EA Sports FC’s Rival Is Here – Now It’s Time for This EA Franchise to Get Replaced Too

Back in the late ’90s and early 2000s, there was a good variety of sports games. Over the years, whether due to exclusivity deals, or certain franchises simply being more successful than others, the landscape has flattened a lot, and we tend to just see the same few games released every year. However, a rival to EA Sports FC 25 has reignited some hope that we may get some genuine competition for massive sports franchises.

With so many conventional sports games now on the market, it’s hard not to long for something like Midway’s outlandish MLB Slugfest or NHL Hitz. Even when sports games weren’t getting as experimental as Midway’s titles, it was still nice to see games like the NFL 2K series serving as a meaningful alternative to games like Madden. I’m hoping the warm reception to this recent game inspires more developers to create new sports franchises.

Rematch Is A Great EA Sports FC Alternative

Rematch Is A Competitive Multiplayer Soccer Game

The football/soccer game Rematch was just released back in June, and it quickly earned high praise. Some players even said it was better than EA Sports FC 25, and also compared it favorably to FIFA games. Rematch is a multiplayer game where you control a single player, and team up with others to compete in quick, small-scale soccer games.

Now there are some major differences between Rematch and the EA Sports FC series. For one, Rematch doesn’t feature real teams or players, so if you’re really set on playing with your favorite FC, then Rematch might not satisfy you. However, if you are looking for an exciting football/soccer game, with arguably better multiplayer mechanics, Rematch is a meaningful alternative.

You get a much stronger sense of teamwork in a game like Rematch when each player on your team is another real person. This also allows you to pull off some exciting moves that would be hard to coordinate with AI players. After seeing a novel and seemingly successful competitor to an EA Sports title, I can’t help but wish another of their longstanding franchises gets challenged next.

Madden NFL Is In Major Need Of A Real Competitor

Madden NFL Is Too Comfortable In Its Current State

EA Sports’ Madden NFL franchise is in a serious rut. Madden NFL 26‘s game modes are the same as last year’s, and it’s hard to get excited about paying $70 just to get new rosters and maybe a slight graphics update. However, without a meaningful competitor, EA Sports doesn’t really have a need to innovate.

Related

Let’s Face It, Madden NFL 26’s Player Ratings Don’t Really Matter

Madden NFL 26 player ratings are useful for picking players, but don’t really matter, as most players will always use their favorite teams regardless.

Right now, EA has an exclusivity deal with the NFL that has been extended through 2026, according toInsider Gaming. I wouldn’t be terribly surprised if the deal gets extended further, but if it doesn’t, it would be nice to see another company take a crack at making an NFL game, and force Madden to step up their game a bit. Alternatively, we could get something like Rematch that doesn’t use officially licensed teams, but provides a unique enough experience to be a meaningful alternative.

Right now, Madden‘s only real competition is the free-to-play Maximum Football on Steam, which has mixed reactions. The game isn’t terrible for a free game, but it doesn’t offer much that Madden doesn’t already, and I don’t see it being big enough to make EA reconsider their current formula. Like Rematch with EA Sports FC 25, I’d love to see a new football game that some players say is better than Madden, to force EA to make some meaningful changes to their stale formula.

Source: Insider Gaming

EA Sports FC 25

Systems

8/10

Released

September 27, 2024

ESRB

Everyone // Alcohol And Tobacco Reference, Users Interact, In-Game Purchases (Includes Random Items)

Developer(s)

EA Canada, EA Romania

Engine

Frostbite