FIFA 21 Reveal: 10 Things We Most Want To See
Will EA Sports' biggest franchise deliver?
Ever since the decline in popularity of the Pro Evolution Soccer series, EA Sport's FIFA has been the undisputed king of simulating the beautiful game. Flush with almost all the authentic licenses for the world's biggest teams, (we're looking at you, Juventus), FIFA has consistently offered an ultra-realistic experience for fans wanting to take control of their favourite squads in both single-player and online.
So, with the first title in the series to be featured on the ninth generation of gaming consoles expected to be revealed sometime this month, speculation is mounting at exactly how EA can reinvent the wheel by providing players with a new experience without straying too far from the established FIFA formula.
Of course, that isn't to say that recent entries in the series have been perfect - far from it. The overreliance on the cash cow that is Ultimate Team has drawn the ire of fans for years now, with many believing that other areas of the franchise have suffered as a result. Likewise, career mode has gone without a significant overhaul in a long time, and dodgy servers can still make playing online a roll of the dice at the best of times.
With the first look at the new game set for June 18 on the EA Play Livestream, here's what we want to see:
10. No More Lost Licenses
There was a time when the football game divide was quite simple. Back in the PS2/Xbox days, the general consensus was if you were looking for a game that provided fun, dynamic, gameplay, PES was the undisputed king.
FIFA, on the other hand, was touted as a game for the purists who valued a realistic experience adorned with authentic club and player licenses, even if the gameplay wasn't quite up to scratch. Now of course, even at the time this was up for debate, but regardless the view of FIFA as the game for the footballing fanatic ensued, at least partly because of the realistic licenses.
So, when it was announced last year that the licensing rights to one of the world's biggest clubs had been exclusively acquired by the competition, it was no doubt a blow to the EA brass.
Juve's deal with PES means that it is almost certain that we will see a reappearance of Piemonte Calcio in FIFA 21, but it is imperative that EA ensure that the FIFA series does not lose out in any further exclusive agreements going forward.