In a new trailer for FIFA 22, developer EA Sports explains several changes that are coming to the series' beloved Ultimate Team mode. The upcoming soccer simulation game will be the series' newest annual release, following up October 2020's FIFA 21. The series is created under Electronic Arts' EA Sports label, which also develops and publishes other franchises such as NBA Live and Madden NFL. FIFA 22 will also expand the franchise's oft-forgotten Career Mode by giving players new tools to customize their personal club.
As the series' latest annual release, FIFA 22 promises to improve and expand upon last year's installment. On the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, FIFA 22 will utilize HyperMotion Technology, which combines machine learning and motion capture to create hyper-realistic animations of the game's various professional players. Various other gameplay improvements, such as enhanced artificial intelligence and more realistic ball physics, also promise to change the way players experience FIFA. Many of these features will serve the series' popular Ultimate Team mode, which allows players to collect real-world players and then use them to challenge other players. The most recent FIFA 22 gameplay trailer breaks down improvements, with a number of new systems which take advantage of current-gen console hardware.
A deep dive into FIFA 22's Ultimate Team mode, complete with a trailer via the EA SPORTS FIFA YouTube channel, details the changes coming to the series' popular FUT experience. The Divisional Rivals mode is being given a brand-new seasonal progression system, with win streaks allowing players to progress faster if they continue to win consecutive games. Players can also strive to enter the Elite Division, a special division reserved for the world's best players. The experience will now be broken up into various Seasons, with division progress being reset at the end of each Season.
The FUT Champions competitive mode is also being reorganized in FIFA 22, improving accessibility by allowing players to participate based on their schedule. Play-offs will be available during the weekend, and then finals will be held every weekend. Many FUT rewards will be available for those who perform well in the competitions. Meanwhile, FUT Heroes is tied to the performance of real-world soccer players, as the players' actual relationships can affect how well they perform together within FIFA 22.
While FIFA 22 is bringing some major changes to FUT, even bigger changes may be coming in the series' future. Rumors suggest that FIFA may become free-to-play starting with next year's FIFA 23, which would mark a dramatic turn for the series. Many modern games are adopting a free-to-play live-service model, making it free for players to play the game but forcing them to pay for additional post-launch content. These rumors suggest that many EA Sports franchises, such as Madden NFL, would also become free-to-play alongside FIFA.
The FIFA series has been accused of failing to make innovations with each new installment, particularly due to the game's annual release schedule. However, FIFA 22 appears to be making some big dramatic changes to major game modes such as FIFA Ultimate Team and FUT Champions. Progression systems are largely being reorganized, which will hopefully result in players sticking with the game for much longer than they did with past FIFA titles.
FIFA 22 will release on October 1, 2021.
Source: EA Sports, EA SPORTS FIFA/YouTube