With FIFA 22’s lifecycle slowly coming to an end, many fans are starting to look forward to the next installment of the franchise. Recent rumors have brought forward new information regarding the FIFA 23 release date, FIFA 23 cross-play support, a men’s and women’s World Cup and much more! Here’s everything we know so far about FIFA 23.
Although no release date has officially been announced, we can speculate based on the release window of previous FIFA games. With the exception of FIFA 21, all recent FIFA games have been released on the final Friday of September, with FIFA 22 releasing on October 1. Following this pattern, FIFA 23 will most likely release on or around September 30, 2022.
EA hasn’t officially confirmed any platforms for FIFA 23, but we’ll likely see the next installment release on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Nintendo Switch. If FIFA 23 follows in the footsteps of its predecessor, we’ll also see a launch on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Google Stadia.
On May 10, EA officially announced that its soccer franchise will be renamed to EA SPORTS FC. This means that FIFA 23 will be the final game under the official FIFA name. The name change for the franchise had already been rumoured in March, when EA had filed trademark applications for “EASports FC”. In an official statement on their website, the publisher reassured fans that everything they love about the FIFA games will be part of EA SPORTS FC, including the same modes, leagues, tournaments, clubs and athletes. EA also confirmed that Ultimate Team, Career Mode, Pro Clubs and VOLTA Football will make a return in EA SPORTS FC. The publisher also confirmed that their current licensing portfolio includes more than 19.000 players, 700 teams, 100 stadiums and 30 leagues, including the Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A and the MLS. As for this year, FIFA players can still expect a traditional FIFA release with FIFA 23.
FIFA 23 will undoubtedly introduce new features and content to the franchise. Currently, no new features have been officially confirmed, but based on a recent story from Tom Henderson, FIFA 23 will include various new features.
FIFA 23 is rumored to be the first game in the series that supports cross-play. With cross-play functionality, FIFA players on PlayStation, Xbox and PC can finally play with or against each other.
The potential introduction of cross-play also has major implications for online modes such as Division Rivals and FUT Champions, which are currently played out between players on the same platform. If cross-play ends up making its way into FIFA 23, these online modes may become unified across platforms, creating one giant league for all players to compete in.
Source: EA
In addition to cross-play, FIFA 23 is also rumored to include men’s and women’s World Cups. The details for these in-game World Cups are currently unknown, but it seems likely that they will be centered around the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar and the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
And that’s not all for women’s soccer in FIFA 23. EA is also rumored to expand its licensing partnership across various major leagues to include women’s teams. For example, it is suggested that FIFA 23 will feature the FA Women’s Super League, the Frauen-Bundesliga, the National Women’s Soccer League and the Division 1 Féminine among others.
Source: EA
Last but not least, it seems that FIFA’s brand new HyperMotion Technology is getting improved this year. This technology was first introduced in FIFA 22 and used motion capture data from real-life players to power the way individual players and teams move in the game.
Previously, this motion capture data was obtained by 22 professional footballers wearing Xsens suits while playing a high-intensity match. However, according to rumors this technology has now been massively improved, allowing animation capture from real footballers in real matches via stadium cameras. Sources even go as far as claiming that “the team captured over 100 times more data in a single league season than they’ve ever captured in the entire franchise history”.
There have been various rumors circulating that suggest FIFA 23 will be free-to-play. Unfortunately, there is no indication that this will indeed be the case according to sources that are familiar with FIFA’s new project. We’ll have to keep our fingers crossed for any news on FIFA 23 becoming free-to-play, but it seems that EA will not transition to a free-to-play model quite yet.
Source: EA
Can’t wait until FIFA 23 releases? Pick up a copy of FIFA 22 or improve your current FIFA 22 squad with some additional FIFA Points. Startselect is an official partner of EA so you’ll always receive a working code and your purchase will support the creators of FIFA. Stay tuned for more news regarding FIFA 23 and keep dribbling until then!