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Manchester City signs second FIFA pro as 'dedicated PS4 player'
Sports teams the world over are adding gamers to their rosters, but it's particularly common in football. Manchester City FC signed its first eSports pro, Kieran "Kez" Brown, last summer, and today the club's announced Marcus "ExpectSporting" Jorgensen (aka Marcuzo) has become the second pad warrior to join the squad. Jorgensen previously competed for Danish football club Brøndby IF, with his biggest win to date being the FIFA Interactive Club World Cup held this past August.
EA may no longer release 'Madden' or 'FIFA' every year
If you play EA's sports games often, you know the drill: every summer there's a fresh round of titles that carry new modes, gameplay tweaks and (of course) roster updates. They're often minor and not always worth buying, but what choice do you have if you want to stay current? There might be a more practical option soon. In an interview with Bloomberg, EA chief Andrew Wilson floated the possibility that his company might drop annual sports game releases in favor of updates or subscriptions. The publisher could treat the games as a "365-day, live service," he said. Instead of buying FIFA or Madden every year, you might pay a regular fee or download content to keep it relevant.
FIFA and EA will put on the first-ever 'eWorld Cup' next year
FIFA and Electronic Arts are taking their partnership to the logical conclusion point: the pair will put on the first-ever eWorld Cup next August. Competition starts next month on November 3rd. From the press release:
Run the Jewels' video game tour continues in 'FIFA 18'
Killer Mike and El-P, collectively known as Run the Jewels, are no strangers to video games. Previously they appeared in Gears of War 4 as multiplayer characters, and now the duo are lending their talents to FIFA 18. Or, at least, their iconography. You can outfit your virtual footballer in kit featuring the group's trademark fist and gun logo on a teal jersey reminiscent of the album art for Run the Jewels 3, and there's also a black variant. More than that, the soundtrack features and exclusive track from the group, "Mean Demeanor."
FIFA 18's story mode has become the franchise’s best feature
When FIFA 17 came out last year, its standout feature was something called "The Journey." For the first time in the franchise's 24-year history, EA Sports added a story mode where you can pretend to live the life of a professional soccer (er, football) player. The plot centered around a fictional character named Alex Hunter, a British teenager who's trying to make a name for himself in the English Premier League. Your goal, naturally, is to guide him in his quest to do exactly that. Thanks to its success on FIFA 17, the adventure continues with FIFA 18's "The Journey: Hunter Returns."
Xbox One’s ‘Intelligent Delivery’ system will free up hard drive space
Microsoft has been working on a new feature for Xbox One and Xbox One X that stands to save users a ton of storage space, Eurogamer reports. Called Intelligent Delivery, the system allows for game data to be sorted into chunks allowing players to delete bits they don't need and free up space on their hard drives.
The new story mode in 'FIFA 18' is all about choice
The Journey was one of the best additions to FIFA 17, crafting a dramatic but believable story around a rookie football (sorry, soccer) player in England. With FIFA 18, EA is building on the mode with a "second season" for rising star Alex Hunter. It promises a "global" story with more football clubs, branching pathways and some character customization, culminating in a campaign that should feel less scripted but no less cinematic.
Behind EA’s push to put more women in sports games
Until two years ago, there was no way to play female characters in FIFA, the world's most popular gaming franchise. But EA Sports changed that with the introduction of FIFA 16. That's because, for the first time ever, the studio revealed its flagship game would feature women soccer players. It was a great move toward diversifying the game's plot, albeit a risky one considering its core demographic: young men. That doesn't mean FIFA players aren't open-minded. But in an industry with a reputation for being misogynistic, EA Sports made itself vulnerable to potential backlash. It turns out the company needn't have worried: FIFA 16 quickly became one of the best-selling titles of the year.
FIFA envisions a future where players wear in-game fitness trackers
Like it or not, soccer is moving into the modern era. For the past few years FIFA, the sport's governing body, has been working with the International Football Association Board (IFAB) to bring experiments like goal line technology and Video Assistant Referee to the game. But IFAB, which is responsible for creating and approving the rules of soccer, doesn't intend to stop there. In 2015, the organization announced plans to develop a global standard for Electronic Performance Tracking Systems (EPTS), with the goal being to let players use wearable tech in official matches. A decision on when and how EPTS will be implemented is set to happen next March, IFAB Secretary Lukas Brud confirmed to Engadget in an interview.
FIFA’s tech ‘experiments’ drag soccer into the modern age
Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. It may not be as big as American football, baseball or basketball in the US -- at least not yet-- but there's a much larger interest in it here now than five or 10 years ago. One of the problems with soccer is that, unlike pro sports organizations such as the NFL, NBA or MLB, it has never been quick to adopt new technology. For decades FIFA, the sport's governing body, opposed cutting-edge ideas that could keep referees from making the wrong calls. "We shall rely on human beings," former FIFA President Sepp Blatter said in 2002. "Players make mistakes, coaches make mistakes and yes, sometimes referees make mistakes. But football is passion, football is emotion. Football has a human touch."
The traditional sports world is taking eSports into the mainstream
Five years ago, you couldn't have imagined video game competitions being broadcasted on the same channel as traditional sports. TV networks have been historically obsessed with pastimes such as baseball, basketball, football and soccer, but times are changing. Thanks to the massive popularity of eSports, driven in large part by the internet-streaming generation, the entertainment landscape has transformed drastically over the past couple of years. Nowadays, US channels like Disney XD, ESPN, NBC and TBS are all trying to put eSports on the same level as traditional sports, with the end goal being to reach new, younger audiences. Want to watch a EA's FIFA or Rocket League tournament on ESPN? Well, you can do just that.
EA and FIFA plan their most ambitious eSports competition yet
FIFA's Interactive World Cup has been been growing in stature over the years, and its next eSports competition promises to be the most ambitious yet: the organization and EA have unveiled plans for the "largest ever" FIFA competition (using FIFA 18, naturally) this fall. The Interactive World Cup is still the star of the show and will revolve around players signed to clubs, but it's only one part of a larger picture. Players worldwide will have a shot at representing real-world teams in official competitions, and Ultimate Team Championships Cups will let virtually anyone qualify for a chance at glory in winter and spring events.
'FIFA 18' isn't out yet and I'm already in love
There was a brief period of time last year when I was playing Pro Evolution Soccer more than FIFA. It was hard to wrap my head around that, considering EA's franchise had been my number one choice since it was known as FIFA International Soccer back in the '90s. But, despite all the welcomed graphics and gameplay improvements we see on each yearly release cycle, I felt the game was getting stale and decided to experiment with Konami's own -- which I much preferred in its Winning Eleven days. This didn't last long, though. FIFA 17 brought a story mode for the first time ever, known as "The Journey," and I was sold almost immediately. Because, let's face it, it's the closest I'll ever get to experiencing the enchanting life of a footballer.
The Switch version of 'FIFA 18' doesn't have a story mode
If you were wondering how Switch versions of conventional sports games would compare to their PS4 and Xbox One counterparts, you just got your answer. EA has detailed the Switch edition of FIFA 18, and it's evident that you're getting a full-fledged console title... with a notable exception. You'll get modes like FIFA Ultimate Team, a career mode and women's soccer, but there's no mention of a story mode -- sorry, you can't follow Alex Hunter's story while you're on the bus. EA hasn't explained the absence at this point, but it's likely for technical reasons. The Switch version uses the older Ignite game engine (first introduced with the current gen of home consoles), while the games with story modes use the Frostbite engine. As much as the Switch can do, it's still a mobile tablet with limitations.
Watch EA's E3 2017 event live right here at 3PM ET
The big names aren't waiting until next week to reveal what they have for us at E3 2017. EA is kicking things off today with its event at 3PM ET/12PM PT. We're expecting details on games like Star Wars: Battlefront II, FIFA 18, Madden 18, NBA Live 18, Need for Speed: Payback and much more. We'll be there to bring you all of the breaking news as it happens, but if you want to following along live you can do so via Twitch and YouTube streams. Being the kind folks that we are, we've embedded the stream down below so you can watch right here when the time comes. Follow all the latest news from E3 2017 here!
'Madden 18' may follow 'FIFA 17' with a story mode of its own
It looks like American football is taking something from soccer beyond the sport's name. Well, as far as Electronic Arts' virtual versions go, that is. This year's Madden will feature a full-fledged story mode akin to what FIFA '17 had. In the very evocative trailer below, a young man stares out at the Indianapolis Colts' Lucas Oil Stadium, dreaming of either a burrito or being on the cover of a video game. It's hard to tell which considering all we can see is the unnamed protagonist's expression in the reflection of a hotel window.
Xbox chief envisions a Netflix model for narrative games
Microsoft has just tipped its hand for what the company will show off at E3 in June. In a wide-ranging interview with The Guardian, Xbox chief Phil Spencer laid out his plans for the future of Xbox software. Since (mostly) fixing a majority of the problems the Xbox One hardware and system software has suffered through since 2013 with the Xbox One S and the Creator's Update for Xbox firmware, Spencer is focusing on the other problem Microsoft faces: its dearth of unique and compelling reasons to buy into the improved Xbox platform.
2018 FIFA World Cup will be the first with instant replay
Soccer (or, to the rest of the world, football) traditionalists have shunned video replay for years, claiming it would alter the sanctity of referees' calls. But well-documented flubbed calls like those that erroneously eliminated England and Mexico in the 2010 World Cup have nudged FIFA into considering the technology. At long last, after getting implemented at professional levels, it's headed to the game's biggest stage: On-field instant replay is coming to the World Cup for the first time in 2018, when Russia hosts the tournament.
Major League Soccer gets its first eSports player
A number of European soccer teams have their own eSports players, but what about American clubs? Don't worry, they're catching up. New York City FC has signed Major League Sports' first eSports player, Christopher Holly, to represent the outfit in FIFA tournaments. He's definitely not a newcomer to the game -- Holly has been playing some form of FIFA on PlayStation systems for the past 12 years, and plays well enough that he was the top-rated FIFA Ultimate Team player on the planet in December.
BT Sport to air 'FIFA' eSports tournaments in the UK
One of the top FIFA eSports competitions is going to be shown on BT Sport in the UK. Today, the broadcaster has announced "exclusive" coverage of the FIFA 17 Ultimate Team Championship Series, an EA organised tournament built around 'FUT Champions,' a fantasy mode where players build and compete with custom teams. BT will start with the North American regional final in Vancouver on April 8th, followed by the Asia-Pacific heats in Singapore on April 22nd. The channel will then televise the European regional final in Madrid on May 6th, before tackling the all-important Championship Final in Berlin on May 20th and 21st.
