As is the yearly tradition, the new FIFA game from EA, FIFA 23, has been officially announced. However, this tradition is soon to be broken when EA will hang up their boots where the FIFA franchise is concerned. Instead, the publishing giants will move on to pastures new with a fresh – albeit less catchy – name, EA Sports FC.

Why EA are Moving on After FIFA 23

The news comes after FIFA upped their licencing fees for the brand to a colossal $1-billion USD per four-yearly World Cup cycle. Nonetheless, this isn’t the only reason for the monumental move. Speaking to IGN, EA’s CEO, Andrew Wilson, said the move would help them move on to broader horizons. Without the licencing restrictions, EA will be in a position to shape the future of soccer games and bring a more tailored experience to each geographical market.

What this will mean for the Franchise

While this at first sounds like a cloud of doom hanging over the world’s largest soccer franchise, it seems that not much will change. Granted, the games will be forced to drop the ‘FIFA’i part out of future titles, but we will still see the vast majority of our favorite clubs and players moving forwards. In fact, the following have been confirmed for EA Sports FC:

• 19,000 players
• 700 teams
• Over 30 leagues (including the Premiership, Bundesliga, La Liga and UEFA)

What we will lose, however, are future World Cup updates. No real loss, and besides, the World Cup only happens every four years.

What’s New in FIFA 23?

Well, as accomplished as the franchise has been (and will continue to be), FIFA games have always come under fire for being carbon copies of their predecessors. To an extent, this is a good point, but in essence, it’s soccer and not a lot can be done to change the game too much.

What we will see is an overhaul of the HyperMotion system we have all enjoyed over the past year. Imaginatively coined as HyperMotion 2, the updated system is the product of motion-capturing two matches (a male and a female game) and has allowed for a further 6,000 animations to be added. Undoubtedly, this will give FIFA 23 an even greater feeling of realism. Dribbling will feel a lot tighter and more controlled, while tricks will be more fluid and easy on the eye. HyperMotion 2 looks to have greatly improved on last year’s model.

New and Improved Set Pieces

In the above trailer, we see a free kick going down with gameplay footage and it’s a whole new ball game (so to speak). We are now going to be treated to statistics that will allow for a more in-depth and controllable experience. A ‘goal chance’ figure is displayed as a percentage on the left and, more importantly, a ‘distance to goal’ statistic pops up to the right. The aiming has also changed, with the usual reticle stepping aside for a straight aiming line.

FIFA 23’s Career Mode will Allow you to Play as Existing Managers

For a while now, FIFA fanatics have been calling out for existing managers to be available to play as through the career mode and EA have finally relented. We’re not overly sure on the exact list of thee managers you can play as, but it’s more than likely that all of our favorites are there, given that 700 teams are already signed up to feature in FIFA 23.

FIFA 23 – Summary

All in all, FIFA 23 is looking promising. As lifelong fans of the franchise, we always look forward to seeing what’s changed as each edition is rolled out. With HyperMotion 2 setting to add a realistic touch to both aesthetics and gameplay, this year’s offering is set to be the best since the ’98 original.

With the disconcerting news of the huge changes coming to the soccer series, we can only hope that the last FIFA title will be one to remember.