FC 24 is rumoured to be the next big football release from EA Sports, with the former FIFA developer venturing out on their own.
The FIFA and EA split caused plenty of eyebrows to be raised, with no one quite sure what this means for the future of football gaming.
Answers have now arrived, with FC 24, or EA Sports FC, the next release from EA Sports.
But is it all doomed to fail?
With little time to make meaningful changes, could the start of this new era be a continuation of one we were hoping to forget?
Poisoned Chalice
The FIFA franchise may not be heading in the wrong direction, but there's no doubt that the release of recent instalments has left a lot to be desired.
Fan backlash has defined this era of football gaming, with multiple communities voicing their frustration at the lack of clear direction.
Career Mode fans are angry that no new features have been added for years, Pro Clubs players are fuming about the omission of cross-play and FUT fans are tired of the same promos and dead transfer market.
With all of those issues in mind, it would have made sense for EA to take a step back and assess their options before going full-steam ahead into a new release.
However, with a 2023 release date all but confirmed for FC 24, we fear that it could be a case of same old, same old.
New Era, Same Game
What people do not want in this release is another FIFA game.
For the last few years, FIFA has felt copied and pasted, with minor features added and aesthetic changes the only differences between each release.
Even the main UI has been the same for many years, with minor colour changes simply not cutting it.
The arrival of FC 24/EA Sports FC has to signal the start of a new era, and it cannot resemble FIFA in any way.
Of course, the modes and bare-bones will likely be the same, but any whiff of laziness and corner-cutting will soon see players switch off.
EA will always have the advantage of the popularity of football, but all it takes is one competitor to make the right choices and their advantage will dwindle away.
Take Your Time
We don't know what you think, but we don't need a new football game every year.
Adding in new kits and transfers as DLC would have sufficed whilst EA took their time ahead of their next release.
Our main concern is that FC 24 will be a rushed release, with developers pressured to bring out yet another football game without getting the time they need to implement necessary changes.
In fact, a lot of the burden falls on EA, as it was their CEO who seemed to suggest that FIFA were making things difficult when the companies were working together.
With that in mind, a misstep in this new release could see EA walk away red-faced, as they need to prove they're in touch with their community and give this tired franchise a major facelift across the board.