BISMARCK, ND (KXNET) — New research has revealed that North Dakota has gone mad for Madden 2023 — at least, madder than 41 other states.
A study from online gaming site minesweeper-challenge.com analyzed Google Trends data on different states’ levels of search results for ‘Madden 23’ and ‘Madden 23 release date’ over the past 12 months to determine where America is most crazy about the game. Here are the top ten states which reported the most searches for Madden’s latest hit:
#1: Louisiana
#2: Delaware
#3: Alabama
#4: Ohio
#5: Mississippi
#6: Maryland
#7: West Virginia
#8: North Dakota
#9: Wisconsin
#10: Iowa
In contrast, Oregon ranks as the state with the least interest level in the game, with total searches being only a third of Louisiana’s results. Out of the other states, including Washington D.C, California trails behind in 50th place, behind Vermont in 49th, and New York in 48th.
Despite a huge number of purchases, though, the website also identifies a disconnect between critical and player comments on the new release.
“The release of the latest Madden game each year always gets fans talking, so it’s fascinating to see which parts of the US have been most interested in the game,” said a spokesperson for Minesweeper-Challenge in a press release. “Since its release in August we’ve also seen a split between critical and fan opinions on the game, with professional reviewers broadly positive about it, while user reviews have been rather more negative.”