So, what does EA FC 24 mean for the most popular and enduring game franchises on the market? We've got all the answers to your burning questions down below.
Read on for everything we know so far about the EA Sports FC release date, latest rumours, whether it's free-to-play or not, and to see if it still has Ultimate Team.
EA Sports FC release date
The EA Sports FC release date hasn't been confirmed by EA as of writing. We know we're set to hear more about it in July, leading, hopefully, to a September 2023 launch.
September is usually when EA releases its football games, although they sometimes slip into October, and we can't imagine EA wanting to move out of that prime slot in the season.
Rumours doing the rounds online are pointing toward an EA FC 24 release date of 29th September, however. This would put it in line with FIFA 23, the final FIFA game made by EA. That was released on 30th September 2022 - we imagine a similar release date is in order unless the rebranding causes any significant delays.
Is EA Sports FC going to be free?
This one we can't answer. EA has not told anyone if the game will be free-to-play or not as of yet.
It's fully feasible that EA could the value in releasing the Ultimate Team mode as a free-to-play game and the rest as paid DLC, as it would pay for itself thanks to all the packs and events the popular mode runs.
A rebrand could be the perfect time to do such a thing. It hasn't worked quite so well for Konami with its eFootball game, but we feel EA and Ultimate Team is in a better position to do so.
For now, though, it's worth expecting the game to be a fully-priced title as previous FIFA games were. We'll keep you posted on this front.
What platforms can I get EA Sports FC on?
EA Sports FC is set to release on Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and likely PC. It has been confirmed.
Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft have all confirmed that the FIFA rebrand will launch on its respective platforms. It's unclear currently if the game will launch on PC or not but we'd be very surprised if it doesn't.
It's also unclear if EA Sports FC will be available on PS4 and Xbox One, or just the current generation consoles from Sony and Microsoft. Fingers crossed the Switch version is a full release rather than that 'Legacy Edition' nonsense.
Will EA Sports FC have Ultimate Team?
Yes! EA Sports FC will have Ultimate Team, it has been confirmed by the developers.
According to a 'leaker' called FUTSheriff on Twitter, too, we'll be able to mix and match men and women's football players in EA Sports FC's Ultimate Team. You can see the tweet, which is technically a rumour until EA confirms or denies it, below:
What's more, everything you know and love from the FIFA games will be there.
Making it clear that returning players don't need to worry about losing their favourite features, the EA Sports blog has said: "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 gameplay details
Expect EA FC 24 to feature everything you know and love from the modern FIFA games, including Ultimate Team, Career Mode, Pro Clubs, and VOLTA. You can expect the same attention to detail and number of official licenses, too.
More like this
As was explained in the EA Sports blog linked above:
"Our unique licensing portfolio of 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. That includes exclusive partnerships with the Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, the MLS – and more to come."
The Premier League deal was confirmed in February 2023, with Sky Sports reporting that EA Sports would remain the lead partner and official video game licence holder of the Premier League in a six-year deal worth £488 million.
The big question, though, is what will be new? It can't just be a carbon copy of the FIFA that came before it. And a number of EA execs have started teasing what their big ideas are for EA Sports FC.
EA's Andrew Wilson told the New York Times: "It was really about how can we do more for the players, more for the fans, how can we offer them more modalities to play. How can we bring more partners into the game, how can we expand beyond the bounds of the traditional game."
Another EA exec, David Jackson, told the BBC: "The world of football and the world of entertainment are changing, and they clash within our product. In the future our players will demand of us the ability to be more expansive in that offering."
Jackson added: "At the moment, we engage in play as a primary form of interactive experience. Soon, watching and creating content are going to be equally as important for fans.
"Under the licensing conventions that we had agreed with FIFA 10 years ago, there were some restrictions that weren't going to allow us to be able to build those experiences for players."
It sounds like EA Sports FC will factor in some kind of content creating/viewing features, then. It may be a while before more information on this comes to light, but we'll keep you posted as and when we hear it.
In the meantime, check out this teaser trailer all about triangles via Twitter:
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