FIFA World is an impressively solid entry into the world of PC free-to-play
EA Sports has kicked off the open beta of EA Sports FIFA World, the publisher's free-to-play soccer game for PC. The PC version of the popular sports brand went through four closed beta phases and one limited open beta before launching globally. The game includes familiar Seasons and Ultimate Team modes as well as 600 clubs from 30 licensed leagues. The League Teams mode of the game allows the player to use any of the licensed clubs and national teams to progress through a promotion and relegation system within the game from Division 10 to Division 1. Every match played uses up one of five match credits allocated to each player. These match credits replenish over time after being used, and can also be purchased using "FIFA Points", the in-game currency of all FIFA titles.
The title, a free-to-play iteration on the FIFA soccer franchise, includes the FIFA Ultimate Team feature as well as a handful of modes in both single-player and online multiplayer. The game include 16,000 players across 600 clubs from 30 licensed leagues to choose from. According to producer Alex Grimbley, the four closed beta sessions and previous limited open beta for FIFA World had 1.5 million registered players, through which EA collected feedback to polish the final version. Players will also be able to share their accomplishments and commentary on game content through the online Social Hub, as well as access a real-time Transfer Market to manage in-game items.
In the meantime, FIFA World is an impressively solid entry into the world of PC free-to-play, and not at all the sort of game that brings to mind EA's recent fumbles with SimCity or the disastrously monetised Dungeon Keeper. The game itself takes some of the best parts of the main FIFA series and repackages them in a way that even hardcore fans can appreciate, although they will find the standard of opposition is generally lower, while the monetisation in its current form is far from the gouging monstrosity some may have anticipated.
EA says the game will run on an "average spec" PC, but will require a broadband Internet connection. "Brazil and Russia are priority markets for EA Sports and especially our FIFA brand. We are excited to bring to these markets a custom-built, free-to-play PC experience developed around FIFA Ultimate Team,”"said EA Sports senior vice president Matt Bilbey in a statement. EA's soccer series exists in another free-to-play form in Korea, as FIFA Online 3. EA is currently working to bring FIFA Online 3 for mainland China and Southeast Asia.
Before the new game engine makes its way into FIFA World, fans can expect a number of updates. In the coming weeks we will add video sharing, which will allow fans to save and upload their goal replays directly to YouTube. Later in September, we will update rosters, add new kits, boots and club badges, as well as the Turkish Super Lig. We also announced that, when we upgrade to the new engine, you will keep your players, items, coins and squads. Stay tuned on Facebook and Twitter, we will be releasing more information on the new engine in the coming months.
We can also see the game advertised by EA on Twitter and by individual clubs such as Liverpool FC, so FIFA World 9.0 is getting a big push at the moment. Unfortunately though, it looks like some who have already installed the update are running into a few problems. We have spotted this thread over at EA Support, which complaints that FIFA World is crashing after installing the 9.0 update. How is your experience with FIFA World at the moment – have you installed the 9.0 update yet? Built to be enjoyed on average spec laptop or desktop personal computers, everyone can now enjoy a fun, free and authentic football game. EA SPORTS FIFA World is available in English, German, French, Russian, Spanish, MX Spanish, BR Portuguese, Polish and Turkish. This is your opportunity to influence the development of a new FIFA!
