EA FC 27 Reportedly Goes Open-World, Takes Shot at Netflix’s Free FIFA

EA is reportedly set to shake things up in a major way with the launch of its next entry, EA Sports FC 27.

It’s been an interesting couple of years for the franchise after EA parted ways with FIFA almost four years ago.

Admittedly, EA Sports FC 24 didn’t exactly differ all that much from the previous year’s FIFA 23.

The change in branding aside, EA Sports FC 24 offered subtle changes in the way of a new motion capture animation system, additional special abilities, and new Career Mode training plans to name just a few.

I’d argue that we’d have seen these changes had the game just been FIFA 24; each new year’s entry attempts to update the formula.

Finally though, it looks as if EA is set to do something quite radical that could set EA Sports FC 27 apart from its preceding entries.

According to insider and leaker FutSheriff, EA Sports FC 27 is set to be an open-world game and will be titled as FC The Ground.

If you want to see more from GAMINGbible, make us a preferred source on Google.

Before we go any further, I do have to urge you to take this with a pinch of salt until the nature of the game is confirmed by EA.

That shouldn’t stop us, however, from enjoying some speculation, and I’m kind of on board with what EA Sports FC 27, or The Ground, could be offering.

The football game formula is repetitive for a reason. It works. There’s no real need to change it year upon year.

I wouldn’t say that should mean change is unnecessary though. Variety is the spice of life, after all, and The Ground’s supposed open-world could provide a nice alternative.

EA Sports FC 26, Credit / Electronic Arts

It’s not as if last year’s EA Sports FC 26 is going to become unplayable if you prefer the more traditional approach.

Admittedly, I’m more inclined to believe that The Ground could be an open-world mode as opposed to the format of the entire game, but that’s merely a guess on my part.

I’m thinking of what we’ve seen 2K Games do with its own sports franchises. NBA 2K, for example, has The City which sounds akin to what The Ground might offer.

There’s very little to go on at this stage and with EA not typically revealing its yearly EA Sports entry until late spring or early summer, we could be waiting a while for official confirmation.

Is The Open-World Formula Set To Rival Netflix’s Free FIFA Game?

Don’t forget that FIFA will soon be returning to gaming.

In December, Netflix Games announced that it had partnered with FIFA to develop a new game that’ll be free for all subscribers. It’s due to land in time for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The exact nature of the game hasn’t been divulged, although Netflix Games president Alain Tascan explained that it would “bring football back to its roots with something everyone can play with just the touch of a button”.

FIFA holds a lot of nostalgic loyalty for a lot of football gaming fans. It doesn’t feel like mere coincidence that this is the year that EA finally decides to be bold and shake-up its formula.