EA Sports FC 24 Release & Features – Opportunity for FIFA?
Published: Oct 2, 2023 - Last Updated: Oct 3, 2023
It is finally here! EA Sports FC 2024 was released officially on September 29, 2023 and is on sale now. This first game does not to fall under the FIFA branding.
With the split between EA and FIFA and the promise FIFA made to develop their own football game, what the future of EA Sports figurehead title looks like has long been debated.
Well now, everyone can see for themselves.
What is the Verdict on EA Sports FC 24?
The good news, or bad news depending on your point of view, is that EAFC 24 will be entirely familiar to you if you played the EA Sports FIFA branded series at any point in the recent past.
The gameplay mechanics, while updated to include AI learning, are almost the same as earlier games. The look and style of the game will be entirely familiar and while there are plenty of new innovations, including a vastly expanded focus on women’s football, the game is still one that FIFA 23 players can pick up and play without any issues.
On Steam, reviews have generally been mixed. At the time of writing, nearly 4,800 players had left a review on Steam with 55% saying their experience was positive. Not great, not terrible. Some players have pointed out some of the best features but also lamented that EA didn’t really improve certain key aspects of the game.
To me, this provides a major opportunity for FIFA and should strongly incentivize them to develop a game that can truly (maybe, easily) challenge EA.
Will that happen? It remains to be seen.
Key EAFC 2024 Release Features
Some of the key features of EAFC 2024 include:
- The game remains fully FIFPro Licensed ensuring realism, including data on 19,000 players.
- 30+ Leagues to play and data on 700+ clubs.
- Vastly expanded women’s football focus.
- Improved machine-learning dynamics in game
- Ultimate Team remains (though restricted to under-18s in many countries) and now includes female players who can play alongside their male counterparts.
- The personalised Play Styles feature allows you to give individual players their own specific on-pitch abilities.
- Hypermotion technology for PS5, Xbox Series X/S or PC versions
- Player and Manager Career options are available to play.
- Clubs and Volta Football available
For fans of the new game, we are also looking into what is available for EA Sports FC betting.
What about EAFC Esports & Tournaments?
Many FIFA betting enthusiasts and competitors will be wondering what the latest is regarding its online and esports environment for the new game.
This replacement for the former FIFA esports tournaments will now be called FC Pro and this is split into three major options:
- FC Pro Open: The first FC Pro Open runs from October 2023 to February 2024. New players can qualify to play against veterans by qualifying for Division 4 in Division Rivals before the close date. This allows them to play in the Pro Ladder games. The top-ranked Pro Ladder players from ten regions will then compete in London for a $1 million prize pool in February 2024.
- FC Pro League: An invite-only league which sees EAFC24 pros representing teams from some of the top leagues in the world, such as La Liga in Spain or the Premier League in England. The top players in this event, which will take place from February 2024 to May 2024, will qualify for the FC Pro World Championship.
- FC Pro World Championship: This is the apex of EAFC 24 gaming. The best 32 players over the course of the FC Pro season will compete for a share of a $1m prize pool, and the chance to be the first FC Pro World Champion. Four players will be selected from their performances at the FC Pro Open, while the remaining 28 will be selected from the FC Pro Leagues.
The first FC Pro World Championship is scheduled for June 2024.
Images credit: EA/Steam
Since: August 10, 2015
