FIFA games haven’t been facing the kind of competition from PES (nay eFootball) games that they used to face in the heydays of the rivalry. However, it seems that EA is seeing some threat from the Konami franchise going into 2023. If a report is to be believed, FIFA 23 will probably follow in the footsteps of the rival game by going free-to-play.
Not just that, the report – coming from FIFA insider ‘Donk’ – also states that next year’s iteration of the game will feature cross-platform play. While this move to go free-to-play makes sense in the backdrop of Konami’s decision, it’s still something that’s hard to wrap your mind around.
FIFA games are some of the best-selling games around every year. EA Sports holds licenses for most of the major leagues, players, stadiums, and clubs from all over the world. If EA does actually pivot to free-to-play with FIFA 23, it would most certainly be in anticipation of the response that eFootball is expected to get from fans of the sport.
If you’re unaware, Konami recently announced that its beloved PES franchise has been renamed eFootball, which will be a free-to-play offering pegged for release later this year on PC, mobile, and consoles. It will also get cross-platform play following its launch.
EA’s latest football entry will be FIFA 22, which is scheduled to hit consoles and PC. It’s also set to include the HyperMotion technology, which is claimed to enhance the game further, making it more realistic, fluid, and responsive than ever before. EA has billed it “football’s most realistic and immersive gameplay experience.”
For now, we’d take this news of FIFA 23 shifting to a free-to-play model with a grain of salt. FIFA 22 will be released on October 1 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.