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'FIFA 21' comes to Google Stadia on March 17th
EA is bringing more than one football game to Stadia. Today, the publisher announced that FIFA 21, the latest entry in ‘the beautiful game’ franchise, will available to stream from March 17th. It will join Madden NFL 21, a very different kind of football game, which was added to the service on January 28th.
Why FIFA Ultimate Team is often hated and very successful
FIFA 21 will no doubt make over $1 billion, as each entry in the series has in recent years. To legions of FIFA players the new title really signals the start of a fresh season of Ultimate Team. For the unfamiliar, FIFA Ultimate Team is the most popular feature in the game, and the one that's come to define the overall experience.
'FIFA 21' update reportedly allows players to set microtransaction limits
EA's Playtime feature is said to give gamers (or their parents) more control.
EA removed a FIFA microtransaction ad that was aimed at kids
It promoted FIFA Points, which are used to unlock FUT packs, in a toy magazine.
Konami scales back 'PES 2021' to focus on its next-gen engine
Konami is taking a different approach with its beloved Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) this year. Instead of a true sequel, the publisher is planning a smaller "streamlined offering" that includes some kind of "season update" content. The development team has made this decision so it can focus on a "next-generation title" that is undoubtedly bound for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. On its website, Konami revealed that it's being created with "an updated engine" that will allow for "staggering improvements to all areas of the game."
David Beckham now co-owns an esports team
David Beckham now co-owns an esports company.
Watch EA Play Live with us starting at 6:40PM ET
'Star Wars: Squadrons' and a new game from Hazelight are on the docket.
'PUBG' is the latest free Stadia Pro game
'Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order,' 'Madden NFL' and 'FIFA' are also coming to the game streaming service.
Premier League football stars face off in a weeklong virtual tournament
With both traditional and esports adjusting their schedules due to COVID-19, England’s Premier League announced a new, hybrid tournament, the ePremiere League Invitational, in which football stars and celebrity fans will test their esports abilities in a five-day, 20-team, single-elimination tournament. The winner will take home the ePremier League Invitational champion title, and all proceeds will go to the #PlayersTogether fund, supporting the National Health Service. Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold will face off with musician and lifelong Manchester United fan Tom Grennan, who will represent the Red Devils.
After Math: Look at all this free stuff
It's not hard to go a stir crazy during the quarantine, these five companies are helping with free entertainment and apps.
After Math: We're not ready for the new normal
We're in uncharted waters here, folks. The new reality that we're collectively facing really began to sink in this past week as ever-greater numbers of Americans have been told to practice social isolation and stay away from public gatherings as much as possible. Here are some of the headlines from the past week that I, for one, never thought this outlet would ever write.
Without soccer, fans and teams are turning to FIFA
Soccer, like almost every other professional sport, has ground to a halt in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak. The most-watched and prestigious leagues, including the English Premier League, Germany's Bundesliga, Italy's Serie A and France's Ligue 1 have all been suspended in recent weeks. European club competitions including the Champions League and Europa League aren't happening, either, and Euro 2020 has been pushed back to June 2021. The Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, which includes an oft-forgotten soccer tournament, is looking less likely with each passing day, too.
'FIFA 20' will add South America's largest club tournament in March
Fùtbol fans are about to get a welcome addition to FIFA 20. EA is adding CONMEBOL Libertadores, South America's largest club tournament, as part of a free update to the game in March 2020. The expansion pits some of the continent's hotter teams against each other, such as Boca Juniors and Flamengo. It'll also include other CONMEBOL's other tournaments, Sudamericana and Recopa.
'FIFA' esports league reveals changes to 2020 season format
After two eWorld Cups, FIFA and Electronic Arts are tweaking the competition for a new season. To start, EA says it's simplifying online qualification with a new "Friendly Competition" mode. Taking a page from professional soccer, this mode will see teams and individuals play two games to determine who goes through, with aggregate goals determining the winner in case of a split series.
EA vows to fix FIFA 20's broken Career Mode
FIFA 20 has some fresh elements, but the Career Mode is more than a little buggy -- to the point where #FixCareerMode has been popular on Twitter. And EA knows it. The company has published a Q&A where it has acknowledged and promised to fix several glaring issues. AI-controlled top teams are ranking poorly (sometimes to the point of relegation to lower leagues), while other teams choose poor starting lineups in crucial matches. There are also issues with match congestion due to rescheduling, unrealistic Dynamic Potential changes for players, easy Ultimate Difficulty, position changes after editing players and irrelevant questions in press conferences. Even the larger league structures are broken. If certain teams win the UEFA Europa League after a few seasons and get promoted to the UEFA Champions League, the leagues break.
Volta Football is exactly what 'FIFA 20' needs
I still remember it like it was yesterday. Back in 2008, I would spend hours and hours playing FIFA Street 3 on the Xbox 360, mostly because I loved being on the sticks pretending to be Brazilian superstar Ronaldinho. His dribbling skills, flair and overall playstyle made him the perfect player for a street soccer game. This is why I was pumped when EA Sports revealed it was bringing back its recreational Street series with a new game mode called Volta Football that's debuting in FIFA 20. And while Ronaldinho is now retired from the world of soccer, there is another gem from Brazil who will be featured in Volta: Vinicius Jr., the 19-year-old wunderkind who plays for giant Spanish club Real Madrid.
UK officials call for loot boxes to be regulated like gambling
Regulators in both the US and the UK have been investigating the loot box mechanics found in many games to see if they should be considered gambling. The UK Government's Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport Committee has now released a report which condemns a "lack of honesty and transparency" from gaming industry industry representatives about the potential harms of game mechanics like loot boxes. The report also recommends that games containing loot boxes should be regulated as gambling and not be sold to children in particular.
FIFA 20's Volta mode is good enough to be its own game
There's a lot to Volta, FIFA 20's new street soccer mode. Rather than a one-off sideshow to the main game, it's actually multiple offline and online game styles and a full story campaign, rolled into a cohesive and enjoyable package. Off the bat, there are three main game styles, which will be familiar to anyone that's kicked a ball around with friends. You can play with rush keepers (a term for having no defined goalkeeper) in teams of three or four. This style has tiny goals and barely any rules apart from quick free kicks for blatant fouls. Then there's street with keepers, which uses larger futsal goals and dedicated keepers, but is similarly light on rules. The last style is futsal, which plays as you'd expect if you've ever watched it: Five-a-side with keepers, kick-ons and corners, on-the-fly substitutions, accumulated fouls leading to penalties and an actual referee who will dish out yellow and red cards. All of the modes ditch the stamina, fatigue and injury systems of the regular game.
EA is finally improving Career Mode for 'FIFA 20'
Even though 'Street' soccer will be the biggest addition to FIFA 20, hardcore fans of the franchise know the importance of Career Mode. And this year, with the new game launching on September 27th, developer EA Sports is promising to make the feature more authentic and customizable than ever before. Not only will you be able to change the body type, skin tone, clothing, hairstyle of your managers, but in FIFA 20 you'll now have the chance to create and choose female characters. In addition to that, taking a cue from Football Manager, your coach will be able to have a direct impact on team morale based on his or her press conferences, squad rotation, chats with players and more.
Recommended Reading: The legacy of female players in 'FIFA'
How female characters in FIFA led to a diversity movement at EA Dean Takahashi, VentureBeat Discussions on diversity and equal pay have taken over in the week following the 2019 Women's World Cup, especially in the US. EA game designer Katie Scott explains how her work on FIFA's "The Journey" story mode lead to improving representation of female characters -- work that eventually kickstarted company-wide change.
