EA has a trending American football title in early access, with an NFL product coming in August. The train will continue in September when the world’s most popular sport gets its annual football refresh with EA FC 25.
The newest version of the game will be released on September 27 for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch. The Ultimate Edition will be available on September 20 and will include a 10-hour early access trial via EA Play.
The newest version was announced on Wednesday, July 17, along with the cover athlete (Real Madrid and England superstar Jude Bellingham) and several game features, including a 5-v-5 Rush Mode, a tactical system built to enhance the in-game behavior.
It’s called FC IQ, and there’s also a new Women’s Career Mode. Here’s a look at the trailer and a brief breakdown of the latest features.
It’s tough to separate the scenes in the trailer from what we’ll see in actual gameplay. At this point, the visuals in trailers don’t really move the needle anymore. Savvy gamers wait for the meaty scenes of gameplay to get a gauge on what they’ll have at their fingertips.
Rush Mode
The Rush Mode is designed to be a 5v5 experience with the mechanics of the traditional 11v11 format. This mode will be playable in Ultimate Team, Clubs, and Exhibition/Kick-Off.
It will be pushed toward group play, allowing four players to team up with an AI-controlled goalkeeper. Rush Mode will be placed in Manager Career mode in solo play, where they can manage Youth Academy development and take the squad into 5v5 tournaments.
FC IQ
FC IQ is designed to improve the base-level AI in 11v11 matches. Ideally, this will improve the levers users can pull from a strategy standpoint.
This enhancement is likely building on the machine-learning technology implemented over the past two versions. FC IQ uses real-world data from top football teams to identify player roles better.
If successful, it’ll help to differentiate club playing styles further.
Career Mode
The career mode concept is getting a boost. A new wrinkle to the feature is Live Start Points. LSP will allow players to play through real-world storylines.
The details on the available storylines haven’t been shared yet, but this sounds like a take on the live events concepts you see in other sports games.
This year’s tournament will also mark the first time women’s football clubs are included. Career mode was the last aspect of EA’s world football title that shut women out.
We’ll have to wait a while to learn about some of the more detailed gameplay changes.
