In early 2022 EA announced what many had expected for a while: it was ending its licensing deal with FIFA, the world football governing body, and re-branding its incredibly successful FIFA series as EA Sports FC. At the time EA was at least gracious towards its former partner, but FIFA wasn't in any mood to play nice.
"I can assure you that the only authentic, real game that has the FIFA name will be the best one available for gamers and football fans," thundered FIFA president Gianni Infantino at the time. "The FIFA name is the only global, original title. FIFA 23, FIFA 24, FIFA 25 and FIFA 26, and so on—the constant is the FIFA name and it will remain forever and remain THE BEST."
As proof that it was taking the breakup well, that year FIFA's tie-in game for the World Cup was some Roblox nonsense featuring… bowling.
I always thought the most logical next step for FIFA would be partnering with Konami's eFootball, which remains the most likely competitor to EA Sports FC (even if it's currently in the doldrums). But an actual football game featuring actual 11-a-side matches with actual clubs and players? That's far too straightforward for FIFA, which has now announced its next game is called FIFA Heroes and stars a bunch of animal mascots.
Always a good sign when an announcement features absolutely no game footage. The press release says this is "an arcade fast 5-a-side football title with fantasy flair set across the globe" and, uh-oh, it sounds like they'll be trying to do a Fortnite with the player characters: look forward to "your favourite fictional characters from iconic TV shows and films."
Speaking as a football fan, no-one gives a toss about the FIFA mascots (unless it's Wolfie beating up the Bristol City Pigs). You want to play as Ronaldo, Mbappe, Bellingham, and so on: I'm mystified as to why FIFA would go for cartoon mascots when the sport has so many icons, contemporary and historical, ready to go.
But perhaps I'm being a little harsh. This is clearly not intended as a competitor to EA Sports FC, and the way the press release talks about the mascots having "super abilities and special moves" just makes me think of the Mario Strikers series (which is variable but boasts some great entries). Get ready for some buzzwords:
"With FIFA Heroes, fans can create a multiverse team: mixing their treasured fictional heroes, favourite players, and our own mascots," says Christian Volk, director of gaming and esports at FIFA. "We're offering the love of football to a new generation, while rekindling the nostalgia and fun for families and older players who’ve grown up with FIFA. FIFA Heroes fits seamlessly into our digital football portfolio under the FIFAe umbrella, adding another strong pillar to our fast-growing gaming ecosystem."
Whatever the hell that means. FIFA Heroes will also feature a tie-in to next year's World Cup, and does promise "football legends" down the line, so we'll see how that shakes out.
"With FIFA Heroes, we set out to capture what actually makes football so compelling: speed, drama, and rivalry," says Kyle Joyce, director of publisher Solace. "Football has a unique way of bringing people together, and this game is our way of putting that love of the sport into play.”
Sadly, our man Gianni Infantino does not provide a quote on FIFA Heroes, though I'm sure he remains bullish. The good news for PC players? FIFA Heroes is currently only announced for console and mobile. Sad for us to miss out on "THE BEST" of course: but maybe it's for the best.
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