FIFA fans who are planning to purchase the latest installment in the virtual soccer franchise on Nintendo Switch should consider putting their wallets away, as EA has admitted that FIFA 21 and FIFA 20 are the same game. Sadly, those who are wanting to get into FIFA for the first time and don't have alternative platform access to the 2021 FIFA roster have the choice between shelling out $50 for a two-year-old soccer sim or benching themselves until next year.
Every year, the developers at EA produce a line of sports-themed video games that usually come with minor enhancements to their gameplay and graphics. FIFA is EA's premier soccer simulator which has amassed quite a large following over the past 27 years. While the quality of FIFA games has obviously (but slowly) improved since the first FIFA title was released in 1993, players on the Nintendo Switch may have a hard time telling the differences between the games over the last two years. That's because there aren't any.
FIFA 21 was released on October 6 for a variety of platforms, including the Nintendo Switch. While platforms such as the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One boast new gameplay mechanics, modes, and better controls; FIFA 21 Legacy Edition for the Nintendo Switch is open about its lack of innovation. The official EA description for FIFA 21 on the Nintendo eShop reads, "FIFA 21 Legacy Edition will feature the same gameplay innovation from FIFA 20 without any new development or significant enhancements." It goes on to state that FIFA 21 will have the same game modes from FIFA 20 with the exact same features. However, EA did choose to update the menus to give them an "updated visual identity" so players can pretend like they're playing a different game when the only substantial changes are in the roster.
Players who choose to purchase FIFA 21 may feel an overwhelming sense of familiarity as it turns out FIFA 21 is also the same game as FIFA 19. If the page for FIFA 20 was still accessible on either the Switch's eShop or through Nintendo's website, the description would tell players that FIFA 20 is the same game as FIFA 19. Nevertheless, EA and Nintendo have removed both FIFA 19 and FIFA 20 from the Switch eShop, making it impossible for players to purchase the digital edition of either previous title. Even though FIFA 21 is the same title as FIFA 19 & 20, players have no alternative purchase choices besides shill out $50 to buy a twice-recycled game with the thinnest veneer of newness that EA developers could muster.
If it was hard to believe EA's insatiable greed before, this series of heinous and obviously intentional moves clear any doubts Nintendo Switch players may have had right up. It would have been less awful if EA had left FIFA 19 and 20 available for purchase on the eShop, but taking them down and forcing new players to purchase the game's latest rerelease is a very unethical move from EA. In short, FIFA 21 offers a new roster and a meager skin for the two-year-old game's menus at the bold price of a new full game.
FIFA 21 is available now for PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC, and it will launch on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Google Stadia at an unannounced date.
Source: EA