Why FIFA 23 will be the last in the series?

Friday, September 27th will be a red-letter day for gamers and football fans worldwide with the release of FIFA 23, the latest edition of the highly popular video game, played by millions worldwide.

There will be two versions of the game – the Standard and the Ultimate Edition – and whilst those who have pre-ordered the standard edition for Xbox One, Xbox, PlayStation 4/5 will have to wait until September 30th to get their hands on the new game, it will only be available three days earlier for those ordering the Ultimate Edition.

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There will also be a Nintendo Switch release, but this will essentially be a legacy version of the game, and there will be no significant developments or enhancements on the FIFA 22 version.

Alternatively, those interested can gain access through EA Play, a subscription service that gives members exclusive benefits for all the games in the EA product suite, and a discount on digital purchases from them.

Once again, for the third year running, Kylian Mbappé will feature on the cover edition of the Standard version, except in Australia and New Zealand, where it will be Chelsea forward Sam Kerr. Both Mbappé and Kerr, though, will grace the Ultimate Edition, the first time a female player has featured internationally.

The FIFA game franchise has proved incredibly popular since it was first released in 1993, with nearly 300 million copies sold in the intervening years, generating revenues in excess of US $20 billion.

The game is sold in more than 50 countries, with commentary available in 20 different languages.

However, FIFA and the game developers, Electronic Arts (EA), a US video game company, have decided to end their partnership after failing to reach terms on a contract extension.

Already EA have announced plans to launch a new football video game franchise in 2023, whilst FIFA also intends to publish their own game in the near future, although few details have been made public at this stage.

Although this is the last edition of the game in its present format, EA are planning to go out with a bang and have promised many new additions, some long awaited by its legion of fans.

For example, it now features cross-play, the Women’s World Cup, and, for the first time, it will include women’s teams.

The new version features around 19,000 players, more than 700 teams, 100 stadiums, and more than 30 leagues worldwide, so gamers cannot complain about a lack of choices.

FIFA 23 promises to make improvements to the match day experience, with more realistic pitches, improved goal net textures, the inclusion of pre-match build up scenes, and the availability of replays using Augmented Reality technology.

There will also be new gameplay features – new skill moves, set pieces, and power shots.

And those with the latest consoles, PCs, and Stadia can look forward to the benefits conferred by HyperMotion 2 technology, including more realistic dribbling and jockeying for position, as well as the ability to use the pace of players in different ways depending on their height, strength, and agility.