EA Sports is revving up to release its second association football sim since parting ways with FIFA, and things are looking bright. Without the burden of the World Cup license, the new EA FC franchise can focus on innovation, and market conditions are unlikely to see any serious competitors emerge in the near future.

Pre-ordering the Ultimate Edition of EA Sports FC 25 gets you early access, a $100 investment that nets you the game several days ahead of the standard edition's September 27 release. The price difference? A whopping $30. So, what's in store for fans of the series?

The sequel boasts several gameplay enhancements and new modes to get excited about. The revamped AI system promises more realistic matches, and a new rush mode enables co-op play in 5v5 games. But the real game-changer is the introduction of fully-featured career modes for female players. For the first time, users can manage a player or team in one of five top-ranked women's leagues, building on EA's efforts to integrate female players.

Later this year, Live Strat Points will link players' careers with real-world matches during the 2024/2025 season, allowing for a more immersive experience. The system requirements remain modest, unchanged from the last two entries. EA recommends 12 GB of RAM and either an AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT or Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti. Storage space? A whopping 100 GB.

However, early-access players on Steam have reported issues with controller support, dragging the game's Steam review rating down to "Mixed." EA has responded with a workaround guide, assuring players that the company is actively investigating the problem.

Despite EA's split from FIFA, rumors of a competitor on the horizon seem to be just that – rumors. 2K Games had reportedly secured a deal to develop FIFA 2K25, but Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick denied these reports, explaining that licensing for association football is a complex beast. With many regional leagues to navigate and only one license can't grant access to all, EA's got a solid grip on the market.

Kicking Off a New Era: EA Sports FC 25 Lands Early Access

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