By dropping FIFA, EA is proving with EA FC 24 that buzz is bigger than brand

Far be it from me to tell FIFA how to do its job, but, in hindsight, I would like to think I am smart enough to realize that getting $150 million a year for nothing is just smart business. Electronic Arts’ gazillion-selling FIFA gaming franchise is the golden goose that the brainiacs at FIFA targeted for some feather-ruffling nack in 2021 by reportedly requesting twice that amount for the naming rights. Now, two years later, we have EA FC 24 on the way, FIFA has been sidelined, and the buzz is firmly stronger than the brand.

For those not in the know, FIFA is the governing body that largely oversees and dictates the ebb and flow of football around the globe. They have little, if any, competition, and over 200 different leagues and organizations around the world fall under their umbrella. While it may seem that a brand deal with FIFA, an organization that calls itself “the home of football,” would be vital for EA’s effort to make a soccer game. This, it seems, is just not the case. 

In a blog post back in 2021, EA Sports group general manager Cam Weber seemed to try out a new term just to see how it felt. “EA Sports football” appeared multiple times, and that apparently morphed over the years to become EA FC 24. So, the big question is, what is EA FC 24 missing that a FIFA game would have? The answer, it seems, is nothing. Nothing at all.

According to EA, more than 300 licensed partners still give EA FC 24 every bit of information, player name, and club connection that it needs to offer the closest thing football fans can get to authenticity. With over 17,000 athletes, more than 700 teams, and 30 leagues from all around the world, EA was perfectly capable of getting the work done without needing to deal with FIFA at all.

Best of all, this new iteration doesn’t interfere with what EA does best, buzzword-driven branding. 

HyperMotion V allows the developer to use volumetric data ripped from incredibly advanced cameras that have, to date, recorded over 180 matches. This data is then fed into the animation process. Because data can be captured without the need for motion capture suits or other means of kinesiological tracking, athletes can now be taken out of unnatural studio settings and recorded while simply doing their jobs. On a technical level, this technology is a marvel. And it has a cool name.

To complement this wonderful tech, EA FC 24 also integrates adaptive AI modeling to calculate ball physics. Shots, deflections, rebounds, and throw-ins should all be so realistic you will think you are watching your favorite oligarch-owned Premier League team each time you play.

PlayStyles mean that each player feels unique and alive on the pitch. More than just a collection of stats, the developer has teamed up with sports analytics firm Opta to really make the players live up to their real-life, on-pitch skillsets. Players can also be customized over time, learning new skills through the Evolutions feature. Have you found a weakness in one of the best athletes on the planet? You’ll be able to complete challenges to permanently improve their stats, skills, and even make them unique through unlockable animations. 

The Career, Clubs, and Volta Football modes all have new features and polish in an attempt to provide richer, deeper experiences as a player or a manager. Clubs and Volta Football have also been made crossplay, great news for social circles that consist of mixed brand fans. I’m aware there are places where Sony and Microsoft fans hang out together but have only heard of them in hushed whispers.

Women have been added to Ultimate Team, with over 1600 female players swelling the ranks of the game mode. Despite protestations from some elements of the playerbase, EA has opted into just not caring what they think, which is a reasonable take, it has to be said. 

Finally, Frostbite, EA’s golden child and in-house engine from Battlefield developer DICE, has been revamped. New character models, AI technology that delivers “anatomically correct bodies with authentic proportions,” and new cloth physics for uniforms that adds new detail to the interaction between muscle and fabric all spring forth from DICE’s creation. There are new lighting features, and an Elevated Matchday Experience that simulates almost everything except your tipsy uncle throwing the remote at the TV.

This begs the question, what are fans of FIFA the football game, and football the sport, missing from the absence of FIFA’s logo on the game? Absolutely nothing. EA FC 24 is shaping up, in everyway, to be a FIFA game. If the simulated, fresh-cut grass of match day could smell, then it would smell the exact same as it had done for the last three decades. FIFA fans will find everything they love, or loath, about the series is firmly on display here. The only thing missing is the bit that, apparently, never actually mattered at all.