EA’s Play presentation dove into some technical and specific details about the upcoming FIFA 20.
Most importantly, it gave a release date: September 27. EA Early Access members get a hands-on with the game starting September 19, though
EA Play’s FIFA 20 coverage kicked off with a repeat of the recent Fifa Volta trailer. Volta is all about playing in the streets. It takes the FIFA action and pretty much puts it wherever a team can kick a ball around and set up a net.
Footballer Chelcee Grimes gave an overview of Volta football and the culture surrounding it. The team wanted to bring in an authentic experience for the game and include something that spoke to the actual people playing both FIFA and football/soccer in general.
As such, the mode will strive to represent a sampling of the many different locations Volta will introduce and the diversity of players — and playstyles — who play Volta football, including letting players design their clothes, style, and gender. The goal is showing off the skills and flair of real players who don’t have to be in an official stadium.
The presentation shifted to the rest of the game, with the production team leader discussing how important community feedback was in creating FIFA ’20. This feedback ranged from the gameplay style in general to things like shot accuracy and force.
Football Intelligence is one of the game’s key features and it covers three main areas: off the ball, on the ball, and the ball
Off the ball’s emphasis is giving players more time and space. It’s meant to create more one-on-one scenarios and grants more time to the dribbler; in other words, it helps improve offense.
On the ball gives players new attacking and defending tools, which got a lot of attention.
Football Intelligence with “on the ball” is also aiming to create a more authentic look and feel for the game, including how teammates are spread out and interact with the player.
For the players themselves, the team focused on four main topics:
Composed finishing is improving the kicks in one-on-ones by fine-tuning shooting and, again, creating a more authentic experience.
Strafe dribbling will help lure opponents in and gives players more control over the dribbling ball.
Control tackling is a defensive move to help improve tackling and get the ball back to the player more often.
Penalty kicks and free kicks are getting an overhaul as well. The mechanics are simpler and more accessible, though will retain depth. Players get full control over the ball spin to help improve the trajectory.
The ball itself is focused on trying to recreate the feel of the ball and make it, too, seem more authentic — improving the bounces, kicks, and overall reaction to how the ball reacts to the player.
The team said there are plenty of additional features in FIFA 20 that have yet to be discussed, so this was only the tip of the proverbial iceberg.
