So EA Sports FC26 has pulled the lever for the big announcement about FC26, and reactions are very much all over the place. The official tweet somewhat teasingly states that it is “everything you ever wanted.. almost.” That ‘almost’ holds a lot of weight right now. Pre-loads for the Ultimate Edition are supposed to begin on September 19th, and it’s somewhat cute, but the replies are just the vibe.
Bonus points are already being thrown out there: MattYanited asks how one unlocks their premium pass for Ultimate Edition, as it says he has to use points?? That’s not supposed to be possible if it’s a pre-order bonus, man. And rebxlhearts is plainly asking if anyone else did not get their pre-order bonuses. Yikes. Then CodmSadistic and xzsnes follow suit, begging for their hero packs and icon packs. The struggle is real, people.
But it’s not even just the bonuses. Some issues are seriously broken. ftbl_ab reports that the game kicks you after full-time every match, sounds horrendously annoying. Then we have LFJFT96, who is confused about the trial only being limited to rush and training ground?? Since when did that change? Then ragebaituni is on PlayStation, where, after club and language are selected, the game just stops working. A big oof.
Now, that is classic hype and salt mixture. Iampheno_ called it amazing, while VicKante launched a tirade, without cause, about FC25 being shit because 90% of development time was put into “gEnDeR EqUaLiTy” and thus the ref started giving an advantage to fouls inside the box. All caps, alternating case, pure fury. akamugetsu simply states, “Almost is right”, perfectly summing up most of the feelings.
And some comments in Portuguese: LuucasAlmeidaa says, “AMANHA VOU QUEBRAR TUDO,” which means “TOMORROW I’M GOING TO BREAK EVERYTHING,” either with huge excitement or anger. Can’t really say. But energywise, it still exists.
Meanwhile, other gamers are looking over the long term. its0nlykt points out that there’s a period around Black Friday where the latest FIFA game is given ludicrous discounts of up to 70%. Fairly smart to consider: why buy at full price when you can wait just a few months and get it super cheap? Although YasL786 points out that, in this way, you’re missing out on the silver stars that are out right now. Trade-offs, man.
There are just random ones like pgutie1323 saying, “I just want a good soundtrack,” which is honestly right here for me. Soundtracks are probably what make or break a game. blockxs follows with “Finally, a game I can’t win.” Either another flex or a complaint that’s difficult to parse.
The whole thing is the chaotic mess of excitement and frustration that accompanies these huge game launches. People want their stuff to work right out of the box, they want bonuses, they want to play and not get kicked. The good part is that they’re excited about it because it’s new content, new features, new everything.
It is interesting seeing how the conversation has shifted from just FIFA to including FC tooever since the name changed. But at the core, it’s about building your ultimate team, playing online, and earning those sweet player cards. Some say, “The club is yours,” except that’s really only if you’ve been able to actually get into the game without some kind of weird issue.
Wait, what was I saying? Oh yeah, September 19th, and it’s coming so close now, for the Ultimate Edition players. I’m curious if they’ll address some of these concerns before then or if it’ll be more of the same. Based on history, I would say it’s more likely the latter, but hey, maybe this year will surprise us. Probably not, though.
Pre-order bonuses seem particularly complicated this time around. Multiple people are complaining about buying something and not getting it, having to use points instead of it just unlocking. That’s never going to look good for a company. Especially when these are the people that dropped more cash on the Ultimate Edition expecting to get, well, the ultimate experience.
And the technical issues… kicked after matches, game crashing after selecting language, trials being limited. These are the kinds of things that piss off the players because all they want to do is play the game. Not too much to ask for, really.
But there’s still hype to be found. Counting down to playing soon, talking about breaking everything tomorrow, calling it sick. The mixed feelings a community has always had for a sports game. They complain, they play, they hype, they spend money on ultimate editions and points.
September 19 should be interesting. Have the issues been resolved by then? Have people gotten the bonuses they pre-ordered for? Does the game work? Time will tell. One thing for sure, though: EA Sports launch is going to be messy and exciting and completely chaotic – just like football itself.
