In the crowded soccer sim field, one stands head and shoulders above the rest. Since it was launched back in 1993 as FIFA International Soccer, the FIFA game franchise has gone from strength to strength, selling more than 325 million units in that time, and by expanding into new markets such as Poland and Turkey, that number is expected to rise even further for the final edition.
As with all new launches, FIFA 23 will see a number of new features, including Ultimate Team Chemistry. Previously chemistry only applied to players lining up near each other on the pitch but now that chemistry has been expanded to include club league and country anywhere on the field. Another new feature is Hyper Motion 2 technology which means players now have 6,000 unique animations to better imitate authentic player movement. For example, a new dribbling system gives next-generation visuals when you’re attacking a defender at speed, while other additions include applying the press, speeding off the mark and striking the ball in a more fluid movement. It’s 50% more animations than the previous game.
But amid the excitement of the new features, there is an ‘end of an era sense’ around the recent launch of FIFA 23 as this will be the last in the franchise. Gaming and e-sport website Dexerto.com report that EA will rebrand the series as EA Sports FC, while there are suggestions FIFA will look to work with other games developers to develop their brand. It is a parting of the ways, a changing of the guard and definitely the beginning of a new era in the soccer game space.
What the future will look like remains open to speculation. For now, we can enjoy the excitement that comes with each new launch, and a key part of that is who will feature on the box. The cover of each new release is as eagerly anticipated as the game itself and this final year is no exception as men’s, and women’s soccer are jointly celebrated for the first time. Chelsea and Australian international Sam Kerr is featured on the front cover, and joining her is Paris St Germain and France superstar Kylian Mbappe.
Backed by the deep pockets of Qatar, PSG has dominated French soccer in recent years, winning the Ligue 1 title eight times in the last nine years and gathering together some of the game’s biggest names to the French capital. The Parisian giants are predicted to easily win the Ligue 1 in the latest soccer odds from Coral which is hardly a surprise when you look at the squad. Joining Mbappe on the banks of the Seine are Lionel Messi, Neymar Jr, Sergio Ramos, Achraf Hakimi and captain Marquinhos, and it is this policy of making stellar signings which have seen the club become not just a power domestically but a global brand leveraging on its location in one of the world’s most dynamic cities. That’s why Mbappe features on the cover of the final FIA game.
In the space of some 12 years, PSG has gone from also-rans in the French league to being described by Luxury Tribune as ‘one of the most desirable brands in the world’, and given that remarkable turnaround in fortunes, it is little surprise EA Sports chose to highlight one of the club’s biggest names on its last ever FIFA 23 game. Quite who will be the cover star for the new EA Sports FC title remains to be seen, but PSG players are certainly marketable, with or without the FIFA license.