Another year, another FIFA - except, for the first time in decades, that's actually not true. This year EA is debuting its rebranded football (or soccer) series, retitled EA Sports FC 24 after its licensing agreement with FIFA expired.With a cover star confirmed and the vast majority of its licenses still very much in place, though, we've got all the details that are public about FC 24 so far, so read on to find out everything you should know about it.
EA Sports FC 24 release date
EA has confirmed the release date for FC 24 - it will come out on 29 September 2023, as announced in July.
That first trailer that you can see above shows the many stars and icons that will be in the game, almost deliberately to put to rest any worries that the lack of "FIFA" in the title could signal fewer famous players being included.
EA Sports FC 24 platforms
Surprising no one, EA Sports FC is coming to the full range of platforms when it releases - it'll be playable on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC and Switch.
That last version is an interesting one, though - after years of "Legacy" versions that added no new gameplay features or visual upgrades, EA Sports is finally updating the Switch version properly.
This will mean it gets a proper version with a scaled-down use of the same Frostbite engine, and for the first time will be able to play a fuller version of Ultimate Team along with other platforms, which is a huge addition to what was previously a substandard port.
EA Sports FC 24 pre-order
You can now pre-order FC 24 at a range of retailers, which is ideal if you know you're going to want access the moment the game releases.
EA Sports FC 24
Pre-order FC 24 to make sure you'll be kicking off the day it releases!
$70 at Amazon$70 at Best Buy
EA Sports FC 24 trailer
The reveal trailer that you can see in the release date Tweet from EA up above is a glitzy one, but it's mostly a cut-scene and doesn't show a huge amount of gameplay, but we got another trailer just a couple of days later that you can see below.
Now, like every year, the angles and camera movements involved mean that this doesn't look much like any gameplay you'll ever actually experience in FC 24, but it still gives us a good sense for the graphical upgrades that FC 24 is bringing to the table, and shows off some frankly excellent player likenesses.
EA Sports FC 24 cover star
Every year there's an open question of who will get the honour of appearing on the cover, and after a few years of French megastar Kylian Mbappe earning the honour, Manchester City's treble-winning goal robot Erling Haaland has been given the nod for FC 24.
Does FC 24 still have the same teams and leagues?
With that major change of name, the big question you might have about FC 24 is whether it has all the same leagues, player face scans, official kits and more that FIFA 23 was able to boast.
The short answer is "yes" - FC 24 is set to be just as authentic as recent games in the series in terms of the leagues that it features, and in fact is adding a few more in the form of the Women's Champion's League and others.
This is because the deal it had with FIFA, the world governing body for football, wasn't one that gave it access to every FIFA-registered team or anything - it was for naming and image rights to the body itself.
EA Sports
That means that deals EA had signed or that it will sign with leagues, teams and players themselves are still valid and can be made separately to any dealings with FIFA, so its partnership with organisations like the Premier League, La Liga, the Champion's League and more are all carrying on as usual.
Where things might get a little complicated is when a World Cup rolls around again, but with the last one having happened in 2022 and 2023 for men and women respectively, that's a few years down the line and will doubtless involve some renegotiation between EA and FIFA.
We'll have to wait for a little closer to the FC 24's release before EA spills 100% of the details around which leagues and teams will have accurate likenesses in the game, but for now you can fairly safely assume that if they were in FIFA 23, they'll be in FC 24.
EA Sports
EA Sports FC 24 gameplay changes
Although we've got an early "gameplay" trailer, as you'll have seen above, the first proper look at the gameplay changes that FC 24 is making came in the form of a longer demonstration a few days later.
EA Sports is focussing on three main pillars - the first one being the newest version of its HyperMotion animation system, called HyperMotionV and bringing a wide range of new animations and running styles to the game thanks to a big step forward in capture technology.
This should make for more authenticity but also more flexibility as you play, with more animations being the bedrock of granular progress for an annual game like this.
Secondly, a new Playstyles system sees 34 different Playstyles that can be applied to players depending on their real-world performance and stats, each with a Playstyle+ option for those who truly excel in that area. These personalise players and unlock new options like stop-ball tackles and more precise or powerful shots. They're not that new-sounding but apparently are more complex than Traits ever were.
Finally, the Frostbite graphics engine powering all of this is also improving all the time, and there are some big steps forward that it's taken, too, although for now those are staying under wraps until further deep dives come out.
One more big change coming is that women are finally joining Ultimate Team, letting you build mixed squads and compete with the whole world of football stars in one system.
EA Sports
Ratings will be according to the opponents they play against in real life, so there won't be any conflict there, and this promises some interesting new challenges and opportunities on the chemistry front.
