GOAL brings you everything we know about the newest iteration of EA Sports’ famous football video game series
EA Sports FC is the rebranded football video game built by EA Sports, with the developers parting ways with long-standing partners FIFA in 2022. Featuring a whole new logo and feel, the upcoming game promises to show gamers “the future of football”
Excitement and anticipation has been building among the gaming community ever since the announcement of the split, with ardent FIFA fans wondering what is in store.
Here, GOAL brings you everything we know about EA Sports FC 24 so far, including release date rumours, what EA has said, features and more.
When is EA Sports FC 24 released?
A release date has not yet been confirmed for EA Sports FC 24, but we expect the new game to follow tradition and launch in autumn 2023, in advance of the highly commercial festive period.
Previous iterations of EA Sports’ FIFA titles were usually launched on the last Friday in September and, if EA decides to stick to that, it would mean a September 29 release date. However, for now, we will have to wait and see, with EA Sports promising further updates in July.
E3, the popular gaming news conference event where developers and console chiefs would tease new releases, was due to take place in June 2023, but has been cancelled. The likes of Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo will all be hosting their own events. EA has previously hosted EA Play Live as a summer showcase, but the 2022 edition was cancelled, and it looks like 2023 may also pass without it.
How much will EA Sports FC 24 cost?
Prices for EA Sports FC have not been confirmed yet.
There has been some speculation that the game might follow a free-to-play model, which means no up-front payment would be required in order to play the game. Nevertheless, free-to-play games usually feature sponsorship, advertisements and facilitate in-game purchases.
Despite the whispers, it appears likely that gamers will have to pay to play EA Sports FC though.
Previously, EA Sports’ FIFA franchise games came in two editions – standard and Ultimate – which cost between $60 and $100 (£60 and £90), depending on the console and version of the game.
Which consoles will EA Sports FC 24 be playable on?
EA Sports FC will be available to play on PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC. The last EA Sports football video game was also available to play on Nintendo Switch, PS4 and Xbox One, but it is unclear if the rebranded game will be available on these platforms.
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What licences will EA Sports FC 24 have?
It appears that it will be business as usual for EA Sports FC, with the bulk of official partners remaining with the game after the split with FIFA.
In a blog, EA EVP and GM Cam Weber confirmed that, “more than 19,000+ players, 700+ teams, 100+ stadiums and 30 leagues that we’ve continued to invest in for decades will still be there, uniquely in EA SPORTS FC.”
The Premier League, UEFA (meaning Champions League, Europa League and Women’s Champions League), Serie A, La Liga, MLS, Ligue 1, the Bundesliga, CONMEBOL and EFL have all been confirmed as partners.
Who are the EA Sports FC 24 cover stars?
EA revealed the EA Sports FC 24 Ultimate Edition cover on July 10, and it bucks the trend in more than just one way. EA opted for a more game-like look rather than its typical exercise of using high-quality images of its cover stars.
The FC 24 Ultimate Edition game cover also doesn’t have just one or two players on the cover, but it features no fewer than 31 players, including male and female football stars both from the past and present mingling in a sort of team photo.
Among the faces of on the cover are David Beckham, Erling Haaland, Pele, Zinedine Zidane, Jude Bellingham, Paulo Dybala, Alexander Isak, and Ronaldinho, among others.
Meanwhile, Manchester City superstar Erling Haaland has been named as the cover star for the standard edition of FC 24.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Marco Reus, Kylian Mbappe, and Ronaldinho are among the handful of global stars who have previously held the honour of being the cover star of FIFA, so the Norwegian goal-getter joins the elite company.
Haaland also becomes the first player to adorn the newly-renamed game, which was previously known as FIFA.
What features will EA Sports FC 24 have?
The messaging from EA Sports regarding EA Sports FC has strongly emphasised the developers’ 30-year association with the FIFA franchise, and it would not be a stretch to expect EA Sports FC to pick up where FIFA 23 left off in terms of features and innovation.
That means game modes such as Career Mode, Pro Clubs, VOLTA and Ultimate Team will be familiar features in the rebrand. In the aforementioned blog post, Cam Weber outlined a desire “to innovate, create and evolve”.
“We’re dedicated to meaningfully reinvesting in the sport, and we’re excited to work with a large and increasing number of partners to expand to new authentic experiences that bring joy, inclusivity and immersion to a global community of fans,” explained Weber.
He added: “We exist to create the future of football fandom – whether virtual or real, digital or physical, it’s all football.”
While we do no know yet what new features will be in the game, it is clear that the proverbial shackles are off from a creative perspective, with EA Sports’ development teams being given licence to explore more areas for innovation following the split from FIFA.
“We think that the growth potential there is immense,” David Jackson, EA Sports VP Brand, told the Footballco Business Podcast. “We now have limitless potential to explore new areas that some of our players are already asking for, in terms of the ability to maybe integrate broadcast highlights or content, or different access points into the game, different modes within our product is really interesting.”
GOAL will update you with new features details as soon as we get them.
Will EA Sports FC 24 have Ultimate Team?
Ultimate Team will be a part of EA Sports FC, meaning fans of the popular game mode can breathe a sigh of relief. What form it takes remains to be seen, but you may need to get used to a new acronym – FUT no more.
In the aforementioned blog post, EA Sports chief Weber allayed fears that the rebrand might mean the end of Ultimate Team, saying: “Everything you love about our games will be part of EA SPORTS FC – the same great experiences, modes, leagues, tournaments, clubs and athletes will be there. Ultimate Team, Career Mode, Pro Clubs and VOLTA Football will all be there.”
EA Sports FC 24 trailer
A teaser trailer for the new game was dropped on July 10, giving gamers a glimpse into what is in store in EA Sports FC 24.
Narrated by Oscar-winning actor Daniel Kaluuya, the teaser promises, “this is a whole new game” as stars from past and present share the screen.
The video opens with Pep Guardiola delivering a dressing-room team-talk to players wearing different jerseys, with Jude Bellingham and David Beckham sitting next to each other. Then, Erling Haaland appears, typically unfazed, while Vinicius Jr belts a strike into the top corner.
Interestingly, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappe are conspicuously absent from the trailer.
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