While EA Sports FC 24 is all about presenting a whole new experience for virtual football fans, returning fans will also be pleasantly surprised at the tweaks coming to returning modes that they are all too familiar with.
The Clubs and Volta modes are now series staples in EA Sports’ football games, with the former letting players engage with others socially as they create their own in-game pro footballer, while the latter being a mode inspired by street football.
To learn more about the new additions coming to Clubs and Volta, IGN Southeast Asia spoke to Jeff Antwi of EA Sports on the more unified ecosystems that fans can expect from these returning game modes.
Will we see a unified leaderboard in EA Sports FC 24?
Yes, you nailed it, EA Sports FC 24 will see unified leaderboards across modes and across platforms. It is still split for now, with Xbox One and PlayStation 4 players under one system while Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 players being under one.
It's an exciting time because Cross-Play just enables so much more connection for us, which also includes bringing Cross-Play to the Nintendo Switch for the first time. It is a really complex technology and we've been building it slowly over time.
We actually introduced a portion of Cross-Play in 23 and 24, and now is really the true definition of that, where we can have a co-op possibly. So for the Nintendo Switch, the focus was to get the Frostbite engine working on the Nintendo Switch. It’s an exciting time for Nintendo Switch fans and I recommend playing Clubs and Volta on the platform.
Will the new PlayStyles feature be extended to both Clubs and Volta?
Both PlayStyles and PlayStyles+ are coming to Clubs, with 34 different PlayStyles in total for players to check out and unlock. Players can either just pick a single one or equip a player with multiple PlayStyles at once.
One thing that's big for the community is creating player builds and different styles of players, while obviously, not every ability is going to be applicable to a single player. If you're building out a striker, you're going to have a specific set of play styles.
So the abilities are a good cross-section of different abilities that you can apply to your different character builds and simulation experiences. Though with how different Volta is, it does not have PlayStyles. It's a different mode, a different experience, and the focus for us really is to make it more of a social experience.
Volta features signature abilities for players, it's more over the top. It's got a different flavour of gameplay. Go for authenticity with Clubs Mode while Volta will let you live out more outlandish football fantasies.
What are some of the new features that you are most excited about to be introduced in EA Sports FC 24?
There are a few, but for me, some of the customisable facial accessories are really cool, specifically the goggles that you can apply to your character. That's one of my favourites, especially seeing players like Edgar Davids, who is famous for wearing goggles.
Just being able to pull in just those authentic little tidbits into the experience, whether it's a face mask that you saw a ton of players in the World Cup wearing, or adding a specific type of headwear to a customisable character.
As someone who wears glasses, I want to be able to create myself. This new level of customisability adds to this experience and helps players create themselves on the pitch, which is really neat.
How will seasonal progression work in Clubs for EA Sports FC 24?
They're still linked and players are still able to earn seasonal progression across modes. We've got this kind of shared progression system within Clubs that acts as a sort of reputation system. So as you play matches, you contribute to earning fans, and then the more fans you earn, the more customisation opportunities you'll have.
Players will start with a small stadium which they can build out to be a larger stadium with things like LED boards, special stadium lighting, animated banners, and trophies. So I'm pretty excited about that progression system and what players will be able to do with their friends.
What can players who are diehard Clubs fans expect from this year’s iteration?
First of all we love our fans and we love the passion that our fans have. It helps drive and motivate us in terms of building out something that they continue to be excited about. This year we're delivering more features than ever before.
From the new shared progression system, stadium customisation, and more player customisation options, to a more seasonal structure where every six weeks is going to be a different season for players to earn a different trophy. We hope players will enjoy all of this at launch.
EA Sports FC 24 will be available to on September 29, 2023, with early access through the Ultimate Edition available on September 22, 2023. Pre-orders are now available on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch.
