EA's Peter Moore Insists FIFA Switch Is "Custom Built" Following Last-Gen Engine Rumour

It will probably be based on the PS3 version, but custom built to exclude Ultimate Team!

It probably started off with the PS3 but as they became more familiar with the hardware started improving it drastically. That is what I would do. Make sure the game flows perfectly and improve from there.

The WiiU Fifa was a port of the PS3/Xbox360 Build and it was absolute trash. I bought two copies of the game because I thought the first one was defective, and actually both copies were defective, they would crash mid game, everytime. UNPLAYABLE.... this FIFA better not be a port of PS3/Xbox360

After all the gumf with their 'unprecedented partnership' and how little that meant, in this case I think seeing will be believing.

"Let me help you here Peter Moore........the FIFA experience is the
CUSTOMARY BUILD for the Nintendo Switch"

At least we're getting a football game I guess...

...admit it, who would prefer Mario Strikers?

@djtwenty9 I also have the Wii U FIFA, and it's actually rather good. Just a shame they abandoned the console.

So, so important that we get a full version this time around. FIFA is a system seller for so many casual gamers.

Well a lot of it depends on whether they can make Frostbite work on the Switch. That by itself would be significant since they use this engine for most of their games nowadays. But I can kind of sense that custom built means something else, along the lines of what they did with the All-Play series, which will be disappointing.

When you look at breath of the wild running the Switch can easily handle ea sports games. There's no reason for ea sports to look as good.
Now make NHL for Switch please

"Would you rather have a ultra smooth 60 fps FIFA experience, build on the xbox360 / PS3 foundation?
...or a super buggy and slow 30 fps FIFA experience build on X1 / PS4 foundation?"

I really do not care, as long as the game runs great, and have all the necessary features.

Switch will have a custom build, but EA will have to chose witch foundation they think will work the best on the Switch hardware.

@Damo You're right, the bigger problem was that Wii U version wasn't actually FIFA 13 it was instead basically FIFA 12 with the current season roster.

I refused to buy FIFA 13.It was already 2 years old by the time I got my Wii U and the fact it wasn't even really 13 anyway was enough for me.I did play the demo though and it was really rough.If this new one is based on that same engine I'll be having nothing to do with it.

EA is unprecedentedly supporting Switch with a FIFA release, just like they did for Wii U, Vita, and N-Gage! So it is not such a special level of support here yet.

I hated on EA, but the FIFA for WiiU was good. I liked it. I didn't have any problems with the game, but I don't nitpick so maybe that is me.
I don't care what EA did in the past. I want Nintendo to be successful. If EA comes out with decent games, I will get them. Maybe they can release the Ultimas for NES on VC.
I say we give them a chance and reboot.

@olrodlegacy Did you have the digital copy or physical? I have two physical copies, and they both crash about 10 minutes into a game.

@Damo No, I don't think they were.

@djtwenty9 Physical. Occasionally crashes on the load screen, but very very rarely once I'm beyond that. I've found that has happened with FIFA going back as far as the Gamecube.

@olrodlegacy How weird, ya I love Fifa and was bummed that the game did that to me.

LOL must say it, it was pretty cool how Moore called him out.

Hey, Peter, nobody wants custom-built FIFA, people want the actual PS4/Xbox One Equivalent!

Even if they use a Custom Build, the ideal scenario would be that they release FIFA 18 on launch day alongside XOne/PS4 versions - those two have more focus on shiny graphics, the Switch has more focus on local multiplayer everywhere due to the Joycons and ALL versions have online.

In reality, we'll get a gimped version of FIFA 17. After all, we're talking about EA.

If we do get FIFA 18 as I said, I'm fully ready to eat crow and to be pleasantly surprised, though.

Remember Tom Phillips also said Zelda would not be ready for launch. Having bought Fifa 13 at the Wii launch which was actually a version of fifa 12 without the at the time current features that fifa 13 on xbox360 and ps3 had I would be dissapointed for a similar thing to happen again. At that time EA said that fifa 14 on Wii u would be the same as the other versions but then we never ended up getting it. I'm hopeful but will wait and see.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5CVsCnxyXg

@TheDavyStar Then you'll need PS4/Xbox One equivilant hardware

Seems to me the Switch really is unique from a technical point of view, even through it's not got the same raw power as the XboxOne... it is still producing graphics in native 1080p/60fps. Something the XboxOne has some problems with. Seems Nintendo is making maximum use of it's unique memory setup.

I wouldn't be surprised if EA took the PS4/XboxOne version of the game & simplified the in-game models & implemented some "joycon friendly" game modes.

Can switch run frostbite ?

@Antray1984 is Frostbite scalable? That's probably the question that needs asking.

It's football, that is to say the graphics don't matter especially as the greatest football game of all time: Sensible World of Soccer, has tiny pixelated men compared to realistic scans of Diego Costa

Look, I'm not a sports game fan.

But if someone likes FIFA and wants it on the go, there's no better option. Sure it'll look gorgeous on that 6" screen

If you are buying fifa switch it is so you can play full on fifa on the train etc. So gfx on faces and how high resolution the grass is don't matter. But if frostbite is not scalable then the modes that use it like the journey won't port over which is more of a concern. The on the go motive is the real make or break I imagine

The most important thing here is that its a proper fifa 18 and it comes out on the same day as PS4/XB1 with all of the same game modes.

If that happens I'll absolutely buy it,haven't bought a FIFA in yrs because the nintendo versions have been rubbish, this could be my first in a long time

Well it depends what they do as i suspect that EA will likely have Fifa 17 at launch. If they do that i would not be surprised if they do end up stop making games for the switch or they could surprise me and do what 2k is doing.

Just need to have the mechanics and physics working properly and on a 60FPS. No one use a camera on the first person or third person perpective to need Photo realism.

"power gap which exists between Switch and rival machines like the PS4 and Xbox One". Wrong writing here, since you neither anybody, not related on develoment (hard and software wise), knows what Switch can do.

Custom built is a cop out. Of course it will not be ps4 quality... Custom does not necessarily mean a good thing.

This system isn't "that" under powered. Its already more powerful than Wii U which was capable of better lighting and textures compared to PS3/360.

We also know it's using a custom chip with what's believed to be pascal graphics which should offer similar visuals to the Xbone/PS4 with a we less bells and whistles or less AA etc.

Let's wait and see. If they then produce a clone of the previous gen system - chuck our toys out of the play pen.

Cause the Wii and Wii U versions of Fifa was really technical.

As long as there is roster parity to the current versions and it runs smoothly, I really don't care. I'll buy it. You see any other soccer games heading to NS? (cough PES, where are you cough) Here is hoping we get FIFA18.

EA doesn't seem to understand how to make a compelling game for a Nintendo system. They haven't made a good sports title for Nintendo since GameCube. Maybe I'm wrong and this will be a good effort. EA should have been focusing on porting Garden Warfare 2 for launch.

If the switch could run the frostbite engine ea would have made a point of it at the presentation. So it's obviously going to be a step down from current gen, hopefully not too far down.

It's based off the wii version of whatever fifa it got.😂😂
Nothing on the switch looked mind blowing. So I'm starting to belive all those rumors of it being weaker then current generation systems. How nintendo do you manage to make another underpowered system? How?

With a console that is more powerful than the Wii U, which in and of itself was already more powerful than the Xbox360 and PS3, it would be an absolute disgrace to have a version of Fifa on the Switch that is based off of that generation of consoles, so I'm expecting the current version with less bells and whistles, slight degradation in graphics, and some console specific features.

If we can "feel" ice cubes in a glass, feeling the kick of the ball or the grass while sliding across the field should be easy as pie...

@Damo good observation. If its good enough I will get it so that EA can start being stingy and cautious lol.

As long as it's got PS4 content and features I couldn't care less about Graphics.

i don't play sports games but for people who do i think it's worrying that it's called fifa and not simply fifa 2018 or whatever like everywhere else.

What kind of power gap are we talking about here? Do we really even know what the difference is, or are you just saying that?

I know I'll be picking it up day one when it comes out because I miss Fifa and other sports games on Nintendo platforms. Also I think it'll be based off the PS4 version but with less bells and whistles like others have stated. If you want Fifa to stay on Switch for years to come, I would buy it.

@OzHuski most reports I've seen indicated this will be using the Maxwell graphics and not the Pascal. I don't recall hearing differently since those reports.

I've never been a big fan of EA outside of their SSX games, but I think that if the Switch can run Unreal Engine 4 and Cryengine, then it should be able to run Frostbite. Then again, according to Armature Studios, even the Wii U and PSVita can run UE4.

Speaking of sports games, though, I'd much rather see what 2K Sports has to offer the Switch as I've been a huge fan of their football (American) games since the Dreamcast. Might even pick up their NBA game for the Switch. Does 2K Sports still make NCAA college football games?

Well we had Fifa on Wii u. Once but never got one twice.
I imagine a special build would be to create one Fifa title that can last the life time of the console so not to ever need make one again.

To be fair I'd prefer virtual striker from Sega!

Wow! Most immersive, social(yuck), and authentic. Is it fun? As for it being custom, that's pretty meaningless without context. For example, Nintendo's custom Tegra chip sounds like a downclocked X1. It's quite easy to refer to an older game engine on the switch as custom. It's using ARM CPUs and has some unique features other systems don't have. Anything running on it can be called custom.

All FIFA games are "custom built" for their intended platform. This just sounds like public relations BS suggesting that we'll be getting another gypped version a la FIFA 13 on Wii U. I would consider this one a little more seriously due to the portability and local multiplayer that will be unlike what is available on the other platforms, but I'm not happy with EA's constant reluctance to give Nintendo a comparable experience to that on other platforms.

What exactly is the power gap since everyone on all these sites seem to know but me! What is the power gap facts?

If I was a FIFA fan, I think I'd want the one I could play with the least hassle and set up when I go to gathering with some other FIFA fans.

Honestly, sports games should do well on Switch and they don't need to look completely amazing either. Most of them will be played on the smaller screens maybe on a couple Switches as it catches on. Probably not next to a field right after playing real game like in the original promo, but I can totally imagine this sort of thing at a sports gathering to watch a game at a friend's house. The TV will be taken but that just makes it a better match for the Switch.

Seems a bit of an untapped sweet spot but probably Nintendo blew a wad of cash on EA just to get this made.

@MrGawain Not me, I'll take FIFA over Strikers any day of the week. FIFA 17 is awesome! Sometimes when I play it, I end up messing around with Ultimate Team more then I do actually playing the game. Once I do play an actual game, I find that it controls spot-on.

@Ryu_Niiyama have started a discussion board on ea sports forums to test interestbfor NHL on Nintendo Switch. If you are interested, register your interest in the forum and spread the word tonfellow NHLers. See what happens.

https://forums.ea.com/en/discussion/90217/ea-sports-nhl-on-nintendo-switch/p1?new=1

I think EA is going for a ground up rather than a port.

I would love to get a real version so i can sell my ps4, Pes is my favorite game but if FIFA (18?) is great then nba is great is bye PS4, sadly I'm sure ill be disappointed or they would already have shown some footage...