New features are constantly being revealed for EA FC 24, with this year's game courting plenty of hype.
With the release of EA's brand-new title only a matter of months away, fans are truly excited to see what the developer behemoth can produce on their own.
The gameplay reveal proved promising but, ever since, concern has set in amongst the general community.
Why is that? It all has something to do with the latest Career Mode deep dive.
EA FC 24 Career Mode reaction
A lot of hope was thrust towards EA when it was announced they were splitting from FIFA.
A long and arduous period of stagnancy in the FIFA titles was killing enthusiasm and the arrival of EA FC 24 was supposed to be a turning point.
However, following the recent Career Mode deep dive reveal, fans are left scratching their heads and asking the same questions.
Sure, there are some fundamentally positive changes made to the mode but it's hard to feel like EA isn't once again hiding behind new cut-scenes and licenses that no one was too bothered about.
Lead balloon
Every year, Career Mode players go into new feature reveals with a great sense of hope, and every year they always come out the other side feeling let down.
In the case of EA FC 24, there is more reason to be hopeful than frustrated, but some key additions have failed to hit the mark for the community.
New tactical playstyles, growth systems and the arrival of the Ballon d'Or are all positives, but was anyone in the community truly calling out for them?
We will cut EA some slack, as the new training system is certain to be a real success and will hopefully cut out the jolted feeling that CM (Career Mode) presently suffers from.
However, things like the arrival of the Ballon d'Or simply isn't going to cut it for players.
Knowing your audience
The fundamental element that seems to get lost in the conversation around new features is the actual community itself.
Whilst we know that not every whim of the Career Mode community should be bowed to, we do think it would be sensible if they were heavily consulted.
Instead of offering slightly varied cut-scenes that we'll all skip after the second time of seeing them, why not offer some actual meat on the bones?
For years, CM players have wanted to see things like in-depth contracts, youth academies and a more rounded experience that focuses on immersion rather than fluff.
Cut scenes, as flashy as they are, are beyond skippable and the general slog of meeting your player in a cafe over afternoon tea became tiresome after the second time.
In fact, a recent push on social media has seen people reminiscing about the classic FIFA contract pen, with fans eager to see this return over the pointless cut-scenes we see today.
This latest Career Mode reveals for EA FC 24 seem to compound the notion that EA simply doesn't understand what the player wants, and that's a bad omen for the start of this new era.
Once bitten, twice shy
EA FC 24 represents far more than just a new game for EA.
For some time, it has been billed as the start of a brand new era, but this stuttering start is not a good omen for the future.
Gameplay-wise, EA FC 24 will be better than anything we've ever seen, but shouldn't the graphics be better every year anyway?
The arrival of female players in Ultimate Team is the first step on a long road to repairing certain inequalities, but should this really be celebrated as a new feature?
One criticism waged at EA for many years is the notion that they put in the bare minimum when it comes to new features and, whilst we generally think this is very unfair to the hard-working teams that work on these games, it's hard to feel that this hopeful overhaul for EA FC 24 hasn't felt like one big disappointment so far.
All these frustrations point to one clear obstacle: time. In reality, the major overhaul we all wanted to see was never going to happen due to the timeframe on offer to those working on the game.
Our conclusion is simple: for a better game, for a better Career Mode and for a better overall experience, it's time to stop releasing EA FC titles annually and give developers more time to craft something that truly reflects the wants and needs of the community.