FIFA 23 has finally arrived, with the game's opening weekend now passing and many people starting to share their thoughts.
Whilst some, like ourselves, have championed the new gameplay changes, we can all see that a lack of fundamental improvement has left this year's game feeling hollow and overpriced.
Now, players around the world are starting to share their thoughts, and it's not looking good for EA Sports.
FIFA 23 Slammed by Users
Popular review site Metacritic is designed to provide an accumulative number rating for a game out of 100.
There are two separate ratings on site: one for official reviews written by journalists or outlets and the other based on user reviews.
The former is a relatively respectful score for FIFA 23, with a 77 out of 100 putting the game in a positive bracket.
However, the same can't be said for the user score, with a 2.3 making FIFA 23 one of the worst-rated franchise instalments in recent years.
Going out with a whimper
We all know that FIFA 23 will be the final collaboration between EA Sports and FIFA and, judging by fan reaction, people won't be sad to see the end of this chapter.
Here is a selection of just some of the comments that users used to review their FIFA 23 experience so far:
This game is anything but a football simulator, sad to see what the franchise has become, Ultimate Team is a Slot Machine.
The only thing new in this game is the 23 on it .nothing new all the same
I avoided the game for about 4 years. Not a lot has changed and that’s the sad truth
worst FIFA games ever they don't have a rival but game needs a lot of updates ASAP
I would give less than zero but you can't ...
It's clear from the rating to the individual comments provided by players that long-term fans of the FIFA franchise are not happy, and it could be a long time before EA repair this broken relationship.
Negative Implications
FIFA 23's negative user review is reflective of a community that has seen enough.
The money-making Ultimate Team mode is tired and played out, with fans of modes like Career Mode and Pro Clubs calling for change.
Of course, EA can make small fixes for FIFA 23 in upcoming updates, but it's hard to feel like the damage hasn't already been done.
With EA Sports FC set to launch sometime next year, EA will need to do their very best to get fans back on side after another new release riddled with problems and fan backlash.