Various rumours have emerged about the next possible instalment in EA Sports' FIFA video game series, rumoured to be called FIFA 23.
The FIFA video game series, which has been developed and released annually by EA Sports since 1993 with the launch of FIFA International Soccer on the Sega Mega Drive, is one of the most recognisable and successful video game franchises ever. The latest instalment, FIFA 22, was released on October 1, 2021 and has been one of the most popular titles in the series' history.
EA has claimed that in the 22 days following FIFA 22's launch, the title was played in more than 200 nations worldwide, with an average of 89 million matches being played per day, with 46 trillion minutes played overall and a total of 5 billion goals being scored. EA has also claimed that FIFA 22 was the number one highest-selling title in the western world during the 2021 calendar yea r.
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But with several months until the latest instalment in EA Sports' FIFA video game series is expected to be released, there have been various reports and leaks about what might be coming in the latest edition including crossplay, a World Cup mode, women's football and more.
There has also been speculation that the next instalment in EA Sports' FIFA video game series could be the very last one, following very public negotiations and comments between EA and the international governing body of association football, FIFA.
Here are the latest FIFA 23 rumours including crossplay, World Cup mode and women's football.
The latest instalment in EA Sports' FIFA series will be called FIFA 23
Mirror Football previously reported via VGC that EA are planning to release FIFA 23 this year, with the same report also claiming that EA CEO Andrew Wilson told employees in an internal meeting that the FIFA brand and licence has been an 'impediment' to EA Sports in recent years.
EA has yet to comment on the above story, after being contacted by Mirror Football.
The release date for the latest instalment in EA Sports' FIFA video game series, rumoured to be called FIFA 23, is expected to be Friday, September 30, 2022. This is because, apart from FIFA 21, EA Sports tend to release the title on the final Friday in September annually.
FIFA 23 will reportedly feature crossplay
Rumours suggest that FIFA 23 will feature crossplay between those on Xbox, PlayStation and PC for the first time ever, a feature that fans have been wanting for a long time.
According to Xfire, players using Xbox, PlayStation and PC will be able to play each other on all of the title's game modes. However, the report does not state if there will be a separate FIFA 22 Ultimate Team transfer market for each platform, or whether it will have one FIFA 22 Ultimate Team transfer market for all platforms.
When contacted by Mirror Football in regards to the above report, EA supplied the following statement.
"We don’t comment on rumours or speculation," Said an EA Spokesperson.
FIFA 23 will reportedly feature a World Cup mode
Mirror Football previously reported via VGC that FIFA 23 will apparently feature both the men’s and women’s FIFA World Cup. The men's 2022 FIFA World Cup is scheduled to take place in Qatar on November 21, 2022, just a few months after the expected release of the new game.
The last time a World Cup mode featured on an EA Sports video game was back in May 2018, with the release of a free 2018 FIFA World Cup DLC for FIFA 18, which featured all 32 participating teams and all 12 stadiums used at the competition.
The next FIFA Women's World Cup is scheduled to kick off in 2023, with the tournament set to be held in Australia and New Zealand from July 20, 2023. Although the women's game has been a part of the FIFA franchise since FIFA 16, FIFA players could only use the female athletes in their national teams in the kick-off mode on FIFA 22, with the female players yet to be used in FIFA's most popular game mode, FIFA Ultimate Team.
FIFA 23 will reportedly feature women's football more prominently
Despite players only being able to use female athletes from their national teams on FIFA since FIFA 16, that could all be about to change in FIFA 23, according to reports.
According to Xfire and @_Tom_Henderson_, FIFA 23 will include a number of women's football league licenses, including the FA Women's Super League, FLYERALARM Frauen-Bundesliga, National Women's Soccer League and D1 Arkema (The Division 1 Féminine), allowing players to select women's football club sides for the first time in the history of the video game series.
FIFA 23 will be the last instalment ever in EA Sports' FIFA series
Mirror Football previously reported via VGC that EA CEO Andrew Wilson told employees that the FIFA brand and licence has been an 'impediment' to EA Sports in recent years, in what is the clearest indication yet that the relationship between EA and FIFA might be coming to an end in the near future.
In comments provided anonymously to VGC, Wilson told employees in an internal meeting in November that "the FIFA brand has more meaning as a video game than it does a governing body of soccer" and that "what we get from FIFA in a non-World Cup year is the four letters on the front of the box".
According to the same article, Wilson also claimed that the FIFA licence has been an '"impediment" to EA Sports in regards to the growth of their franchise and that "FIFA is just the name on the box, but they’ve precluded our ability to be able to branch into the areas that players want.”
Wilson's comments indicate that he believes EA could benefit from ending its relationship with FIFA, in what would be a seismic shift for EA, FIFA and fans of the game.
The public negotiations between EA and FIFA started on October 7, 2021, with EA releasing a statement stating that they were considering whether not to renew their licensing agreement with FIFA, which could prompt a name change for one of the biggest video gaming franchises in history.
"As we look ahead, we’re also exploring the idea of renaming our global EA SPORTS football games," Said the EA Statement.
"This means we’re reviewing our naming rights agreement with FIFA, which is separate from all our other official partnerships and licenses across the football world.
"The future of football is very big and very bright. Our priority is to ensure we have every opportunity to continue delivering the world’s greatest interactive football experiences."
FIFA responded with a strong statement of their own on October 15, 2021, hinting that they could make their own game instead and aiming a dig at EA Sports.
"FIFA will adopt a new commercial positioning in gaming and eSports to ensure that it is best placed to make decisions that benefit all football stakeholders," said FIFA in a statement on their website.
"FIFA is bullish and excited about the future in gaming and eSports for football, and it is clear that this needs to be a space that is occupied by more than one party controlling all rights.
"Technology and mobile companies are now actively competing to be associated with FIFA, its platforms, and global tournaments.
"Consequently, FIFA is engaging with various industry players, including developers, investors and analysts, to build out a long-term view of the gaming, eSports and interactive entertainment sector."
