FIFA 18 is Back to Being 'EA Sports FIFA' for Nintendo Switch

Well I hope for all the football fans the game is still good.... is NBA 2k getting the dame Treatment?

FIFA: 13 Turdeen Edition. I've read several times before that it's stated in EA's contract with FIFA that they're obliged to put at least one FIFA game on new consoles. I don't have a source but it's what I've heard. You're not going to see the confidential details of a contract like that. I feel like EA don't like Nintendo, they just go through the motions before moving on. There must be some reason why they halfass games and treat us like dirt. Though Nintendo don't do themselves any favours with weak hardware.

I'd like to see a new golf game. Haven't played one since the Masters Edition on Wii.

I still can't work out what is wrong with that company. Rotten to the core when it comes to supporting Nintendo.

This is gonna be an awful stripped down version.

Who needs EA ?

Nobody gonna buy it.

Day 1 for me

I honestly have a bad feeling about this game , hopefully I'm proven wrong .

If this goes badly, everyone here should deluge EA with criticism emails, tweets, so on. They've treated Nintendo like dirt for far too long. It's like they don't want to make money on the console.

I don't care about FIFA but if the game performs badly on the Switch and EA uses it as an excuse to stop supporting the platform (which is what's going to probably happen) it'll mean that we'll never get any Star Wars game (not necessarily Battlefront but other more appealing to me)... And that will hurt a lot (at least to me)

FIFA-FO-FUM I smell a game that'll be humdrum.

This is probably going to be the only EA title on Switch.

On one hand it's a shame that Nintendo platforms are missing out on EA's library of games, but on the other I doubt many Switch owners will care. There's a lot of bad blood between EA, Nintendo and Nintendo fans over EA's practices and desertion of Nintendo platforms during the last generation. So I think that they wouldn't sell that well anyway.

I'd rather them come out and say they are not supporting Nintendo platforms rather than release farcial versions of games.

If it weren't for the fact that EA own Need for Speed, I wouldn't give a damn what they do anymore.
I'm not much of a sports fan, but I miss the GC days when they made their BIG sports series, those games were fun to play.

Don't even joke about using word "soccer"

Love football,don't give 2 about fifa,just give me Madden.

@olrodlegacy honestly, their poor treatment of nintendon is the least of their issues. They have a history of generally bad business decisions and poor treatment of the studios under their watch.

Pretty sure I've figured out why it isn't called 'FIFA 18' - watch that Japanese commercial above...this game is clearly a FIFA/Dragon Quest cross-over!! ..remember, you heard it here first!

Here's hoping Konami get PES out as well. The Wii versions were actually pretty decent games.

I bet they'll have their team that made the old wii games make this one from that engine and then just update the roster again!! 😂😂

Welp, I guess the game will have overhead view and pixel sprite graphics.

EA ?? Who. Cares.

Why dont they just bite the bullet and release a proper port of FIFA 18 and see what happens? The switch is selling well, I really don't understand. It would be a port, not going to cost a lot in the grand scheme of things TBH.

But this, won't sell, it's not FIFA 18. How do they not know this. All or nothing EA.

@Ebefren The majority of the casual crowd, who pick other consoles over Nintendo because they have FIFA. That's pretty important.

I really want to believe this is going to be a good game in the end. The Switch needs good sports simulators, FIFA is a very strong brand as well. But I agree that not calling it FIFA 18 is pretty much asking for it to fail among the casual buyers who won't recognize this as "the latest FIFA game available"

Nintendo Life Stop being obtuse and ignorant. It is Football, and the world game.

@nhSnork I would actually buy that

I do normally buy Fifa for the PS4 however this year I will be buying the Switch version (unless the reviews closer to the time are terrible of course)

I'd like to do my bit and hopefully the more people who buy it the more it will convince EA and other 3rd Parties to get involved and support the switch properly.

People are sometimes quick to complain about the lack of 3rd party support but if those same people don't bother to buy the games then they are also part of the problem.

At the end of the day EA and other 3rd parties are a business and are there to make money..... If the install base for the switch is big enough and people actually buy the games then they will in turn make more & more switch games which can only be good for everyone.

Back to the same Wii U/Vita cycle.
1: EA tests the waters by releasing a half assed Fifa game.
2: It sells terribly because it's half the game the other versions are
3: EA pull all Switch support because their almost zero effort experiment failed
4: The millions of casual gamers who only buy FIFA and GTA for console see one incomplete Fifa game and no other EA games for Switch, slate it to each other constantly. In Europe and South America where FIFA is consistently the biggest selling series, this is a near guaranteed death blow. US is a bit more secure.
5: Switch sales drop off except for Nintendo and indie fans.

I really hope I'm wrong, obviously, but that's how the gaming market looks these days, in Europe at least, and Wii U and Vita have proved this exact sequence of events twice.

@Marios-love-child great comment 👍🏻

Can't say I'm surprised with this to be honest.

Getting PES would have been better.

I hate EA. So much.

I'm not a huge FIFA fan but it's things like this that ensure I'll never buy a Switch or possibly any Nintendo console again. So sick of scaled down games on Nintendo systems because they won't produce machines with similar hardware to everyone else to keep costs down and be unique.

This is exactly what killed the Wii-U, loss of third party support because nobody wants to buy lite versions of games when they can get the full versions on other systems. Eventually they'll pull third party support on the Switch too when they don't get enough sales because nobody wants this scaled down rubbish. All your left with then is the odd exclusive every year or 2 and I'm not buying a console just for that.

I don't trust EA at all when it comes to supporting Switch.

Mass Effect 3...never forget.

@Ebefren I tend to care about these letters - at least when the letters "NFS" are also in the paragraph.

I also like a lot of EA titles from the past, like the Strike series.

OK, I have a theory. The reason that EA is talking about Fifa Switch, rather than Fifa 18 for the Switch, is because it wants to make the most of the console's architecture. This means it needs to be playable using a single joycon - rather than requiring 64 buttons and seven analogue sticks as it currently seems to on Sony and Microsoft. Maybe EA is also looking into ways to take advantage of the tilt for certain things - perhaps flicking up to send a teammate on a run to beat the offside trap.

Basically, EA treating the Switch differently doesn't need to be a bad thing - we might get a far better game for it. But yes, it WILL be different to the PS4/Xbox versions.

@premko1
Me.
I need EA just only for The Sims 4 or probably My Sims (again?).
EA should release The Sims 4 for Switch as they had released The Sims Mobile for IOs and Android.
If they can make a game like that, Switch need the better version or at least has better gameplay than PC version.

@Krillin Given the fact EA gave up on Nintendo last gen and have NEVER put extra effort into any different version of anything, that's extremely unlikely. I'd love to believe it and if they do what you say I will cheer and buy it but they have a history of half assed ports on lower selling platforms, this is the norm.

Should I do an Encore again ?

I don't want FIFA for Switch
There is just one thing I need
I don't care about Football games
Inside of Nintendo Switch

I just want this game for Switch
More than I could ever know
Make my wish come true
All I want for Switch is The Sims 4 !

All I Want for Christmas is You - Mariah Carey

@RadioHedgeFund

PES 2018 isn't coming. Announced for everything apart from switch.

Worse thing about FIFA is if it sells it gives EA ammo to do the same BS next year.

It's an older game, just watch, lol.

"-all with the unmatched authenticity and depth that FIFA is known for."

... Heh.

Not being a massive fan of EA or of mediocre football games; I still think it's a valuable game to add to the switch catalogue.

It's important to have mainstream games available to all and in truth the switch gameplay options brings something new to the table and EA may surprise us all?

It will unfortunately probably be at best an average 7/10 game (fingers crossed it's better), but it brings value to all of those that wish to play the latest fifa game regardless of title.

The most important thing is the gameplay. Wii U's FIFA 13 had great gameplay and looked just fine to me.

While it would be nice to have all the modes the other console versions have, if what we get is basically a Switch equivalent of the Wii U version, I'll be more than happy. Particularly if they open up the local multiplayer to allow up to 8 players - that would be awesome as a party game.

We only want Nintendo games for our Nintendo systems.
We don't want third party games. Don't give us games ea. we don't want games just Nintendo games

S

@UK-Nintendo
Hey...!
I need some 3rd party games too for Nintendo machines such as The Sims series, Portal Knights, Bokujou Monogatari, Final Fantasy series/spinoff, DDR, Fantasy Life, etc.

More important than anything else to me is how it plays. Of course I would like a more complete version of the game and parity with other platforms but ultimately if it's fun, robust and up to date then I'll be happy in the first instance.

The Vita received "FIFA Football" first which was essentially FIFA 11, minus the FUT update. The subsequent releases were rehashed re-skins with no updates to stats, stadia or even character models and the players had their FIFA 11 their ages!

That's where my issue was with the legacy editions anyway.

Damn its very worrying indeed i wanted ultimate team on the switch version. It sounds like it maybe a upgraded port of the vita version.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE Weak hardware my behind. The Switch could easily run any FIFA game, there's nothing graphic intensive about it. What it comes down to is some underlying issue EA has with Nintendo. And it isn't underpowered hardware that's for sure.

I liked the wii u fifa 13.. the substitutions and formations being able to be toggled whilst in play was a good feature, I preferred it over the ps3 version although I may be in the minority with that, I'm just hoping that it won't be a half arsed effort

They said it would be Fifa 18's engine. It has always been "Fifa for Switch". Their biggest marketing fail for the Wii U version was naming it a numbered version (the wrong number at that). They should of gone with Fifa U or something as the game did have quite a lot of content based around the stylus.

I am not interested in whatever EA poops out with this, Fifa will always be boring to me. But this is just plain excuse to get some hate riling going. Makes for good views and easy bash when comes to EA.

Regardless of whether FIFA on Switch is titled "FIFA 18" or just "EA Sports FIFA", it will be a custom version of the game that is different from the PS4/XBO/PC versions.

Obviously, the Switch version our FIFA will have inferior graphics compared to the PS4/XBO/PC versions. The real question is, will FIFA Ultimate Team and the story mode be present? Also, will EA add in a single JoyCon co-op competitive mode to take advantage of the Switch's local multiplayer capabilities, as that would be an interesting gimmick in case FUT and/or the story mode isn't present?

I have no faith in EA. I'm pessimistic of their dedication to switch. let's get this over with so we can get back to complaining how EA, activision, etc. never support Nintendo.

@Nintendoforlife I've got to disagree there. I think it would be quite a bit of work to get any of EA Sports games running on Switch. I'm not saying it can't be done, but they are designed with the XB1 and PS4 in mind - and comparatively, the Switch is very weak. So I do think it likely boils down to the performance gap between the systems. I'm not saying it isn't possible, but I am thinking EA doesn't feel it is worth the effort at this point. As the Switch install base continues to grow, they may change their tune.

I love Fifa and I hope to god its a decent game in the end if all the speculation. Day 1 for me and the idea of being to play anywhere is a massive draw over other consoles. Saying that if it turns out to be wack will give it a miss on the Switch.

@yeo24k You can't possibly expect Nintendo to somehow cram all the power of a PS4 or XBOne into a small portable form factor, plus sufficient battery. That's ridiculous and unrealistic.

Being different and unique is precisely what keeps Nintendo alive, as they can't subsidize a money-losing game division like Sony and Microsoft can. The Switch is far more-powered than lazy game devs try to make it out to be. They make this crap up as an cop-out excuse to not bother.

@roadrunner343 The point I am making is Frostbite (the engine for Fifa) is indeed compatible with the Xbox 360. Guess which console is more powerful than a Xbox 360? Yes it would take some optimizations, but you can't tell me EA couldn't get the job done. They're just a lazy company that for some reason hates Nintendo.

@Nintendoforlife And that's the part I disagree with. "Lazy"... what does that even mean? They like money. If they thought the effort required to bring games to Switch would be worth it, they would certainly do it. I don't think there is any sort of personal vendetta again Nintendo, it's always about money.

As for Frostbite, engines change and evolve. I highly doubt the current version of Frostbite (To be clear, I am guessing, I don't know enough to say for sure) runs on Xbox 360. And if it does, it would certainly require a lot of customization/tweaks, which is why they don't bring their new games to 360 anymore either.

Will they notice when us American families go on vacation this summer with Switch in tow and leave our PS4/Xboxes at home?

I hope that FIFA ends up selling. We need to realize that even though we may not like it, EA's presence on a console will determine if it could succeed or not. Every time EA has chosen to not support a console (or dropped it early on), the system has failed. See Dreamcast, Vita, and Wii U.

If we lose EA, we will eventually lose all western third-party support that is not niche. It is critical for any Nintendo fan interested in soccer to support this game.

Seriously, given where FIFA, Madden, and all EA Sports games have gone over the past decade....doesn't a special Switch version represent the first actual new EA Sports game since the PS2?

@samuelvictor "Make it a completely unique version, I don't care. But if they don't name it "FIFA 18" then they are very unwise, people will automatically assume a lesser port"

EA doesn't make marketing mistakes of that calibre. If they brand it in a way that it comes across as a lesser port, it's because they explicitly want it to be viewed as a lesser port to marginalize Nintendo's console as unable to run EA's "real" games. EA's strategy becomes clearer each console. If EA pulls that and it doesn't backfire on them this time, I think Nintendo will likely stop reaching out to them in the future, possibly cozying up more to 2K.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE EA DOESN'T like Nintendo. Originally it goes way back to the NES era when Nintendo bullied their publishing partners in mob fashion. EA and a lot of other publishers were born either as the anti-Atari, the anti-Nintendo, or both. More recently, EA has a specific agenda for using their position to reshape the entire games industry along with Microsoft in a sort of infernal partnership with revolving door leadership between the two firms, into an image/model that suits their interests. Nintendo doesn't fit that model. Technically neither does Sony, but financially they can't sideline that one as easy. But more than Sony, Nintendo raises actual obstacles to their intended industry manipulation and is a bigger threat to disrupting it.

You're not imagining things, the bias is real.

@roadrunner343 It's not about bringing games to the Switch, it's about correctly porting promised games to the Switch. I can't knock them for deciding to not bring games to the Switch. But I can knock them for providing lazy watered down ports of games they promised they would bring. If you don't want to put in the effort then stay off the system. I'm sick of companies expecting sales for a product that's 20% as good as other versions.

Feb 6th on Polygon: "“It will be FIFA 18, and it will obviously be later this year when FIFA 18 comes out,” said Moore at an event in Paris this past weekend."

Oh, whoopsie I guess when they find out they had to actually work, they backtracked eh? And then what 5 months after launch they say "oh well no Nintendo fans like Fifa, I guess we won't bring any other games over due to lack of sales". Open your eyes and see this for what it is, blind hate for Nintendo by EA. I have no idea why they hate us so much, but if you can't see something's up I don't know what to say.

@sremick That's exactly what I expected Nintendo to do, the Switch didn't need to be a portable. Rather than a dedicated handheld and a powerful home console all we have with the Switch is a machine that half-asses both into one.

Being different and unique is not what keeps Nintendo alive, what keeps them alive is their hardcore fan base who will buy anything Nintendo. The problem is they can't connect with the casual gaming audience anymore because they're viewed as a subpar product without the big casual games like FIFA. This is what separates Nintendo from being a company that survives rather than one that thrives.

The problem Nintendo will have in the future is when the hardcore fans start deserting them too. I was one of them, had every console and handheld since the NES. I just don't see the point in buying their product anymore when you have way less choice than with one of their competitors and only get a handful of appealing games every generation.

@yeo24k Maybe a handful to you, but there are tonnes of games which have appealed to me on both Wii and Wii U, and to come on Switch.

I'm still looking forward to seeing how this game pans out. I take the name change to mean that EA is keeping their options open: if it is not successful, it won't seem like FIFA was a planned franchise on the Switch and will be more of a standalone game - which is what I suspect. If it is a success, they could always go back and make a new one with the year in its title.

@yeo24k If this is surviving I'm perfectly fine with it: https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2017/05/nintendo_gains_over_usd2_billion_in_market_value_following_monster_hunter_xx_announcement

@yeo24k They could have released the Scorpio with a Nintendo logo on it and they still wouldn't have gotten AAA 3rd party support.

@Nintendoforlife Yeah, I agree it's perfectly fine to be upset with them for backtracking. It's definitely not cool that they promised they would do something, and are now saying something different. I also dislike half-hearted efforts (Most of their Wii titles), so we're in full agreement there.

The main part I disagree with is that it is because of some sort of personal hatred for Nintendo. EA is a huge, publicly traded company. Profits are king. I guess what I am saying is, regardless of whether or not any one executive (Or multiple) hates Nintendo for some reason, if the board decides they think the Switch would be profitable, you can bet they will start bringing more games to Switch.

@roadrunner343 I would believe you if the Switch wasn't sold out everywhere. It's selling like hot cakes right know, it was Nintendo's fastest selling console EVER. This is a gold mine for sales right now, and whichever major third party releases a game first will be swamped in sales. Do you not think the most popular game in the world combined with Nintendo's fastest selling system would not have huge sales? In my opinion it would sell extremely well and the only thing stopping EA from porting properly is disdain period. If you disagree with that we'll have to agree to disagree. I would recommend reading NEStalgia's post above though.

@Nintendoforlife That's fair, we can certainly agree to disagree if you no longer wish to continue. Thanks for the civil discussion =)

I'm not disagreeing over whether or not Nintendo/EA have a strained relationship. I don't really know if someone at EA hates them or not, but I don't think it matters, as that's just not how public companies work. At some point, if EA realizes they are leaving money on the table, they will be forced to overcome whatever gripes they may have with Nintendo.

As for the Switch selling like hotcakes - yup, again, I agree with you, I think it would be a smart business move. However, if the business wants to play it safe, I can also understand them waiting for a 20-30 million user install base rather than 3 million or so now. They are likely looking for sustained success. Especially if it would require substantial resources to bring games over.

EDIT: Forgot to mention, yes, I did read @NEStagia's post. It's well written, I would again just disagree that it is simply disdain for Nintendo that they are currently avoiding Nintendo.

@roadrunner343 It's not that I don't want to continue per say, I just don't believe either one of us has enough evidence to swing the other to their side currently haha. Maybe we'll pick this up again when we actually see what the game is. Good debate

Edit: One last point though EA doesn't necessarily need Nintendo to make money. If EA doesn't like Nintendo they aren't forced to work with them, as the Xbox and PS4 supply with them with plenty of sales. So they can definitely choose to leave money on the table just to spite Nintendo if they please.

@yeo24k I went into the Switch not really caring much about the portable aspect. I've never owned a portable Nintendo system of any sort, and had never been inclined even to get a DS/3DS. I really had no interest in the portable site and just accepted it as a feature I wouldn't use, assuming I would just leave the Switch docked most the time.

Boy, was I wrong.

You say you haven't bought a Switch, which makes you a lot like me before I bought mine. I've very much changed my impression of the value of the hybrid nature of the device since owning it. This is a classic case of a company knowing what we wanted better/before we did. The portability is seamless, and works, and once you have it you really start to appreciate and enjoy it.

@Nintendoforlife Well, clearly I believe I have enough evidence to continue =D There's a lot of publicly traded companies out there to serve as examples.

Seriously though, thanks again. Always a pleasure to have civil disagreements and discussions. I do hope that maybe there was just a misunderstanding in this article, and EA simply listed the game as "For Nintendo Switch" to emphasize that it was coming to Switch, not that it would be a dumbed down version. Hopefully EA responds soon, just like they did the first time.

@sremick It's really weird, I'm in a similar, but opposite boat as you. I love portables, and I figured I'd never really use the dock. To be fair, I do still play portable far more than docked, but I've been finding the switch is so seamless, that I've really be enjoying docked more than I thought I would. My wife and I play Mario Kart/Puyo Puyo Tetris docked quite often, and I played Zelda 50/50 docked/portable. I love having the option to play on the big screen, or take it with me wherever I go, or play in bed. I really love the flexibility.

@roadrunner343 We can always hope can't we

If this were NBA Jam and not their awful NBA Live series, then this would be a completely different story. Also, I believe NBA 2K18 will be a feature package and not an inferior version. Seems Take Two is giving the Switch a chance

I'm mildly looking forward to this game but I do hope EA stops with the "alternative" games for Nintendo with the Switch. Just build a switch dev team and release the whole sports collection. At least give us a year to try to support the games.

@yeo24k here we go. Blaming power of a console that the switch gets a stripped down version of fifa. It has nothing do with power. The switch is more then capable of producing a full fifa experience.

Why is NBA 2k18 not some BS stripped down game? That game will be the full console experience

Come on people.....it is way to early to say this will be the only EA game on Switch. That was true on WiiU because EA put out 4 launch titles that sold poorly. I actually thought NFSMW was awesome, ME3 was solid (I liked the intro cartoon), and the sports games were OK. But still they sold like crap and then the WiiU was just about left for dead as it was obvious it was not going to be a market hit. Every indication is Switch is going to be successful and could have first year sales that surpass WiiU's lifetime sales. EA is above all else a publisher and I hate to say it this way but they are sort of the whores of the game software world. So if Switch does super well, they are going to have a hard time not publishing on it, especially if Nintendo improves their online offering as expected when they start charging.

Also......I am neither a FIFA or soccer fan so I really could care less, but whats all the fuss about whether this game is based on current gen engine/assets or last gen? It doesn't look like the graphics, physics, gameplay has changed that much in a long time. If the game has essentially the same features and looks and plays smoothly what diff does it make? Maybe a FIFA pro could tell me what the big evolution was with FIFA on current gen?

24 years of releasing the same game over and over again. With a record of churning out trash like this, Nintendo don't need EA's laughable look warm comittment to Switch.

@QuickSilver88
I just need The Sims 4 or cute games like My Sims from EA, developed by Maxis Studio.
The Sims 4 on Switch with proper gameplay like PC version is enough to send me to the Heavenly feeling.

@Kirby-in-Kirkby
The lazy / typical customers should be blamed for Not to try different games.
Playing football games Only (Refuse to try different genres) will NOT make them cool or feel like a True gamer.
They have to learn to Like something different and loosen their "Status Quo".

@Anti-Matter you should really stop generalizing people. I've seen you do it multiple times. If someone only wants to play sports games then that doesn't make them lazy. Perhaps that's all they want to play and that's fine. Being "cool or a true gamer" may not be what they're after. Maybe they are huge sports fans and its all they want to play. If they have different tastes as you there's nothing wrong with that.

The Switch should easily be able to support FIFA. They had great versions of it on the GCN. EA better deliver the goods or no one will buy it.

@redd214 So true. All kinds of people play video games, and they like all kinds of games. I can believe there are plenty of people who just want to play soccer (or basketball, or hockey) in their living room, and don't even see themselves as "gamers". I know people who just wanted Bowling on the Wii. Never bought another Wii game or any other console. They're bowlers, and that's the only video game they ever wanted. They're not lazy, they're just not gamers.

@Anti-Matter it's all up to the person on what kind of games they like. If they like football games, so be it. They don't need to learn to like something else. If you like something stick to it. Don't let others change the types of games you like. We are all different and that's good 😉

FIFA isn't my thing in the slightest, but a bespoke version on Switch isn't to be scoffed at. I know I would rather have that in place of a half-arsed port.

@samuelvictor Yeah, they definitely disliked Nintendo's restrictions back then, but their favoring of Sega was actually for a different reason: They figured out how to break Sega's protections and used it as blackmail to get a sweetheart deal with them. They basically got to license everything on Sega more or less for free, under the threat that if Sega didn't comply they'd make their own carts. And sell them to others at discount. Anyone that says Nintendo was run like Yakuza...well... is correct, but EA was run like the Mafia. Still, back then they made pretty good games at least!

I suspect the early release of the Saturn was actually related to that, and intentionally designed to stiff EA as a giant "up yours" for their Genesis/Mega Drive blackmail, but if that was why backfired because EA feigned righteous indignance, and they ended up stiffing all their OTHER partners in the process.

Edit: Ok, this message got posted 5 times...deleted the excess posts!

Ugh. EA just wants a repeat of Mass Effect 3 to not support the system. If they can bring the full experience of NBA2K, why not FIFA?

Let's hope EA won't whine when the version is criticized by the press and has bad sales. And let's kiss goodbye any ther chance of support from EA. Unprecedented partnership, yeah right...

The most fun thing about soccer is hearing on sports center about USA team beats somebody and knowing that country puts all their collective energy into the outcome and is devastated on a national level for losing to our bad team. But far more satisfying than that is knowing that nobody in America even knew there was a soccer game being played. lol.
(ok a couple people knew about the game maybe. Just nobody over the age of 12 because thats when it becomes uncool to say you play soccer in the USA)

On another note, the first company that floods the switch with sports games will corner the market so it makes sense to make sports games for the switch. Why dont they see that?

I get it maybe different of some kind to fifa 18 on other consoles. but at the very least we want a 1080p 60fps upgraded version of the ps3/360 version minimum right?

Now If ea and nintendo have worked closely like they have with ubisoft I would love to see some added nintendo content added to fifa from nintendo themed stadiums ( think mario tennis 64 like ) some special super players from nintendos crew that can play along side messi and ronaldo ect that would be quite fun I have to admit. Imagine luigi and ronaldo up front for real madrid lol. The obvious nintendo themed football kits/balls ect. this really could work out well but EA need to have the proper fifa gameplay modes too for this to be a success like 11vs 11 online. ultimate team, head to head seasons online. I couldn't care less about the journey mode it was boring as hell.

thoughts?

@samuelvictor yeah the early launch was mostly about Sony, BUT Sega had already told devs and retailers the original date. They, including EA, committed games to that date. When Sega announced the early date thre devs were blindsided. Their games weren't ready yet. BUT Sega 's WERE. They knew of the earlier date for some time and prepared their own games to be ready but never told third parties until announcing on the E3 stage. Ostensibly the goal was to sell their own games in a vacuum devoid of third party competition and reward A- list retailers. But I've often thought it was a revenge plan against EA, the company their Virtua games ready to go competed most directly against.

But it backfired horribly. The B- list retailers liquidated everything Sega immediately, and many third parties (including EA) left. EA vowed that week that after their committed launch titles were (rushed to) release, they would never support a Sega console again. And they didn't.

So conpared to that, "ea sports fifa" for Nintendo is positively gushing with love for Nintendo

@roadrunner343
"EA & Nintendo have a strained relationship"

I was thinking back on Wii era when EA colaborate with Nintendo to create their new games for kids : My Sims.
What it called for their "Intimate" colaboration between Western and Japanese ?

I think that was the rare case between EA and Nintendo relationship, until suddenly EA completely dumped Nintendo from Wii U era.

EA said that their FIFA will determine the fate of specific consoles. If not selling well, say Doomed to that machines (Dreamcast, Wii U, PS Vita). But, I think EA made an excuses by NOT making very dedicated gameplay, great features, etc and blame the low sales when their games not sold as they expect. And I found also from their EA's other games like My Sims Wii + NDS, The Sims 4 PC, Sim Animal Wii, Spore PC, Charming Girl Club on Wii + NDS etc are actually good games but they don't have very best features. For example My Sims Wii, that my first cute EA games that I fell in love for first sight and reason why I bought Wii. But My Sims gameplay was sooo.... boring and repetitive, only given by TWO tasks, collecting essences and making furnitures, that's it, nothing else. Despite of that flaws, I still like to play it but not so frequently.

I wish EA can polish their games better with very deep robust gameplay and features, not just easily blaming specifics consoles just because it doesn't sell well. Their Imperfect games and Half-Hearted ports was the Blame for the low sales on specific consoles. And I understand why almost peoples here hate EA.

Btw, speaking about casual gamers and their interest about FIFA, I think until today there TONS of FIFA gamers like to play that games on TV Only, sit down on the couch & staring at TV for several hours, nothing else to do but staring at the games. Will they want to try to play FIFA games in handheld mode, since a lot of people like to play mobile games so playing FIFA on mobile has same feeling with playing other mobile games ?

If it just only their perception to refuse to play FIFA on handheld just because it will not looks cool in other gamers' eyes, I mean Come On ! Switch can be played on TV so there is no reason to not try on Switch version with uniques features. But if they still Refuse to try that new things, still maintain their "Status Quo" by rejecting every single new things, what a pity of them....

Oppsie, sorry for my long comments.

EA could make the Switch version the exact same as the PS4/X1 versions & people would still be "wah wah EA wah wah", despite the fact that EA have some very fun & well put together games. Keep it up & soon enough you'll lose all this, & wind up with a Nintendo/indie only machine.....like the Wii U.

Want to hear a joke?
Yes?
Here it comes.
......
Electronic Arts.

Yes EA is not the best, but please stop being such emotional fan boys Nintendo Life community. We need EA if you like them or not.

@Meaty-cheeky
I remember one of the best from EA is The Sims series. Well, actually developed by Maxis Studio.

That EA guy was the tallest person in Japan that day.

AAANND... EA have once again jeopardised almost any chance of their brands gaining traction on Nintendo hardware. Hardcore FIFA fans will still opt for the fully-featured and numbered release on rival hardware. I know I would. BBBUUT, I'm not a hardcore FIFA fan, and the Switch version is the only one that I'm interested in due to portability and the possibility of tabletop multiplayer. If the game supports 6-8 players, then all the better (and it would give us a truer indication that the developers have in fact developed this FIFA game specifically with the Switch in mind).

It has potential to be enormously successful if the Switch maintains momentum throughout the rest of the year, but it just seems like EA is phoning it in here, and as usual, they stupidly sabotage their own product, as well as Nintendo's potential market. I've said it many times, and I'll say it again... EA are pigs.

@sillygostly
EA is Always make an excuses for their games.
Even my favorite games from EA, The Sims series especially The Sims 3 & 4 are still have some problems. So did with My Sims for Wii & NDS.
They DIDN'T Maximize the potential of gameplay, rely on Graphic factor too much.

I think EA's failure shouldn't affect the other Western developers that want to support Switch because Whoever can make Great games it doesn't matter from Japanese or Western developers, EA can be replaced with 100% Dedicated Game developers. Lazy developers / publishers should be eliminated.
At the end, if EA still can't create another great The Sims series, I think I can rely on Animal Crossing Switch since Animal Crossing are same Life Simulation games, looks similar with The Sims.

Note: EA Should Talk Less, Do More. Prove to Nintendo if they are so Ambitious to dedicate their games for Switch, not a Half-Hearted games. My Sims & The Sims 4 are examples of Half-Hearted games from EA.

@Anti-Matter
Knowing EA the version gonna be a GBA version

can't spell cheap without EA

"Custom version", sounds like a big red flag (card) to me.

It's like they have some kind of vested interest in self-sabotage on Nintendo's platforms. Are they like Activision who get a cut of the PSN and/or Xbox Live revenue or something so want to maximise sales but also want to minimise sales outside of those platforms? Someone who buys FIFA every year is not going to look at "EA SPORTS FOOTBALL" and think the Switch is the platform they're going to be able to get next year's version for. EA's monopoly over the official sports licenses is one of the worst things in gaming. I wish they lost the FIFA license.

Edit: Thinking about it, it might be about control. One thing I remember reading is that for the PS4 and X1 for the first couple months EA represented 1/3 of software sales on those platforms or in other words EA were vital to those systems. And Microsoft took up the EA Access program. Nintendo turned down EA providing their online services on WiiU. I'd imagine EA has a lot of sway with the console holders except Nintendo so Nintendo suceeding means very little or is even disfavourable to EA beyond what extra software sales they can get without reducing the PS4/X1 sales.

EA has shown time and time again that they don't care about Nintendo console owners. I was going to buy FIFA 18 on Switch to support the Switch, but not a mediocre version of FIFA. We expect better.

I was also thinking about buying the switch version. If it has fut included then i will buy nonetheless.

Fifa on Switch will be an insane success. I was in soccer for a year and these people, the bread and butter of Fifa's success, clearly don't give a crap about Fifa's graphical fidelity. They literally owned PS4s for Fifa, and anytime they left the house they were playing it on their phones. If they can get a console-quality Fifa on switch gameplay-wise (lets be honest, when's the last time they changed Fifa for any significant gameplay reasons?) they're going to eat that up.

No console can survive without EA support it's an unwritten rule. But as the Switch is a handheld that rule usually doesn't apply so it should be fine where as if it was a home console it would be a long hard struggle.

@premko1 you all make me laugh, you all blame the developers, lazy developers, when the fault is nintendo and there weak hardware, you all made the same excuses with the Wii u

@readyletsgo because the switch can not run the Xbox one or ps4 version, don't blame EA for nintendo weak hardware

Maybe that means they'll treat it as a platform for the Switch, that would be awesome. Where instead of having to buy yearly installment of the game just to get the updated roster with some minor tweaks in gameplay, you can instead just pay to download the next year's roster inside of Fifa every year and then within the game, choose which year of the game you want to be playing, that would be brilliant, and something I think a lot of video game franchises, especially the sports games should be doing. Games like Rocket League get it, they don't release yearly installments, they instead just keep building on the game and adding more content to download into it indefinitely.

@steve3110
Not only nintendo version of their games are sh.tty, but also playstation and xbox ones so whats Your point ?

My point is that no AAA game on the switch will look as good as the ps4 or Xbox versions of the same game

Yeah that's true just can't afford one at the min so I'll stick with ps4 pro and my switch