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Forget Xbox One and PS4, as EA pledges to keep investing in current generation FIFA.
On the eve of the next generation, FIFA 14 for PS3 and 360 promises to be the most advanced FIFA ever, the publisher told MCV.
The firm has overhauled the game’s Ultimate Team mode, which is now the most popular section in the game, with 35 per cent of FIFA owners playing it.
That’s even more than the game’s staple career mode. 3.4m gamers are playing it every day, with almost 1bn games played since FIFA 13 launched late last year.
EA hopes to make Ultimate Team even bigger with FIFA 14 with a string of updates. It has also taken the game mode on tour to educate retailers and show it off to the press, something the firm has never done before.
New to Ultimate Team this year include new chemistry traits, which dictate how players interact with others on the pitch. EA says it hopes this will make the mode even more strategic gameplay. There’s also new customisation options, which lets users change player roles and kits. Meanwhile, the transfer market has been significantly upgraded, so that finding specific players is a lot easier
And this comes with a brand new tiled interface, which can be found throughout the game.
There is another big change coming to Ultimate Team, which EA plans to announce at Gamescom.
The changes to Ultimate Team yet another update to the game’s running, shooting and defending mechanics, which was revealed to the press earlier this year.
For those unfamiliar with Ultimate Team, it is a unique game mode where gamers take on the role of a manager, who must buy players to improve their team. The stats of these players are dependant on how that player is performing in the real world. For instance, if Wayne Rooney is scoring goals in real life, then his stats will rise in the game.
These players are acquired through in-game cards. Consumers can pay for these cards via in-game currency, or buy them using real-world money. EA tells us that the ‘vast, vast majority’ of Ultimate Team users don’t pay anything.
FIFA 14 is coming to pretty much every platform, including DS, 3DS, Wii, iOS, PSP and PS2 (alongside the expected PS3, PC, 360, Xbox One and PS4) on September 27th. There’s no Wii U version of the game. EA told MCV this was because EA Sports fans just haven’t bought that platform yet.
