!
4: Is the team working on adding gang tackling?
Absolutely—gang tackling is on our roadmap! We’re currently fine‑tuning our 1v1 tackle mechanics to get them just right, and once that’s locked in, we’ll shift our focus to adding realistic gang‑tackle dynamics. It won’t be in our 1.0 launch, but it’s definitely coming in a future update. Stay tuned!
5: Right now, there are only right-handed quarterbacks in the game, are there plans to add left-handers?
We do plan to add left‑handed QBs. Beyond simply flipping our right‑handed throws, southpaws bring unique release angles and body mechanics that we want to nail down authentically. We’re currently evaluating whether we can mirror existing animations or if we need a dedicated mocap session for left‑handed throws. Either way, you’ll see true lefty signal‑callers in a future update.
6: Are you still planning to release the game on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One?
Absolutely! PlayStation 4 and Xbox One is still slated for release in the future.
7: What updates to customization are coming?
Customization is a core pillar of what we are building with Maximum Football, and we want to continue to add ways for players to express their creativity on the field. So, here’s some of the stuff we have coming up soon.
Custom field colors: For Season 2, we introduced Seaside Park, which featured our first new colored turf. But soon, any field in Maximum Football will be able to sport a different colored turf, as well as different colored seats throughout your stadium.
Custom endzones and additional field logo customization are on the long-term roadmap to give you even more options for customization.