Parting Shots: EA Sports FC 24

Sam Rivera
Game: EA Sports FC 24
Occupation: Senior Producer, Electronic Arts
Career Highlights: FIFA

After 30 years, EA Sports’ FIFA series is no more. Fans of soccer—or, depending on what part of the world you’re from, football—shouldn’t panic just yet, however, as the end of one series means the beginning of another. This year, the franchise has relaunched as EA Sports FC, a new name that may bring with it slightly less connection to the worldwide football association, but plenty of new opportunities for future expansion. To learn more about EA Sports FC 24, we hit the pitch and kicked a few questions around with senior producer Sam Rivera.

What does the chance to continue EA’s soccer/football series with a fresh start under the new EA Sports FC brand mean to you?

Sam Rivera: For the past three decades, EA Sports has created the defining interactive football video game experience, changing the way fans engage with the sport we all know and love. We’re excited for this new FC chapter because it presents an opportunity to continue delivering innovation for fans on a global scale for years to come. 

Personally, I’m incredibly excited to watch EA Sports FC evolve into a global football experience, creating the world’s largest football club and inspiring the next generation of football fans to grow the game. 

On the newest consoles and PC, EA Sports FC 24 makes use of “HyperMotion V” capture technology. What can you tell us about this tech and what it contributes to gameplay?

SR: HyperMotionV technology translates the rhythm and fluidity of real-world football, meaning that movement in EA Sports FC 24 comes directly from beloved teams like Real Madrid, PSG and Manchester City, and that the animations of hundreds of players are defined by their own actions on the pitch.

We were able to do this through the use of volumetric data, which helps to power HyperMotionV—full teams playing full matches in the top competitions around the world, captured live by a bank of cameras around the stadiums, meaning data from players influence how they move in-game. 

We’ve also brought machine learning to EA Sports FC 24 to recreate true-to-football motion, even in real time to make The World’s Game feel even more immersive and unique. 

Millions of soccer fans around the globe play EA’s soccer/football games specifically for the Ultimate Team mode. How is that experience refreshed and expanded in this year’s game?

SR: One of the updates I’m most excited about is that Ultimate Team now brings players from men’s and women’s football together to play on the same pitch for the first time, allowing fans to engage with more of their favorite players like never before.

We’ll also be introducing Ultimate Team Evolutions—a new feature that creates a progression path for players already in your Club. You’ll be able to develop your favorite players into Club legends by completing objectives that improve their stats, PlayStyles, overall rating and even Player Item look/type.

We’re also thrilled to answer a long-standing request from fans—bringing the full Ultimate Team experience to Nintendo Switch in EA Sports FC 24. 

Speaking of Switch, EA Sports FC 24 is also the first time that version of the game runs on the Frostbite engine. Why was it important to bring it in line with the Xbox One and PS4 versions?

SR: We have a passionate community of football fans, and it’s important for us to create an experience that feels immersive to all players, regardless of where they play. By leveraging the capabilities of Frostbite for Switch, we’ve been able to develop a version of EA Sports FC 24 that brings a new level of pride to our team, and one that we’re optimistic will be shared by Switch players.

We want all of our FC fans to feel like a part of the club with EA Sports FC 24, and with fan favorite modes like VOLTA Football and Clubs coming to Nintendo Switch for the first time this year, we’re able to celebrate more of The World’s Game with our community. 

One of the major additions to the game is the PlayStyles feature, which gives players bonuses to particular skills to reflect what they’re best at on the real-world pitch. What PlayStyle bonus would you want for your normal everyday life?

SR: I’d have to go with Speed Dribbler. Imagine being able to move at the speed of a professional sprinter and complete all your daily tasks in half of the time!