Certain things will change following LaLiga's deal with EA FC 24 Coins . Expect to see an overhaul of LaLiga's logos, graphics, fonts, and general visual elements, as they will now include, or at the very least have design input from, EA. According to LaLiga, this major change will be accompanied by "in-game integration, broadcast highlights, and joint commitments to supporting grassroots initiatives", between EA and LaLiga, which can mean that next season's broadcast will be much different from the 2022/2023 season's.
This contract is a big move by EA following FC 24. as Spain is home to the most Champions League, UEFA Cup, and UEFA Europa League titles in the world, with Real Madrid and Barcelona arguably the two biggest clubs globally. EA Sports FC will probably have many more identical announcements in the near future as EA prepares its new game for next summer. There might be some spirited negotiations happening behind the scenes for other large leagues like the Premier League, Bundesliga, and Ligue 1. as both EA Sports FC and EA try to recoup from their separation. It remains to be seen which side will come out on top, but currently, the score is 1-0 in favor of EA, and it's only the first half.
FC 24 will be the latest iteration in a series that has long been striving to realistically translate the game of soccer to a digital space, and developer EA Vancouver has turned its attention to the pitch itself. As the big picture game mechanics have become increasingly solidified, EA Sports FC has continually refined the smaller details in its deliverance of an authentic experience. FC 24 has gone so far as to include physics for individual goalkeeper fingers, each being affected differently by an incoming shot, but a far more noticeable advancement in the soccer simulation is a gorgeous, persistent patch of grass.
Over the course of its 30-year existence, EA Sports FC has demonstrated itself to be the industry leader in soccer simulation games. While it's certainly not without faults, the gap has only widened since the most recent iteration of EA Sports FC's leading competition, eFootball, was not finished when it released. An argument could be made that extending EA Sports FC's one-year development cycle would result in a more impressive, immersive product, but the incremental changes have served EA well thus far. More realistic grass doesn't sound like a major step forward for FC 24. and it's not in terms of the gameplay itself.
But the pitch is an integral part of the sport and the uniformly green, untarnished fields of old will soon stand out as odd. Screen Rant had the opportunity to visit the EA Vancouver campus, play an early build of FC 24. and get some insight on its development. The developers were eager to discuss the revamped grass, with one even saying, "The grass is profound." And it is profound. Two-dimensional, very low-poly foliage isn't necessarily the norm for video games anymore, but FC 24's new power shots and improved passing will take place on an incredibly photorealistic pitch.
Premier League sides and other top clubs employ some of the most talented grounds crews in the world, responsible for maintaining an ideal play surface that gets trampled week in and week out. In the past, EA Sports FC has emulated this to an adequate degree, presenting pristine pitches that rarely get scrutinized from the normal, distant viewpoint during gameplay. Aside from more believable grass textures, FC 24 has reactive pitches with persistent distressed states. Slide tackles and particularly rough challenges leave divots and scores that reveal the dirt underneath. Such disruptions to the surface become a permanent fixture for the remainder of the match.
This isn't the most revolutionary change, especially when compared to the revamped women's teams courtesy of cheap Fut Coins FC 24's HyperMotion2 technology, but it's an interesting development for the series' presentation. Future EA Sports FC releases will almost assuredly build upon this new level of grass detail, furthering how convincing EA Vancouver's digital mimicry of the real sport is. More significant and impactful gameplay changes are sure to rightfully draw the most interest from players, but FC 24's profound new grass demonstrates a strive for authenticity that often gets lost among the short, yearly development cycles.