A statement from EA Sports' general manager supports rumors stating that future games after FIFA 22 may be free-to-play. EA Sports, a division of Electronic Arts, develops and publishes a number of sports video games such as FIFA, NBA Live and Madden NFL. The company has a number of projects coming in 2021, such as FIFA 22 and Madden NFL 22.
EA Sports recently revealed FIFA 22's release date and cover star along with an exciting gameplay trailer. The next star athlete to grace the cover of FIFA will be Kylian Mbappé, a French footballer who serves as a forward for the Paris Saint-Germain club. This year's annual release will utilize the current-generation hardware offered by the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Google Stadia. Those who play FIFA 22 on these platforms will be able to experience EA's new HyperMotion Technology and proprietary machine learning, which will serve to create a realistic and fluid football experience. However, a prominent FIFA leaker suggests that next year's installment may be even more impressive. The leaks claim that FIFA 23 will be free-to-play and feature crossplay, turning the soccer franchise into an ongoing service rather than an annual release.
In an interview with Axios, EA Sports general manager Daryl Holt responded to rumors that the company may transition into a free-to-play model in the future. When asked about the yearly release model of EA Sports franchises such as FIFA and Madden NFL, Holt explained that the model is not being changed soon. However, he did acknowledge the fact that the gaming industry is quickly forgoing annual releases in favor of live-service games that are consistently updated. Holt told Axios, "[h]ow we unlock the big beat of sports into that type of a service, I think we'll see over the course of the future."
Alongside annual releases like FIFA and Madden NFL, EA Sports also plans to bring back some of its older sports franchises. Basketball is said to be making a return after being absent since 2018, and the upcoming EA SPORTS PGA TOUR will bring female athletes back into the world of virtual golf. The golf simulation game, set to release in Spring 2022, recently announced a partnership with the Ladies Professional Golf Association to include female golfers such as Jin Young Ko in the game's roster.
EA Sports has long thrived on an annual release model, with flagpole franchises like FIFA and Madden NFL reliably shipping every single year. However, the gaming industry is turning away from this practice in favor of long-term support for single releases. While Daryl Holt has certainly not confirmed that EA Sports is moving towards free-to-play live-service games, his statement does confirm that the company is aware of the industry's trajectory.
FIFA 22 is set to release on October 1, 2021.
Source: Axios