Electronic Arts Inc EA is defending a controversial decision to allow male and female soccer players to play together in "FC 24" Ultimate Team mode — a feature in their first post-FIFA soccer game.
What Happened: In this new feature of the game, women players will not be at a disadvantage and will compete on equal terms with men, based on their attributes, height, and weight.
Some FIFA fans have criticized this move, claiming it's unrealistic and not authentic. However, EA Sports believes it can play a crucial role in promoting women's soccer and uniting fans worldwide.
Ultimate Team is a "fantasy mode" where players can create teams of players who would never play together in real life, the developers said.
"It's something we really thought deeply about... We feel we can play a really important role in the growth of that sport [women's soccer] in introducing it to all of our fans," EA vice president and executive producer John Shepherd said told IGN. "We just have this conviction that we believe we want to unite the world around football."
EA Sports has also implemented new tech and services to combat online toxic behavior in the game. A team within EA is "fully-focused on toxicity" and "make sure it is a safe environment for everybody."
There will also be "new services" to help EA monitor names, Shepherd explained.
Separately, EA Sports praised "FC 24" on Nintendo Switch, running on Frostbite Engine and offering expanded features: "It was a collaboration not just with FC, but across EA. We had to get a lot of Frostbite support to get everything working on Switch. It’s a huge achievement, honestly," he said.
According to the developer, the game is comparable to PS4 and Xbox One versions, although it is excluded from crossplay pools.
"FC 24" launches on Sept. 29 for various platforms, including the Switch from Nintendo ADR NTDOY.
Read Next: Electronic Arts Divides Into EA Entertainment And EA Sports In Restructuring Effort
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