Electronic Arts responded to complaints about EA Sports FC 24’s Ultimate Team mode. The publisher responded to arguments that it was unrealistic by explaining that Ultimate Team mode is meant to be a fantasy and that players should turn to EA Sports FC 24’s Kick Off mode for a more realistic experience.
EA Sports revealed FC 24 last week, and the soccer simulation is on its way to PC and current and last-gen consoles this September. The publisher intends it to be the first installment in an annual EA Sports FC series. It will replace EA’s FIFA series following the end of EA’s licensing agreement with FIFA. One of the game’s new features is the introduction of the fantasy Ultimate Team mode, which lets players create custom teams from different countries and teams with no restrictions on gender.
That last point proved controversial to some in the FIFA community, who felt it was unrealistic. However, EA vice president John Shepherd responded to these criticisms by explaining that FC 24’s Ultimate Team mode lets players create whatever fantasy team they want. EA Sports thought deeply about whether it should include female athletes in Ultimate Team mode but decided it was the right decision. Shepard pointed out the existence of Kick Off mode, which pits real-world teams against each other.
Ultimate team mode doesn’t restrict who can be in a fantasy team, and female players do not have any inherent disadvantages compared to their male counterparts. In this mode, a female athlete performs identically to a male athlete of the same height, weight, and attributes based on their real-world stats. Performance stats from the men’s and women’s leagues are treated equally, allowing female athletes to compete with male athletes of similar ratings. It’s worth noting that the average female soccer player is shorter and lighter than the average male player, which is accounted for in EA Sports FC 24’s gameplay.
Some FIFA fans were unhappy with this decision, arguing that it made the game less authentic. Some claimed that, since women generally struggle to compete with men in real life, it should be the same in the game. Others argued that there should be separate male and female modes, while another faction argued that EA shouldn’t include women in Ultimate Team mode at all. Some players even threatened to boycott FC 24.
However, EA justified the decision on the grounds that Ultimate Team mode is a fantasy mode and already contains athletes from multiple teams and countries. Shepherd also described how EA hopes the inclusion of female athletes in FC 24 will give more action to woman players and make the game more welcome to a wider variety of fans.
EA Sports FC 24 releases on September 29 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: IGN
