The upcoming FIFA 23 will reportedly include some big upgrades for the franchise, including men's and women's World Cups and the long-awaited cross-play feature, according to a leak. EA's popular football franchise has been around for 29 years now, but players have been asking for a feature that could allow them to play with friends and other fans across all platforms.
Every year, EA expands and improves upon its FIFA titles with new features and changes, and this year is no exception. For a long time, the games didn't feature women's football, so when FIFA 16 was released, it was the first entry in the series to allow fans to play as female characters. Since then, a number of gameplay additions and changes have been made across the annual releases in an effort to not only bring the titles to the latest gaming hardware, but also to keep fans coming back for more.
Industry insider Tom Henderson has shared some of what could be in store for FIFA 23 in a new Xfire report. According to the unverified leaks, FIFA 23 could include cross-play capabilities, bringing players together across PlayStation, Xbox, and PC for the first time in its long-running history. It's also claimed that the brand will remain in place for at least this entry, despite a prior report claiming the FIFA name was bad for EA. The leak goes on to allege the game will include both men's and women's World Cups as EA expands on its licensing deals across all the major leagues. EA has also reportedly improved upon its HyperMotion Technology, allowing developers to capture more accurate and realistic movements from real football players. According to Henderson, EA did not comment on the story before its publication.
The games' HyperMotion Technology was first introduced in FIFA 22, with the goal being to capture more authentic movements from players to use as in-game animations, by having them wear Xsens motion capture suits. The new and improved technology for FIFA may be a thing of the past now, with the leak claiming developers are now able to capture details from real matches and players, eliminating the need for the Xsens suits.
There have been some rumors about FIFA 23 adopting a free-to-play model, though this isn't confirmed and seems unlikely despite the huge changes that could be coming to the brand. With EA and FIFA's licensing agreement coming to an end, FIFA 23 may be the last to feature the FIFA brand. There is no doubt the popular sports game will continue long into the future, but whether a deal is struck to hold on to the FIFA brand or EA move on to name it something entirely different, remains to be seen.
Source: Xfire, Tom Henderson/Twitter