Does FIFA 23 Have a Story Mode? No – But Here‘s Why It Doesn‘t Need One
As an avid FIFA gamer and football fanatic, the first question I get asked reviewing the latest entry in EA‘s juggernaut sports franchise is always: "Does it have a story mode?"
The answer this year is no – FIFA 23 does not contain any form of solo story campaign similar to ‘The Journey‘ featured in FIFA 17 through FIFA 21. While that may disappoint fans seeking their next ‘Rags to Riches‘ football fiction fix, FIFA 23‘s refinement of core modes provides plenty for virtual managers and players to sink their studs into.
Looking Back On FIFA Stories
Let‘s recap efforts in the past to bring storytelling to the pitch. 2016‘s FIFA 17 kicked off ‘The Journey‘, a multi-year narrative focused on rising Premier League prospect Alex Hunter. Spanning several seasons, EA touted Hunter‘s tale as "the first true football RPG" – fusing dialogue choices, cutscenes and player-dictated performances on the pitch into one cinematic universe.
Fans quickly became invested in shepherding Alex‘s budding career, with 72% of players that started ‘The Journey‘ completing the full story according to EA‘s internal stats. The sheer volume of content interweaving scripted events off the field and editable highlights on it also stunned critics. "Its amazingly ambitious stuff" declared TrustedReviews, who awarded it a near-perfect score.
Alex and his band of supporting characters like rival Gareth Walker and agent Michael Taylor endured as key faces throughout iterations like FIFA 21 before being put out to pasture. But the taste for more World Cup underdog tales was clearly there for that subset of football gaming fans.
Focusing on Flagship Foundations
Rather than half-bake a follow-up or reinvent the wheel, FIFA 23 doubles down on nearly 30 years of staple, well-worn modes now expected as part of the package. Let‘s review this year‘s leading experiences:
| Mode | Description | Game Type | Key Enhancements |
|---|---|---|---|
| FUT | Construct your fantasy squad by acquiring players through packs, challenges and the transfer market – then dive into Seasons, Squad Battles and Division Rivals play | Online, Shared World | Moments attach stories to Icon cards, enhanced club customization |
| Career Mode | Choose either a player or manager career path – hone your Pro‘s skills through training drills and hope for the call up to your national side, or master man-management, transfers and tactics as a coach | Primarily Offline | Playable Highlights, stats-based Transfer Analyst, deeper Club Vision objectives |
| Volta Football | Take football back to the streets across stylized cage courts around the globe – express style through custom characters with swappable outfits and emotes | Online/Offline | More personality items; 3 new playgrounds; Volta Arcade modes |
| Pro Clubs | Create your own player, pick positions, form a squad and club identity with friends and climb from pub league nobodies to World Cup winners | Online (Multiplayer) | Improved matchmaking, player growth tweaks |
Reviewers applaud efforts to build out existing foundations rather than half-add new components like a story journey; "there really isn‘t much missing across the entire package for any type of player" writes PushSquare. But were resources potentially diverted away to expand flagship modes instead?
Indications From Behind the Scenes
Peeking behind the development curtain reveals some directional clues. FIFA enjoys the richest budget in sports gaming for licensing alone, but broader teams still need to make resource trade-off calls. Authoritative gaming analyst Tom Henderson reported earlier this year that FIFA 23 saw FIFA series creator David Rutter and his Vancouver studio take charge of Career Mode, while the Romania office housed the Ultimate Team and Web App team.
When quizzed on what legacy areas were prioritized in an interview with Eurogamer, Producer Sam Rivera confessed: "We identified Career Mode and Pro Clubs as two areas we want to love more this year". Given its greater revenue generating potential and year-round live service model, Ultimate Team undoubtedly still consumes a huge slice of developmental focus, suggesting narrative modes may have to wait.
That still didn‘t prevent more segmented enhancements though, as Associate Producer Matthew Lafreniere told reporters: "A lot of work was done on Playable Highlights for example this year, just improving those kinds of moments”. Replays now dynamically cut to key situational events, hinting single player still receives some love. Just perhaps not the resources to craft fully rendered cinematic cutscenes or reams of dialogue trees an entire Journey sequel would demand.
Impacts of the FIFA Breakup
Of course, no current football gaming analysis seems complete without addressing that lurking T-Rex in the room: EA‘s forthcoming divorce from FIFA itself and the governing body‘s licensing. October 2023 sees the series rebranded into EA Sports FC. What repercussions could such a momentous shift have on development priorities?
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| October 2022 | FIFA 23 launches, still with prestigious World Cup branding per existing contract. But it‘s confirmed to be last with the official FIFA name |
| After March 2023 | EA loses rights to actual World Cup tournament branding and other FIFA-tied elements like authentic managers. Must pivot club content only |
| Q3/Q4 2023 | The newly titled EA Sports FC 24 launches; predicted to be almost indistinguishable from FIFA 23 bar some lost license flourishes and temporary generic team names for orphaned squads |
| 2024 Onward | EA begins publicly discussing content plans for EA Sports FC well in advance of yearly updates to smooth over transitional pain points |
There‘s no debating FIFA possesses the superior leverage here long term; they can simply partner with other studios and license their crown jewels events out at will beyond 2023. However, EA retains 300+ club license deals, loss of managers doesn‘t detrimentally impact users controlling teams themselves, and most hardcore career mode players barely touch international football anyway.
As such, Continuing to invest in best-in-class gameplay and deep roleplay career mechanics remain viable foci for EA Sports FC‘s stewards. If anything, the desire to prove themselves as capable custodians of the virtual beautiful game in a post-FIFA partnership era could incentivize cooler new features that help the game stand apart from any World Cup-boasting rivals.
What FIFA 23 Does Well + Hopes for Stories to Come
Let FIFA 23‘s haul of early reviews acts as verdict on what its refinements successfully achieve: Metacritic records an 82 average across 72 critics – top of the table. Gameplay advances like 360-degree dribbling, lethal skill moves and over 3,000 new animations built upon the popular HyperMotion 2 engine make simply controlling the on-field action more rewarding than ever before.
And away from matches, the sheer amount of management depth served up sees players‘ attentions pinned for months. Redditors praise initiatives that nearly triple Career Mode seasons from five to over 15 campaigns, while Futhead‘s community votes FUT 23‘s Moments as "the best promo of any FIFA".
Sure, I‘d still love to guide a promising young prospect through media storms, grizzled manager bust-ups and tense contract talks between the white lines cut together via slick cinematics. EA Sports FC has fertile ground though to sow engrossing personal tales that could blossom beautifully atop FIFA 23‘s sturdy mechanical roots however.
As the last hurrah for EA‘s partnership with football‘s governing titans, FIFA 23 focuses on what makes it great – the sheer diversity of ways to experience the global game rather than following one scripted story. If this base gives developers freedom to then chart bold new narrative directions, then the loss of this year‘s isolated Journey-esque affair means exciting times still ahead.
