We’ve now had the official reveal of EA Sports Football Club, known as FC. There’s a lot to get through on the successor to the massively popular FIFA series so let’s get to it. Here’s everything we know about EA Sports FC 24, including release dates, platforms, modes, leaks and more.
What is EA Sports FC?
EA Sports FC is the new football simulation series developed and published by EA. The FIFA series got its name from the football world governing body, with which EA have had a long-standing partnership and licensing agreement. That deal is set to expire in 2023 and will not be renewed.
Instead, EA will produce and release football titles under the new name ‘EA Sports FC’, beginning with the 2024 installment. That’s different to the FIFA series, which is set to continue under the supervision and development of the governing body, FIFA.
Confirmed Release Date
The official reveal on July 13 confirmed two release dates for different versions of EA Sports FC.
The Ultimate Edition will release on September 22, 2023. There’ll be a one week period of early access, with the worldwide launch coming on September 29, 2023.
It’s the first time there’s been such a big gap between the two titles, with previous years offering Ultimate Edition buyers a few days of exclusive access.
Modes, Platforms & Ways To Play
Thankfully, we know the fan favorite FIFA game modes are all set to return. EA have confirmed that Ultimate Team, VOLTA, Career Mode and Pro Clubs will translate over. Those modes belong to EA and their development team, not the FIFA governing body.
We also expect EA Sports FC to make its way to all the usual platforms. That is to say that PlayStation, Xbox and PC players can all look forward to getting their hands on the game when it releases.
There’s new features in a series of modes as well. The official reveal confirmed that, for the first time ever, the women’s game will be available in FC Ultimate Team. It means that, alongside legends like Pele and Luis Figo, players can score wonder goals with Sam Kerr, Leah Williamson and many more stars of the women’s game.
Gameplay
EA revealed a series of gameplay innovations at the official reveal too. Hypermotion V takes footage from “more than 180 matches to build the most precise animations ever”. That’s according to Nick Wlodyka, SVP and GM of EAFC.
He explained that it’s the first time they’ve ever incorporated real life professional matches into their animations and engine, using Erling Haaland’s iconic left-footed volley against his old side Dortmund as an example of one that’s been used.
There’s also a “totally overhauled” Frostbite system, offering “body forms 10x more precise than in previous iterations”. It should mean that player likenesses and feel are as accurate as ever. This could well build on the different running styles we saw in FIFA 23 (like the infamous lengthy meta).
Finally, EA revealed ‘Playstyles’. These are reincarnations of specific player traits and styles in-game, meaning their virtual counterparts will perform comparably with real-life versions. If the game reckons Sam Kerr would whip her shot into the top corner, chances are she will in game too.
Leagues & Licensing
This is where it gets slightly muddier. EA’s reveal of EASFC pointed to the company’s “unique licensing portfolio”, boasting over “19,000+ players, 700+ teams, 100+ stadiums and 30 leagues.”
They also stated that “exclusive partnerships” with some of the world’s biggest football leagues will continue – namely the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and MLS.
However, EA will no longer have a partnership with FIFA. As we’ve seen over the years with PES (now eFootball) that can cause issues and force devs to imitate real life clubs with similar monikers but minus official kits, badges and names. There has been a degree of that in FIFA 23, with some clubs – like Atalanta – represented via other means. Atalanta are know in-game as ‘Bergamo Calcio’. Similarly, Lazio are known as Latium.
The developers do look like bypassing many of these potential issues through their partnerships with the specific leagues, but it really does take us into unprecedented territory in the football video game world.
The reveal placated some of these worries, with EA confirming official partnerships with many leagues and governing bodies – like the Premier League and UEFA. It means official branding, teams, commentators and more can carry over. It’ll make the game even more immersive and promises to delve as deep into the world’s biggest tournaments when it drops in September.
There’s also more women’s leagues being added for the first time, with the Liga F (Spanish top flight) and the Frauen-Bundesliga (German top flight) both debuting in FC24. It means teams like Bayern Munich and Barcelona, as well as their official licenses and superstars, will be playable in game too.
Leaks & Rumors
There’s also been rumors of a refinement to some new FIFA 23 features, like the Position Change system in Ultimate Team. Specifically, Position Modifier cards look like they’ll be removed. New Heroes and ICONs are also chalked to drop, like Dimitar Berbatov and Bobby Charlton.
There’s also allegedly new content coming to other modes, with crossplay set to be added in Pro Clubs and online Career Mode reportedly in the works too. Naturally, take these leaks with a pinch of salt for now because much can change in the development process – and they’ll stay unconfirmed until EA make them official.
That’s everything we know about EA Sports FC 24 at the moment. We will of course update this page if and when more details are available but, in the words of EA, the future of virtual football is “very big and bright”.
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