FIFA 21 is highly anticipated by soccer fans but it has a difficult task upon release. While the FIFA 21 has the licenses to the vast majority of players and teams which has helped it become the dominant soccer franchise, it has also faced a huge amount of criticism in recent years. Some players feel that the career mode of FIFA has been disappointing and others have cited issues with the online servers. The latest game may be able to rectify previous bad press, but players will be disappointed to find out that they will not be able to enjoy online content across platforms.
The next iteration of FIFA 21 has looked to make significant changes to the franchise, which has been criticized for a lack of innovation between installments. FIFA 21 is taking steps to limit toxic behavior and it also seems to be making gameplay alterations that will get rid of some of the annoying elements that fans of the franchise will be familiar with. However, if players wish to share the new experience with friends they will have to do so on the same console.
Through its direct communication Twitter account FIFA 21 announced that there would be no crossplay functionality of any kind in the game including generation cross-play. This means that PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 players will not be able to join the game together. This will disappoint players as it will be difficult to align with fans in terms of what console to play on and purchase. Furthermore, with the server issues that have impacted FIFA games in the past, this decision may negatively impact the endeavors of the game to be considered a competitive esport title.
The tweet notes that the upgrade offer, which allows for FIFA 21 to be changed to the next-generation version for free, will carry over the data but some fans may not want to jump to the next console if it limits who they can play with. It will be interesting to see if this decision impacts sales or whether players will be happy playing with other fans with the same console. There have already been calls to boycott FIFA 21 and while decisions like this won't help the franchise, it is unlikely that it will significantly damage its reputation.
Many will want to see the changes that have been made in FIFA 21, but what console players decide to pick up the title for will now need some careful deliberation if fans want to enjoy the game with fans.
FIFA 21 will release on October 9th for PC, PS4, and Xbox One and is also in development for PS5, Stadia, and Xbox Series X.