Kick-off for EA Sports FC 24: Will everything stay the same after the end of the FIFA era?

Kick-off for EA Sports FC 24
Will everything stay the same after the end of the FIFA era?

Last year, Fifa demanded EA Sports $250 million a year to use their name, for a total of $1 billion over four years. EA decided against it and announced that after 30 years of cooperation it would develop its own football game without the FIFA name. Fifa President Gianni Infantino (53) promised full-bodied that the best football game would continue to be the one with the Fifa name. But so far there is neither a developer nor a concrete release date for this vision, while EA Sports simply continues its business.

Undeterred by the split, EA Sports quickly secured licenses for the Champions League, Premier League, Bundesliga and La Liga for this year’s edition. This means all of the world’s top men’s and women’s leagues continue to have fully licensed representation, including the Saudi Pro League. Only a few Serie A teams and the Brazilian national team are missing.

Everything is the same on the lawn

If you look for big differences in gameplay between Fifa 23 and EA Sports FC 24, you’ll find few, despite some small improvements. From a company perspective, it also makes sense not to deviate too far from the successful formula after changing the name for the first time in 30 years.

The so-called “PlayStyles”, which act like the “Traits” of the previous game, are intended to “dimensionalize” the players on the pitch and give them unique abilities. However, the differences from its predecessor are subtle. Hypermotion technology gives players more personality on the pitch, more precise passes and shots and overall more variety. The biggest difference, however, is the presentation, with more cutscenes making the entire experience more realistic.

Ultimate Team, career mode and Co.: Men and women compete together

For the Ultimate Team mode fan base, EA Sports is offering Founder Status to those who purchase the game before November. In this mode you can even transfer points from Fifa 23, which shows that EA FC 24 continues the series, regardless of Infantino’s opinion. What is surprising is that both men and women are on the pitch together in this mode.

In Career Mode, the new sideline view offers a more immersive experience. This mode also contains more cutscenes, like an open-top bus parade if you win the league, and award ceremonies like the Ballon d’Or if a player has a memorable season.

The player career mode offers the option to play as either a created player or a real player and also feels familiar. In both cases, as the game progresses, you are asked to make certain decisions that influence the player’s personality, such as donating your salary to an animal shelter or buying a luxury watch.

Additionally, Volta and Clubs modes now offer crossplay across consoles of the same generation. However, the abolition of draws and relegations in Clubs mode might not be well received by some players.

Conclusion

EA Sports FC 24 doesn’t reinvent the wheel after losing the Fifa license, but retains the essence of the Fifa series. Longtime veterans should welcome the game’s subtle improvements, even if they don’t disguise the fact that it’s essentially more of the same. But without serious competition on the football market, that will probably be enough for EA Sports to win the title again for the time being.

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