What will FIFA do after 23?

December 18, 2023

There have been rumors that, at long last, there will be a Women’s side of Ultimate Team to boot. Though, that has to be confirmed by EA so we’ll just have to wait and see.

The Standard Edition will cost $59.99 (£59.99), consistent with most major video game releases.

“The introduction of EA SPORTS FC will not impact any current EA Sports global football games, and EA and FIFA are excited to deliver the greatest, most expansive EA SPORTS FIFA ever later this fall,” EA said in a statement. “Our final FIFA product will also include more game modes, features, teams, leagues, players, and competitions than any previous edition.”

EA has removed the 250 FIFA Points ($2.49), 750 FIFA Points ($7.49), 2200 FIFA Points ($19.99) and the good old 4600 FIFA Points ($39.99).

EA has made FIFA 23 available early to those who pre-order the Ultimate Edition. That means, as well as extra bonuses bundled with that version, you play FIFA 23 ahead of its official release date.

The loss of the FIFA branding won’t see EA SPORTS FC go all Pro Evolution Soccer with fake team names either. EA has already partnered with numerous leagues and clubs around the globe to secure naming rights.

fifa 23 wonderkids

EA FC 24 will be similar to FIFA in the gameplay department too. The engine stays the same as Frostbite will be used for EA’s annual soccer game for the eighth year in a row. Hypermotion, EA’s big gameplay feature that’s led their FIFA presentations in the past few years, is once again front and center during the pre-launch campaign.

It’s the end of an era, as EA Sports has finally lost the FIFA licence. As a result, EA’s successor to FIFA 23 will be named EA Sports FC 24 instead. But aside from the name, are there any other significant changes taking place?

Regardless, we know that the FIFA series will continue because of Infantino’s comments.

FIFA 23 finally introduced Women’s Football to the series, but it was restricted to its own section within the game, and so had no crossover with the Men’s Football.

The continued prominence of Career Mode will be of great relief to fans who don’t quite buy into the unrealistic Ultimate Team or Pro Clubs options. Volta means “return” in Portuguese – and it’s always good to see its inclusion, which harkens to the FIFA Street days of old.

Announced in a blog post, EA Sports said the name change would take place after the next FIFA game, with more information coming about the first EA Sports FC in July 2023. “This new independent platform will bring fresh opportunity – to innovate, create and evolve,” reads a message from Group GM of EA Sports, Cam Weber.

Graphics: EA SPORTS

EA had previously said it was exploring the idea of renaming the series, and went onto trademark the EA Sports FC name, but this is the first time it’s been officially confirmed. Previous reports have suggested that FIFA wants to charge EA $1 billion every four years to use the name.

With the announcement of EA and FIFA’s split, FIFA will work with other third-party developers to launch new soccer games, and non-simulation games are already in the works and are planned to release in Q3 2022.

Evolutions is a new system that will allow for improving players from within your Ultimate Team squad by completing objectives. The coolest part about Evolutions is that you can upgrade the cards’ look along with their stats, which creates a whole new sense of progression.

The FIFA series is one of the most successful gaming franchises on Earth, both in terms of sales and after-sale revenue – it will be fascinating to see if a change in brand name affects that in future.

The enhanced Frostbite engine should also help to make in-game players look more accurate to their real-life counterparts. EA suggests player models will be 10x more anatomically precise than in FIFA 23, while football shirts can stretch and ripple for more authentic visuals.

a collage of 45 tiles each featuring the letters “fc” with an ea sports logo in the center, for ea sports fc

EA has announced that the FIFA series will officially change its name to EA Sports FC after this year’s FIFA 23, ending what will be an almost three-decade partnership with football’s governing body.

“For nearly 30 years, we’ve been building the world’s biggest football community — with hundreds of millions of players, thousands of athlete partners, and hundreds of leagues, federations, and teams,” Wilson said. “EA SPORTS FC will be the club for every one of them, and for football fans everywhere.”

FIFA 23 finally introduced Women’s Football to the series, but it was restricted to its own section within the game, and so had no crossover with the Men’s Football.

Long-term fans of the FIFA series will likely point out that Playstyles sounds a lot like the old Traits system. It looks like EA has rebranded the system, while also expanding it with 34 brand new playstyles. There will also be a tier system this time round with Playstyles Plus, providing an even greater boost to certain abilities for elite players.

The introduction of subscriptions is more probable, with basic modes, or more expansive – and expensive – gameplay options. A hypothetical possibility is that higher-priced subscriptions will enable customisation previously unseen under the FIFA banner. However, in keeping with its earlier games, it’s probable that the first EA Sports FC game will be one straight transaction. It, after all, has a couple of new competitors to deal with.

EA CEO Andrew Wilson has reportedly said that the only value the FIFA name offers EA outside of a World Cup year is the “four letters on the front of the box.” He apparently added, “I would argue – and this may be a little biased – that the FIFA brand has more meaning as a video game than it does a governing body of soccer.”

EA has at least confirmed that FC 24 players will have more control over coaches and tactics, while new training features will also be introduced. Gone are the days when Manager Mode simply meant playing as your favourite club on matchday – now you’re expected to get more involved in the backroom, just like Klopp and Guardiola.

fifa 23

As a name, EA Sports FC not only eliminates a largely cosmetic expense, but also it returns some valuable brand space to a publisher that, officially, puts its name into every game’s title. The publisher’s soccer franchise has taken the FIFA name since 1993’s FIFA International Soccer for Sega Genesis, making FIFA the third-longest title partner in the publisher’s history, behind the Madden NFL series (1988) and NHL (1991).

But EA has now confirmed they have fixed a dribbling issue in FIFA 23, with AcceleRATE values unimpacted by the update. Rather than Lengthy players being patched, EA has fixed a bug that has been impacting Controlled and Explosive players since the game’s release.

Losing the FIFA license has another in-game effect: the World Cup won’t be part of EA FC 24 in any way because its licensing is part of the FIFA deal. With the 2022 World Cup taking place in December, right in the middle of FIFA 2 3’s run, the competition was heavily emphasized in all aspects of the game for a while. For that reason, not having anything related to the World Cup in EA FC 24 might feel more off than it would have in any other year.

Reviewed by Peer Schneider
April 1, 1997
I would recommend buying this only if you can’t live without a soccer game and need one now. Otherwise I’d say, make it a Blockbuster Night and wait two months for Konami’s International Super Star Soccer (Perfect Striker), which beats FIFA 64 in all categories — and doesn’t even need a second half-time for it. What a disappointment.” width=”” /> Reviewed by Jaz Rignall
November 24, 1997
FIFA 98 is top of the league, and definitely puts the life back in a franchise which was starting to look very tired and worn. It’s definitely the best football game on the PlayStation by miles, and with its absolutely astounding number of options, teams and gameplay styles, I know that it’s going to keep me very happy until the real World Cup starts next summer.” width=”” /> Reviewed by Peer Schneider
December 24, 1997
FIFA 98 is a good soccer game with three unfortunate problems: Shoddy framerate, some AI glitches, and Konami’s ISS64. The awesome sound, multiplayer gameplay, and FIFA license make FIFA 98 a good buy for soccer enthusiasts — but only if they already own ISS64. Others, especially sticklers for a steady framerate and fast-paced sports will definitely want to rent it first. But what ever you do, hook it up to a surround sound system and remind your three best buddies to stop by with their controllers.” width=”” /> Reviewed by Douglass Perry
July 15, 1998
In any case, World Cup Soccer is a blast. It’s a big game, full of little details, such as trivia games, real players, great strategy, and a deep, gritty feeling for the game.” width=”” />

You can’t transfer your FIFA Points from FIFA 22 to FIFA 23 using the FUT Web or Companion Apps. Log in to FIFA 23 on your console or PC to transfer your FIFA Points, then you’ll see them on the apps. The one-time Points transfer from FIFA 22 to FIFA 23 ended on December 31, 2022.

FIFA 23 is one of the best FIFA games in recent memory, with some of this year’s new features really helping to freshen up the annual experience. However, while the game is arguably a lot better than some of its more recent predecessors, there are still quite a few issues that EA needs to address.

The exclusivity deal has been killed off in favour of a more open approach. It’s hard to see this breakdown as a positive thing because while more games are always welcome, the last thing fans want is a football gaming market that resembles the App Store in the early 2010s.

FIFA does own and control the branding for the World Cup and the Women’s World Cup, but those tournaments run every four years, and have traditionally showed up in an update to the main video game a few months before the real-life events begin. The last stand-alone World Cup title that Electronic Arts released was 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil for PlayStation 3, Windows PC, and Xbox 360.

EA will also be introducing six new Women’s Football competitions to the series: UEFA Women’s Champions League, Barclays Women’s Super League, National Women’s Soccer League, D1 Arkema, Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga and Liga F.

It’s all change for EA’s football simulation series, with the devs revealing EA FC and gearing up for a new era. Naturally, some are confused about what it all means. Here’s the difference between FIFA and EA FC, as well as what we expect to happen to the FIFA video game series.

If you pre-ordered FIFA 23 Ultimate Edition or have EA Play Pro, you can get in the game three days early starting on September 27, 2022. EA Play members can begin their 10-hour trial at this time, too. FIFA 23’s worldwide release date is September 30, 2022.

Women Footballers in Ultimate Team

Contents

1 Women Footballers in Ultimate Team
2 How much is 4600 FIFA Points?
3 FIFA 23 will arrive this year, but the name will change after that.

FIFA Points can be used in FIFA Ultimate Team™ to get packs, enter Ultimate Draft, and more to help you build your dream squad, or in VOLTA FOOTBALL to unlock fresh apparel items.

No development studio or publisher has been touted for FIFA’s own video game series. It’s also worth nothing that Infantino began his list of FIFA games with 25, suggesting there won’t be a 2023 release to directly compete with the first EAFC.

Load up FIFA 23 on Xbox, PlayStation, or PC. Hit ‘Modes’ and select Ultimate Team. Locate an icon showing two heads on the bottom left of the screen, and click on it. Invite a friend to play.

Speaking to the BBC, EA Sports vice president David Jackson explained what wouldn’t be in EA Sports FC: “In terms of things that they’ll miss, players will notice only two things: The name and a World Cup piece of content every four years. Outside of that, very little will change about the things they know, and love about the current FIFA products.”

So what changes can you expect to see with the transfer switch from FIFA 23 or EA Sports FC 24? We’ve highlighted the key differences below.

Graphics: EA SPORTS

Load up FIFA 23 on Xbox, PlayStation, or PC. Hit ‘Modes’ and select Ultimate Team. Locate an icon showing two heads on the bottom left of the screen, and click on it. Invite a friend to play.

If you’re an Ultimate Team fan, you don’t have to worry one bit. Yes, EA SPORTS FC will still have an Ultimate Team mode , as confirmed by EA themselves.

This has changed for EA FC 23, as women footballers will be sharing the pitch with men for the latest iteration of Ultimate Team. This will allow you to build hybrid squads, so you can have both Erling Haaland and Sam Kerr in the same lineup.

How much is 4600 FIFA Points?

EA / FIFA

The world of football has joined the club, make sure you do too.

That means that EA SPORTS FC’s Ultimate Team mode will have real players, stadiums, clubs, and everything else you’ve become used to seeing each year.

FIFA 23 has also been confirmed to be the last game in the series, leading to speculation about the future of the franchise. The franchise is not ending, but it will be undergoing a significant rebrand later this year.

The first Fifa game was released by EA Sports in 1993 with newer and updated versions produced on a near yearly basis ever since. But after losing the naming rights, what would have been Fifa 24 will now be rebranded as EA Sports FC.

Weber made clear that despite dropping the name license, EA Sports FC will keep FIFA’s league, club and player licenses, including “19,000+ players, 700+ teams, 100+ stadiums and 30 leagues”. EA included a number of messages of support for the move from the English Premier League, LaLiga, Bundesliga, European football organization UEFA, and more. FIFA itself has not released a statement at time of writing.

There have been rumors that, at long last, there will be a Women’s side of Ultimate Team to boot. Though, that has to be confirmed by EA so we’ll just have to wait and see.

The good news is that the loss of the FIFA branding won’t affect the licensing for leagues, teams and players. EA FC 24 will feature all of the major leagues, with the Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Series A and more all included. The only major team that’s absent looks to be AC Milan – all of its players will still appear in the game, just with a different team name and kit.

Given that they’ll no longer have the FIFA branding, there have been some questions about whether or not EA will have some of the long-standing features from their games, including Ultimate Team.

FIFA 23 will arrive this year, but the name will change after that.

This is a fairly open question. The now-retired PES, known as the aforementioned eFootball, changed from a premium game to free-to-play, but it’s massively doubtful that EA would take a similar route. FIFA being nothing more than an updated version of the same game is a prominent trope in the gaming community, but the way that people return to it time and time again probably means this doesn’t trouble the audience much.

To solve this error first go to your FIFA 23 home screen. In their press start on your controller and then select Manage Game and Add-ons. Once the new window popped up, locate your save data. Then all you have to do is delete your profile data and after that delete reserved space data.

The statement also said that EA Sports FC’s new licensing structure will help the game “innovate in new areas around both women’s and grassroots football for the global community.”

After almost 30 years, EA will no longer release soccer games under the FIFA banner starting in 2023. EA cites the high price tag and creative restrictions as reasons for the split, but FIFA will now work with other developers to keep its name in the video game sphere.

EA and FIFA may now become frenemies, so to speak. The latter’s president, Gianni Infantino, announced that FIFA 24 is still happening – at least in some shape or form. It will be the “best one available for gamers and football fans,” according to Infantino, owing to the prominence of the global FIFA brand. What is bizarre, however, is that it has been confirmed that FIFA will be working with several gaming partners, but not EA. Basically, there could be a fair few football video games in 2024.

Reading between the lines, the statement reveals how little FIFA’s branding actually brought to a game that also has exclusive partnerships with UEFA’s Champions League tournament, the English Premier League, most of Italy’s Serie A clubs, South America’s Copa Libertadores club championship, and other major brands not controlled or managed by FIFA. Tuesday’s statement from Electronic Arts mentioned that EA Sports FC will have “more than 300 individual licensed partners, giving players access to more than 19,000 athletes, across 700 teams, in 100 stadiums and over 30 leagues around the world.”

It’s hard to let go of the consistently decent content that EA Sports and FIFA have provided, and harder still to imagine that the latter organisation will win the battle for football gaming dominance, considering that EA are maintaining so many partnerships. It’ll be a big waiting game until next September, when the normality of an EA Sports FIFA game coming out is no longer. In some way, EA Sports, regardless of their stature in global gaming, must prove themselves once again.

FIFA 23 finally introduced Women’s Football to the series, but it was restricted to its own section within the game, and so had no crossover with the Men’s Football.

At the UK’s median broadband speed of 66.2 Mbps, a gamer would need 1 hour and 51 minutes to download the 55GB file for FIFA 23.

There have been rumors that, at long last, there will be a Women’s side of Ultimate Team to boot. Though, that has to be confirmed by EA so we’ll just have to wait and see.

Reviewed by Adam Douglas
November 21, 1996
For pure soccer realism, you’d be hard pressed to find another game as deep as this one. All of the major soccer-playing countries’ teams are represented here, complete with stats and everything else you could hope for. Player control is a dream. You can head, pass, block, and tackle with ease, and every play has just enough realism added to make it authentic but still exciting. The announcing is smooth, accurate, and actually adds to the game, while the camera angles are varied and useful.” width=”” />

The game doesn’t lose any notable licenses at the club level. All major competitions, including the Champions League and Europa League, have been licensed for EA Sports FC . In total, EA FC 24 will have over 30 leagues, over 700 clubs, and over 19,000 players properly licensed.

While the current contract expires after the 2022 World Cup, EA Sports and FIFA agreed to extend the current deal through the FIFA Women’s World Cup in July and August 2023 to include one final edition.

We already know EA FC 24 ’s release date, its cover star, and how much its various editions will cost on each platform. EA has also presented its traditional gameplay features preview, giving us a good idea of how EA Sports FC will play. If EA is keeping to traditions, are FIFA and EA FC one and the same?

FIFA’s non-involvement in EA Sports FC is obviously a big change in the gaming sector. Needless to say, with so many present partners already signed up and licensed for the new game, there’s a pretty real possibility that the game will closely resemble previous FIFA editions.

Given that they’ll no longer have the FIFA branding, there have been some questions about whether or not EA will have some of the long-standing features from their games, including Ultimate Team.