Madden is coming.

The latest video game dedicated to football glory will hit shelves next week, but I’m wondering what major differences will come to the game.

Sure, “Madden NFL 25” will bring back some great options like the ability to move teams to other cities, or to revive franchises that faded away. It sounds like the game will offer better running controls — a necessary improvement, if you ask me — and a more reactive environment as well. There are Hall of Fame players and coaches available for Madden Ultimate Team and Connected Franchise modes, which is sure to draw the nostalgia crowd.

Yet I’m not as drawn to “Madden” this year. “Madden” is lumped in with many sports games which don’t make many changes from year to year. The most die-hard fans will likely always buy Madden, but sports games in general are struggling to stay relevant in the gaming industry.

There’s just too many similarities from year to year and gamers are taking notice. That’s why we’re seeing more and more games with monopolies on a specific sport — “Madden” for football, “NBA 2K” for basketball, etc. Developers are driven to make the games as specific and accurate as possible, but the differences aren’t always apparent for players. While rosters may update with each annual installation, there often isn’t enough of a draw to make casual players keep up with the latest title in a series.

Take “NCAA Football 13,” for instance. Critics praised the latest college football title but many felt it was far too similar to “NCAA Football 12.” Though “NCAA Football” may not come back next year — the NCAA announced last month it won’t renew its licensing contract with Electronic Arts and the series will likely continue without NCAA branding — developers may be hard-pressed to find more options to entice gamers.

That makes a shift in sports gaming far more likely. Sooner or later, a developer is going to come up with a singular game to update on a continuous basis, a la “World of Warcraft.” The shift only makes sense in the face of a perceived decreasing interest in sports games.

One thing’s for sure, though: I’ll stick with my copy of “Madden 13” this year.