After its very loud divorce with EA Sports, the international football federation (FIFA) announces its new official video game: FIFA Rivals. It will focus on arcade gameplay, it will be released for mobile phones and it will have nothing to do with EA Sports FC or the dozens of annual installments associated with the brand that have been released so far. What’s more, in addition to having your own players and teams, the idea is that you bid and sell them usando Mythos blockchain. Let’s go in parts.
FIFA Rivals is a football video game with an official license and created under the supervision of the federation whose development is in the hands of Mythical Games with a view to beginning to deploy FIFAewhich is the video game equivalent of real FIFA football. In fact, not having a partner for this year’s scheduled competitions, the federation teamed up with Konami to celebrate the world championship through eFootball. And that brings us to the next question: where did Mythical Games come from?
Among the games from the Los Angeles-based developer we can find the driving game Nitro Nation World Tour and the equivalent of FIFA Rivals to American football now available NFL Rivals, as well as two more titles that will arrive in 2025. However, what is truly illustrative is that Mythical Games has its own platform (The Mythical Platform) with which publishers and developers can “easily integrate a secondary economy into their games.” Things get complicated.
The new FIFA will not be like those of EA Sports
How will The Mythical Platform be implemented in the next FIFA? As announced by the federation, in FIFA Rivalsthe objective of the game is to create and manage our own soccer club, being able to use our teams against other players in a game that will be arcade style. And although it will come free to iOS and Android and will include purchases, the key is that the soccer stars that will define the value of our club and our success in the stadium are obtained with Mythos blockchain.
Through Mythical Games’ own platform, the idea is that players use this technology to own, buy, sell and exchange footballers using Mythical Games as currency. A system similar to the EA Sports FC Transfer Market? Well, we’ll have to see it better. What we know is only what the founder and CEO of the developer John Linden clarifies in his own statement.
“Our goal is to replicate our success with [NFL Rivals] and set new benchmarks in the web3 gaming sector.
The combination of officially licensed soccer stars (past and present), prestigious clubs from around the world and globally competitive eSports gameplay will take sports gameplay to a new level.
Through this long-term partnership with FIFA, there are significant plans to integrate into FIFA’s esports platform to give gamers from all countries the chance to become participants or fans.”
Although we don’t have a first look at the gameplay yet or how it will look on screen, we know that the idea, in addition to selling and buying players, is to create, level up and improve the lineups we make with the aim of competing in real time. . That said, Mythical Games’ announcement ensures that players will be put “first.”
The other reality, however, is that neither events nor a qualifying or matchmaking system have been announced. We do not know if the arcade style will be conducive to the creation of a truly competitive game and, by extension, to the true interest of FIFA: the true takeoff of FIFAe.
Is this the promised best soccer game?
“Mythical Games and FIFA will bring 100 million players to web gaming3: FIFA Rivals will take the mobile soccer gaming experience to the next level, putting players first. Officially licensed soccer stars (past and present) ) and prestigious clubs”
In May 2024, the president of the federation assured that FIFA would return with the intention of continuing to be the best soccer video game. Did those words refer to FIFA Rivals? Not necessarily. In fact, Mattias Grafström himself, FIFA Secretary General, assures that this is only the first step towards a larger initiative.
“We are delighted to partner with Mythical Games to launch FIFA Rivals, offering football fans a mobile gaming experience that deepens their connection to the sport. The game is an innovative and accessible addition to our growing gaming and eSports offering” .
Needless to say that FIFA Rivals enters a field in which not only is there enormous competitiveness, even in the football field, but it will also have to be measured against the two great references: EA Sports FC Mobile itself and a eFootball from Konami that took a brave step by betting on a shared cross-platform experience on PCs and consoles. And both are free too.
Release plans are unknown. FIFA Rivals or how it will look compared to other alternatives with more experience, but one thing is clear: time is running out on the football federation in order to strengthen its own video game division, and if we have learned anything from this industry it is that the Hurries are not good advisors.
That said, we will only be able to comment on the outcome when we have the game in our hands. See its playable aspirations, the similarity of the players and if it has really been developed by putting the players first. Whatever happens, at VidaExtra we will be attentive to the evolution of the game.
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