EA Sports FC is a brand new game from EA Sports following their split from FIFA earlier this year.
EA Sports FC will arrive in 2023 and spell a new beginning for the football gaming franchise, with FIFA 23 likely to be the last FIFA of its kind.
FIFA has moved into new spheres and EA will keep on rolling, but how closely should they follow the formula?
Remaining the same could lead to a disastrous start and the first pieces of information have not filled us with hope.
EA Sports FC First Information
The first piece of information has arrived for EA Sports FC, confirming that many of the same game modes such as Ultimate Team, Career Mode and Pro Clubs will feature.
According to @UTSources on Twitter, an online Career Mode will also feature for the very first time.
Whilst it is good to see that no fan-favourite modes have been cut, these leaks don't represent the overhaul changes we were hoping to see in EA's brand-new game.
Problems of the Past
FIFA has had many problems in recent years, that simply cannot be hidden.
Whilst the game remains the best footballing experience on the market, it's lost a lot of the shine that permitted its initial rise in popularity.
From glitchy beginnings to basic mistakes, it's clear to many that the FIFA formula has become tired and - in places - boring.
EA Sports FC represents a brand new start, and EA should be grasping this opportunity with both hands.
Instead of keeping the same modes and content schedule within them, EA Sports FC should be innovating and changing the pace, creating a new franchise that can live on for years to come.
Releasing another version of the same game with a different colour scheme and UI simply won't be good enough, and it will doom EAFC to immediate failure.
With an incredible license portfolio in their back pockets, EA needs to understand that people don't want another FIFA game, they want something new.
Community Voice
The FIFA community has grown exponentially in recent years and whilst that brings new eyes to the product, it also creates a fiercer platform for debate.
Career Mode, Ultimate Team and Pro Clubs communities have all voiced displeasure at their favourite parts of the game, with FIFA 23, in particular, creating a noticeable discourse.
EA Sports FC should act as a beacon for these communities, with EA themselves having to be more open to community feedback.
The frustrations around Pro Clubs' omission from cross-play this year is a prime example; inconsequential changes simply won't cut the mustard in a new release.
EA needs to understand that its community is filled with passionate fans that won't hold on forever, and they will also face more competition than ever before next year.
Listening to the community and making fundamental and meaningful changes will get EA Sports FC off to the best possible start, and that's what we all want to see.
Bold Steps
Nobody likes change, we're all wired to feel a certain amount of disdain towards it.
That being said, change can sometimes be for the better, and the switch from FIFA to EA Sports FC should be a meaningful change that has actual consequences.
EA Sports FC shouldn't be afraid to innovate in new and exciting ways, introducing a whole new content system in FUT, implementing immersive features into Career Mode and continuing to work on the expansion and representation of the women's game.
This initial leak has raised red flags because no one wants another FIFA game.
FIFA was, and will remain, an iconic part of all of our lives, but that era of football - and gaming - is over now, and EA need to take the bold steps required to establish this new franchise as the next dominant force for decades to come.