It’s an exciting time for gamers preparing for a new dawn. The FIFA generation is over, and following the end of a long-term contract between FIFA and EA Sports, the most famous soccer game on Playstation and Xbox is changing its name. FIFA 2023 is the last in a long line of fascinating games. The EA Sports franchise has been rebranded and given a fresh new look. There’s no FIFA 2024; gamers are counting down the days until EA Sports FC 24 is released.
There was panic when EA Sports announced the breakdown of discussions between FIFA and the globally famous gaming company. Fans of the FIFA console game feared the end was near and the game was about to be put out to pasture. When EA vowed to forge ahead alone, readers were unconvinced. Many soccer fans, from followers of the best European leagues to those placing MLS soccer bets expected a step-down in class from what they were used to and a different direction from their favorite game creators.
The worst-case scenario was a Pro Evolution Soccer feel with teams and players renamed to avoid trademarks and copyrights. Will EA Sports FC 24 be as good as FIFA 23 or better? Will they use the official names, stadiums, and badges? That remains to be seen, but it hasn’t diluted the optimism. Gamers can’t wait to dive into EA Sports FC 24 and see what improvements await. Until then, it’s a waiting game.
What to Expect
EA Sports FC 24 arrives on 29 September 2023, when the game will officially hit the shelves. It’s already available to pre-order with early bird offers, giving customers a sneak peek at what’s coming their way later this month. We’ve enjoyed a demo play of the title and can confirm it’s every bit as good as expected. If you loved the FIFA franchise from EA, you’ll love the rebrand just as much, if not more. It’s fast, exciting, and unpredictable, just as we’ve come to expect from EA Sports.
EA Sports FC 24 runs on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and PC Windows. There’s plenty of information on the game, with more demo releases expected in the coming weeks as Electronic Arts builds excitement and teases its loyal followers. The game will make record sales when the game finally launches in late September, hitting the shelves during a busy week of Champions League qualifiers. Fans of EA Sports will show FIFA the brand can continue and strengthen. The easiest way for EA fans to back the publisher is to buy and play EA Sports FC 24.
Like our readers, we can’t wait to get stuck into the new release and find ourselves playing FIFA 23 less on the approach to the release date. But before we get dragged into tactics, players, wonderkids, and managerial styles, let’s change tactics briefly and stroll down memory lane. Keep reading as our team of soccer enthusiasts and EA Sports writers remind you of some classic players from the FIFA years. Some names were real-life soccer stars, while some wonder kids were best suited to the virtual game.
How many players listed can you remember, and how many did you try to sign each time you played?
FIFA 2004
Twenty years ago, soccer was a different game than it is today. The EA Sports technology was less advanced than today, but the graphics of FIFA 2004 were hailed as a success. Fans queued for hours to purchase FIFA 04 when it hit the shops, with online shopping far removed from the convenience we know and enjoy today.
Zinedine Zidane was the best player in the world, which transferred to the game. The Frenchman, who played for Real Madrid in Spain, had an overall score of 96, better than Thierry Henry’s 95, Ronaldo’s 94, and the 94 of Edgar Davids.
FIFA 2010
It was released six years later, but the list of the top players on FIFA 2010 was unrecognizable from the above game. Zidane had retired and dropped from the list, creating space for a new legend. Several stars had occupied the number one slot since 04, including Gianluigi Buffon and a young Cristiano Ronaldo. But both had to make way for the hottest talent of 13 years ago, Iker Casillas.
Not often does a goalkeeper dominate the FIFA rankings, but Casillas was the player every gamer wanted on their team. His overall score of 91 points was equal to the previous year when Iker was also the main attraction. He led the way with household names like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo leading the chasing pack.
FIFA 2011
We moved just one season as 2011 brought a new dawn for the FIFA and EA Sports partnership. It’s when Lionel Messi finally hit pole position and became the game’s most treasured player. The Little Magician had been threatening to take over the console game, just as he did professional soccer, and his talents saw him in pole position for the 2011 game. He took some shifting, too.
Messi’s arrival as the number-one ranked player on EA Sports was no surprise. He held the top spot from 2011 to 2017 when Cristiano Ronaldo finally replaced him. Messi was back in 2019 when sharing the highest position with CR7. Lionel spent most of his career at Barcelona before signing for PSG and Major League Soccer team Inter Miami. His highest score on FIFA during that period of dominance was 94, which he was rated in 2019 when sharing with Ronaldo.
FIFA 2018
Despite being recognized as one of the greatest players ever to live, Portuguese attacker Ronaldo didn’t spend much time as the best player according to the EA Sports scores. The former Man Utd and Real Madrid star dominated in 2018 with a score of 94 points, one better than Messi.
Did EA bend to public demand with that call? Critics of CR7 use his EA scores and rankings as evidence Messi was the better player, but that doesn’t hold much water with Cristiano’s army of supporters. It’ll always be a mystery why EA Sports didn’t value Ronaldo higher. Was it a conspiracy, or was it because he had the bad luck of sharing an era with Messi?
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