EA Sports FC is the brand new spin-off title from EA Sports that will be its first solo football release away from FIFA.
The game will release in 2023 and bring a host of new features to the tried and tested method, including a feature that has been long-requested by FIFA fans.
EA Sports FC Online Career Mode
In a recent leak, it was revealed that EA Sports FC will include an online career mode for the very first time, alongside the standard offline mode.
Fans have been calling out for this feature for some time but the interest has somewhat waned in recent years.
Whilst new features will always be welcomed, we fear that the arrival of an online career mode will prove to be disastrous for those looking for an immersive single-player experience.
It's Broken, please fix it
Career Mode in FIFA 23 offered very little in the way of innovation, and whilst an online career certainly ticks this box, it risks jeopardising everything that this offline mode stands for.
Ultimately, the career mode formula has been broken for many years and the easiest way to fix this was to pivot away from the tried and tested and focus on implementing immersive new features that are more akin to what we see in Football Manager.
However, EA looks to have shown its hand by shunning this notion and instead focusing on an online career.
For those of you that aren't aware, an online career mode will effectively act like seasons, with a league playable online, only this time you will likely be able to make transfers and introduce youth team players into these pre-existing squads.
Whilst this does sound like a good idea, let's not pretend that people wouldn't get bored and divert back to FUT after one season.
The introduction of this concept is a risk, and it's one that could see EA lose a portion of its die-hard community.
Shunned Community
The Career Mode community have felt overlooked for some time and whilst the introduction of an online career would appear to be a major move, it's not what the community has been calling out for.
Instead, players want to see meaningful and consequential features implemented, making the offline experience feel immersive and rewarding.
Players have been clamouring for a meaningful youth team structure for a while, and a fundamental overhaul of transfers.
Whilst an online career has been mooted in the past, its arrival in EA Sports FC would only serve to raise more red flags to the FIFA community.
With games like Football Manager and eFootball 2023 throwing their hat in the offline ring, we sincerely hope that EA doesn't forget the fundamental element of FIFA that made the franchise so successful in the first place.
Ultimate Influences
Our main concern for an implementation of an online career will be micro-transactions, something that plagues Ultimate Team's landscape.
With teams being classed at different levels there will always be a skill gap, but how will EA look to remedy this?
Could we see micro-transactions to access more transfer funds? Or even a set amount of money needed to purchase a future youth team star.
This possibility is deeply concerning as it strips away the authenticity of Career Mode.
What's more, you only need to take a look at online seasons in FIFA 23 to see that everyone is playing with PSG, Man City etc.
People don't want to be stuck with rubbish teams when playing online, and a fully online Career Mode is certainly likely to run into many issues.
Of course, EA Sports FC could surprise us and introduce a new mode that becomes iconic for years to come, but Career Mode has always been about the offline experience, and this switch to a potential online focus could completely ruin the fan-favourite mode.