[Preview] FIFA Online


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Football is big business. Massive business. Insanely hugely immense business. This summer?s World Cup will be the most watched sporting event ever, with more than 1 in every 6 people on Earth expected to watch a game.

EA is well aware of this. The problem for EA is how do you capitalise on the second largest fanbase on the planet (fans of the film Aliens obviously being the largest) outside of cringe-worthy adverts with Pele selling Viagra? This is especially the case as only a small fraction of those fans are currently engaged by any sort of football video game. FIFA 10 might have been a cash inhaling success on both Xbox 360 and PS3, but in comparison to the total number of football fans around the world, the multi-million sales figures look tame. EA hopes the answer is FIFA Online, and we have to give them credit for what looks to be an ambitious new venture.

FIFA is nothing like EA?s other recently launch free-to-play sports franchise Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online which is entirely browser based; instead, the concept is similar to that of last year?s free-to-play Battlefield Heroes, with players downloading client software - currently weighing in at roughly 1GB - and then connecting to the service from their home systems. A similar game has already been successfully deployed in Asia, where the localised version of FIFA Online has been available for sometime.

Once connected, players then compete against each other in a game of traditional foot-the-ball in matches varying in length depending on how long you want to play, earning experience with which you can improve your squad. The game also allows for drop in, drop out style gameplay while also providing consistent game rewards. Think of it like your typical MMO, with a consistent experience and rewards approach to multiplayer, only with footballs and fouls instead of DPS and raiding.

EA isn?t a charity though, so there is, of course, a business model attached to this entirely free to play game. As with Battlefield Heroes players will be able to pay real money for a leg up in the game, with experience accelerators and temporary kit upgrades allowing those who are willing to pay to advance quicker. However, when we spoke to FIFA Online Producer Adrian Blunt, he assured us that his team was wary of the imbalance issues that have become an issue in BF: Heroes due to pay for play upgrades, and will be looking to make sure that those who pay don?t receive an overpowered advantage.

We?d be surprised if micro-transactions were the only source of revenue for FIFA Online though, with a football game coming readymade for non-invasive in game advertising via in-game pitchside billboards. This has already been tried to a limited extent with the Football Manager series and we?d be frankly amazed if EA weren?t to further capitalise on what could be millions of games played weekly.

One benefit of the weighty 1GB client is that EA has been able to use a fully featured version of the FIFA 10 PC engine, using the same texture assets from the Xbox360 and PS3 versions of FIFA 10. This isn?t as good news as it might sound though, as the PC engine has little in common with the one used in the well received console versions of the game and was one of the main issues that FIFA 10 was so poorly received on PC.

The use of the poorer PC engine rather than the far superior one in use on the Xbox 360 and PS3 though does mean that FIFA Online will have some very low hardware requirements ? an essential requirement for a game hoping to tap into an a new mass market. While there are no concrete minimum requirements yet it was hinted to us that the game will be playable on even integrated graphics, although this will obviously come at the loss of a lot of the visual detail.

There is a fully re-tooled control system though, with the production team keen to remove many of the complex controls that have discouraged more casual players away from football games. Instead of the array of control for pass, shoot, tackle, through ball, lob, cross and the rest, the game can be controlled just with the mouse. Moving the mouse causes the currently selected player to move, moving further will mean he?ll run faster, and then passing, shooting and crossing are all done via an assisted point and click system.

EA is taking the game extremely seriously though, and ahead of a planned launch in August this year (just in time for the new football season, fancy that) will be running numerous beta tests, starting with a closed beta that you can sign up for right now. A wider reaching open beta will follow in June (just in time for the World Cup, as timing would have it) so there?ll be plenty of time for EA to tweak and change the game to suit the user base, a process that its indicated won?t stop once the game is officially released.

What?s perhaps surprising though is that EA still plans to continue developing the FIFA series, including FIFA World Cup 2010 and FIFA 11 on PC alongside FIFA Online. It?s clear then that EA sees FIFA Online as a separate entity to its yearly FIFA iterations, with a very different, more casual user base. Whether there?s enough in FIFA Online to get uninitiated football fans off their sofa and in front of their PCs though remains to be seen. We?ll report back once we?ve had some time with the various beta tests later in the spring.

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