‘FIFA 23’ launches September 30th on PC, Xbox, PlayStation and Stadia.
Following the reveal of Chelsea star Sam Kerr on its cover earlier this week, EA has released the first trailer for FIFA 23, demonstrating that women’s soccer will finally be a major component of the game. It will feature women’s club teams from the top leagues in England and France, as well as both the women’s and men’s competitions in the Qatar World Cup in 2022 and the Australia/New Zealand World Cup in 2023.
Since 2016, international women’s teams have been available in EA FIFA games, but this will be the first edition to include club teams. Women’s soccer has grown in popularity, thanks in part to the Olympics and other international competitions, and the 2022 World Cup will provide an additional boost. Two leagues are far from the dozens available for men’s soccer, but it appears that EA intends to add more in future updates. “We’re committed to creating an equitable experience and hope to contribute to the growth of women’s football,” FIFA 23’s Matt Lafreniere said.
FIFA 23 also introduces cross-play functionality and more “realistic” gameplay via its latest evolution of HyperMotion2 technology, EA said. That feature applies machine learning to motion capture data to create smoother player movements during gameplay.
FIFA 23 will be EA’s last version of the game with the FIFA name, as it failed to come to terms with FIFA over financial and exclusivity issues. However, EA still holds licenses for more than 300 soccer partners and has exclusive agreements with the likes of the Premier League, MLS, La Liga, Bundesliga and Serie A. The series will be rebranded as EA Sports FC in its future versions.
