FIFA 23 arrives soon with new features in its gameplay, graphics, and more. The game also brings several interesting trivia, such as the presence of coach Ted Lasso from the Apple TV series, athletes drawn by an artist from Marvel, a radical change in Ultimate Team mode, and more. Check out some FIFA 23 curiosities that will be released on September 30 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, and PC through Steam, Epic Games Store, and Origin digital stores, with a Legacy version for Nintendo Switch.
Ted Lasso and AFC Richmond present
A special presence in FIFA 23 will be coach Ted Lasso, from the Apple TV series of the same name. and his fictional club, AFC Richmond. Players will be able to use Coach Ted Lasso or Beard in Career Mode and play with their team in Career Mode, Quick Play, Online Friendlies, and Online Seasons. In the team, users will find characters from the TV series such as Roy Kent, Jamie Tartt, Dani Rojas, Sam Obisanya, and Isaac McAdoo in realistic digital representations. In the series, Ted Lasso is an American soccer coach who knows nothing about soccer but is called to coach in the UK, where he overcomes obstacles with comic optimism.
A radical change in FUT Chemistry
FIFA 23’s chemistry system is probably the biggest change in the mode this year. Positional links have been abolished and now chemistry is defined through three diamonds on each player’s card, filled in when teammates are from the same nation or play in the same leagues as them. Icons and Heroes offer an advantage, as when they play in their correct position they have full chemistry and the weight of two players in chemistry with other athletes. In this new system, even athletes in distant positions on the field can generate good chemistry. Another new feature is that by having its chemistry reset to zero, an athlete will not suffer negative effects, so it is possible to conduct more experiments with your team.
First with two World Cups
A unique event in FIFA 23 is that it will be the first, and also the last, game in the series to have two World Cups in its content. Players will be able to play both the 2022 Men’s World Cup in Qatar and the 2023 Women’s World Cup, which will be held with matches in Australia and also New Zealand.
La Bombonera is back
One of Latin America’s most iconic soccer stadiums will return in FIFA 23 with the arrival of Estadio Alberto José Armando, better known as “La Bombonera,” the home of Boca Juniors in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The stadium has been absent from Electronic Arts’ soccer series since FIFA 18 but returns this year in style thanks to a new partnership with the company.
Broadcasting in More Leagues
FIFA 23’s visual presentation of matches has also received new features to provide a closer experience to what it is like to watch games on TV in leagues such as the Premier League, Bundesliga, LaLiga, Serie A TIM, UEFA, CONMEBOL, as well as the World Cup and women’s leagues. The camera offers new depth and motion effects to simulate a TV camera with 360° and augmented reality replays, and on-screen data such as statistics.
Leagues with all official stadiums
FIFA 23’s stadium collection is the largest ever offered by the franchise, with 105 authentic locations that encompass all the major arenas of leagues such as Bundesliga, LaLiga, and Premier, plus new women’s leagues present with clubs for the first time in the series. Players will be able to find fields such as the Philips Stadion of PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands, Europa-Park Stadion of SC Freiburg in Germany, and El Sadar of Osasuna in Spain.
In Barclay’s WSL women’s league, athletes will find the Manchester City Academy Stadium, home of the Manchester City women’s team. The company has also entered into a partnership to have the Allianz Stadium of Juventus direct from Italy back in the game.
Partnering with Marvel
Electronic Arts and Marvel have announced an exciting partnership to bring special Heroes of FUT cards, which offer sports icons new artwork drawn by Marvel artists, as well as other themed items such as uniforms and balls. The cards will be available in their base version from launch but will receive the new World Cup FUT Heroes versions along with the update that will bring the World Cup mode to the game.
Change on the field, in the net, and the crowd
The visuals in FIFA 23 have evolved slightly from the previous year, focusing on improvements to elements such as the pitch, the net, and the crowd. The grass has gained more depth and will now have a greater degradation with cart marks and split balls, which will remain on the pitch for the rest of the match as scars. The net has been given a full 3D geometry to react according to physics to the impact of the ball and create an experience that is not only more realistic but also more visually satisfying on goals. The crowd, meanwhile, has gained greater variety in the stands and will be able to clap and raise their arms along with the crowd’s chanting.
Neymar with an Overall below 90
When Electronic Arts announced FIFA 23’s top 23 athletes in FIFA Ultimate Team mode, players were surprised by Neymar’s rating, for the first time below 90 since FIFA 16. The Brazilian striker who plays for the Paris Saint-Germain club and the Brazilian national team is rated 89, below the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo at 90 and Messi, Mbappé, and Lewandowski at 91. Neymar also had his acceleration and speed lowered along with his overall rating. The Sportskeeda website suggested that his rating may have been lowered due to an ankle injury during much of the season.
It’s the last FIFA
In May of this year, Electronic Arts confirmed that the FIFA series will change its name to EA Sports FC, ending a nearly 30-year era of partnership with the International Football Association. The content of future games promises to remain the same, with modes such as Ultimate Team, Pro Clubs, and Volta Football, but under the new name and a promise that more details will be revealed in July 2023. According to the New York Times, the reason for the split was a price increase in the FIFA license that would cost $1 billion over the next four years.
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