The 2020-21 season is now over and that means anticipation of a new EA Sports FIFA game is building
EA Sports' FIFA titles are among the most popular video games in the world and certainly the biggest franchise when it comes to football simulation.
Its Ultimate Team mode has developed into the chief attraction for many gamers, but there is so much more that appeals, with cutting edge gameplay, not to mention plenty of official teams and competitions.
The Covid-19 global pandemic impacted the rollout of FIFA 21, but the games development industry has adjusted accordingly and it proved to be one of the most successful titles yet.
However, the season is over and that means fans are wondering about FIFA 22...
Will there be a FIFA 22?
FIFA 22 is expected to materialise in some form in 2021, with EA CEO Andrew Wilson effectively confirming that a new game is on the way
"All of our new EA Sports games are designed for next-gen console platforms including FIFA, Madden, NHL and EA Sports PGA Tour," Wilson said during an EA conference call in May.
The resounding success of FIFA titles was noted by Wilson in the same call and taking that into account it is easy to see why EA would be keen to continue the cultivation of that particular franchise.
Indeed, the games publisher chief explained that they would "build on that strength with a massive year of innovation and expansion".
When will FIFA 22 be announced?
EA Sports announced FIFA 21 at its EA Play event and it is possible that the games behemoth could do the same for FIFA 22.
This year, EA Play is scheduled for July 22, 2021.
However, there is also a distinct possibility that FIFA 22 could be announced earlier than that, at the E3 event, which is running from June 12, 2021 until June 15.
One potential approach could be for EA to whet appetites with a teaser trailer at E3 before having a proper launch, with all the adornments, at their own EA Play event in July.
That way of handling it has actually been hinted at by EA's CEO Andrew Wilson, who, in May, said: "You’ll hear a lot from our build in June and we'll kind of ramp-up to that July.”
Which consoles will FIFA 22 be available on?
As noted by EA chiefs, FIFA 22 is being built for next-generation consoles like the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series-X/S, so it will be interesting to see how graphics and gameplay are affected.
It is expected that the game will also be available to play on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, as well as on PC.
FIFA 21 became available to play on Google Stadia from March 2021, but it is not clear how, if at all, FIFA 22 will be rolled out for the platform.
It also remains to be seen if FIFA 22 will be a playable title on Nintendo Switch, with recent iterations of the game being little more than a legacy game with a lick of paint applied.