Toronto Mike

What Has Happened to FIFA?

Those who grew up with home video game consoles will likely have had experience with FIFA at some point, especially for those who were also football fans too. Without a doubt, FIFA is the most popular sports game in the world and this is likely because it seeks to capture the essence of football or soccer, one of the biggest sports in the world. The kind of popularity that football possess is evident from its betting scene, which is massive. Those who enjoy placing sports bets on their favourite teams can visit this site Canadian-sports-betting.com, to discover a great sports betting experience.

FIFA is an annual game that millions buy every year, and this is despite the fleeting quality the game has these days. It is made by EA, a publisher who is well known to the gaming community for being almost a caricature when it comes to corporate greed. They have previously come under fire for the presence of loot boxes in their video games, and one only must look towards the Star Wars Battlefront 2 loot box controversy in 2019 to get an idea of how the community has previously criticised EA. Despite this fact, the game releases every year, and people buy it every year; this almost cements the idea for the game to stay the same.

In the past, FIFA has been a staple of any game collection as they used to be very good to play. While no game is perfect, there is little doubt that the FIFAs before FIFA 17 were all exceptional in their own right. As of late, FIFA has undergone a noticeable downgrade though, especially compared to the games of the past from the same stories. One of the primary reasons for this is EA’s penchant to keep the game largely the same. A casual gamer might be hard-pressed to distinguish the difference between FIFA 21 and FIFA 22, and this is not because of coincidence. These games are genuinely similar, and although EA marketing campaigns would have players buy into a new host of changes, this is often false and the same problems that were present in previous games always seem to make their way into new instalments.

It is clear that there is no desire to change the core gameplay of the game, which brings into question the necessity of releasing FIFA every year. Many people within the community would agree that a game-as-a-service model would suit FIFA perfectly, as all that is needed is an update every season to account for different kits, stadiums, and transfers. However, somehow, EA can justify selling the game every year for full price, and gamers somehow still buy this willingly.

This is the real problem at the heart of FIFA – the community is split between those who will always love FIFA and those who love FIFA but hate what it has become. The FIFA community is not unified and this means that people will continue to buy the game just as surely as EA will continue to develop new instalments. Only when the community comes together and starts protesting with their wallets will EA finally take notice and implement radical change.

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