With all the recent changes in the gaming industry, Microsoft acquiring Activision Blizzard, Sony creating more and more exclusive titles, games like Starfield on the horizon, the thing that is somewhat overlooked is one of the biggest gaming events of all time. For the first time in almost 30 years, the yearly soccer game FIFA will not be called FIFA anymore. This year’s game will go by the name of EA Sports FC.
More Games Than Ever
Even though FIFA 24 will not be releasing it in classic fashion this year, it does not matter if the soccer/football games aren’t doing good. There are plenty of games on the horizon including the aforementioned EA Sports FC as well as UFL, GOALS, eFootball 2024, or games that you can play right now like FIFA 23, FIFA Mobile, and eFootball 2023. There are even other games about sports, real or fictional like NBA games, Quidditch, PGA Tour, and many more.
Of course, you will need a gaming console to play some of these games and you can buy yourself one or win one in a cryptoball shooter game if you have enough luck. However, if you already have the hardware to run the titles, let’s see what they are all about individually.
EA Sports FC
The usual, annual game, aka FIFA from Electronic Arts will be releasing this year under a different name of EA Sports FC. This is because in May of 2022 the partnership between EA and FIFA was terminated and ended. Due to that the licensing agreement was also out of the question.
It is going to be your classic soccer game based around rivalries between clubs and international teams. It is both a successor to the FIFA brand as well as a brand-new IP from EA that could solidify them at the top of the soccer games game once more. The cover star of EA Sports FC will be Erling Haaland, a forward for Manchester City.
Another FIFA Game
There was also a statement made by FIFA’s president that meant the long-running series of soccer games isn’t going anywhere. Even though the licensing and agreements haven’t been made with Electronic Arts it doesn’t mean FIFA will never come out. Infantino said that the future FIFA games will go head-to-head with EA Sports FC and is aiming to be THE soccer game for every player possible. We have no further details on that title so far apart from the fact that it is likely not to come out anytime this year.
UFL
Another soccer game that was announced a while back is the UFL. It is aimed at multiplayer modes. Something like Ultimate Team in the former FIFA franchise, however much fairer and demanding much less money in order to thrive. The game itself is set to be a free-to-play game, which means you will not have to pay in order to play the game at all. However, the game might still feature some offline modes in the future to bring more people in.
GOALS
GOALS is a fairly recently announced title that got massive funds and is aiming to be a much more arcade-style soccer game. The graphics seem to be cartoonish. The game will feature classic 11v11 bouts that you can play with or against other players. There will also be a 5v5 game mode. In this mode, players will control players on a much smaller field, something resembling FIFA’s Volta Football experience. A fast-paced game with the focus of fun sounds like a recipe for success.
eFootball 2024
The game by the name eFootball was formerly known as PES. After it transitioned into a free-to-play model the name was also changed, and this year a new edition of the game is scheduled to be released. Similar to previous titles it will feature good graphics with a wide roster of talented soccer players that you can play as.
Football Manager 24
It was also recently announced that FM24 will be the 20th game in the series of Interactive Football Manager series, and it also is the last of its kind. It is safe to assume the developers will want to bring us the best game possible, so even if you never played Football Manager in your life this might be the title to be interested in because it might become the ultimate Football Manager simulator out there for years to come.
What Next for Soccer in Video Games?
The future looks quite bright in regard to soccer games overall. There are plenty of titles to look out for, and the lack of agreement between EA and FIFA might result in more great games than ever, because competition always brings out the best in all of us.
A great alternative could be something that breathes life into somewhat stale soccer games. There are also many rising stars that will make their video game debut in these upcoming games, and we cannot see some of the younger talent playing against legends like Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo.
