The communication plan seems in any case already well established, far from the torments of a certain eFootball, with the added bonus of the support of the idol Cristiano Ronaldo as ambassador – in the same way as Oleksandr Zinchenko, Romelu Lukaku, Roberto Firmino and Kevin DeBruyne. The presentation given by Eugene Nashilov, the CEO of Strikerz Inc., a studio based in the United Kingdom since 2016, insists on the need for change: “Our goal with UFL is to create a game that is free from the issues that hinder the progress of the genre.“. And given how much Ultimate Team rubs off on FIFA’s ambitions for realism, it’s an observation that seems to be shared by the community.
In fact, the economic model adopted nevertheless brings UFL closer to a FIFA Ultimate Team which would not say its name. The victories obtained by the force of the matchmaking will make it possible to transfer new elements, and to adapt the tactics accordingly, with the possibility of course of playing online or offline according to the events, challenges and tournaments that the studio plans to set up. 2v2 and 3v3 matches are also planned for those who prefer co-op.
Another idea behind the experience is to create a persistent ecosystem that evolves with updates, without the need to checkout each time there is a staffing refresh – no resets annual, your trophies will remain acquired as long as the game service continues. Rather than embarking on the acquisition of any license, UFL will also try to set up partnerships with certain leading clubs on the licensing side. Monaco, Besiktas, Mönchengladbach, Celtic, Rangers, Shakhtar Donetsk, Sporting Portugal and West Ham are the first to join the adventure. We recall in passing that the agreement concluded with FIFPRO guarantees the exploitation of the rights of athletes.
As to gameplay, it will be necessary for the moment to be satisfied with these few clipped extracts to get a first idea. And until we have a controller in hand, it will be difficult to verify placement issues and transitions between animations, so we will refrain from commenting at this stage – that’s it, the professionalism. Still, UFL makes us furiously think of FIFA, and we will probably have to roll up our sleeves to the navel to compete immediately with a strong license of more than thirty years of experience. It’s all the harm we wish for UFL, which will only be released when the developers consider it ready.