EA FC 24 branded “an absolute failure on all levels” by fans

The saying goes that you can’t please all the people all of the time. This is something that EA knows all too well! However, even they couldn’t have predicted some of the backlash received after the launch of their latest football title, FC 24.

As fans, we’re used to there being certain bugs and glitches throughout the game. It’s actually a pretty sad state of affairs that these and other errors have become a commonplace occurrence in one of their flagship titles and biggest money-makers.

Over the years, fans of the FIFA franchise have spoken up, calling out EA on the failures of their game. EA Sports FC 24 was an opportunity for a fresh start. Dropping the FIFA name and taking the title in a slightly different direction. It also presented a chance to restore trust in the fanbase that has been so loyal over the years. It was time to reward them with a top-notch experience!

Yet, that seems to have been wishful thinking. Multiple bugs and glitches have been present from the FC 24 release date, which have riled the community. As the most competitive game mode, errors in FC 24 Ultimate Team cause the most ire. However, they are present throughout the whole title. This really spoils perhaps the most fun mode of the game, FC 24 Clubs.

The community has had enough, which has been summed up with a real gem of a post on Reddit by u/UtopianInterdiction. We’ll present the first half of the post in full, so you can experience the full rant verbatim!

Imagine you were EA
byu/UtopianInterdiction inEASportsFC

“Imagine you were EA and you were faced with probably the most important launch of a sports title in your company’s history.

“The first year without the official FIFA brand on the most popular sports franchise in your company’s portfolio.

“Presumably with more money to spend on developing the game because you didn’t have to spend millions on the FIFA license.

“An opportunity – and a challenge – of proving to gamers that your football gaming title is still the go-to title in the industry and worth their hard earned money.

“And you release a game that is full of game breaking bugs and glitches, along with quite possibly the worst content over the first two weeks of UT in the last 10 years.

“This is an absolute failure on all levels.”

They then go on to list various issues, including UI and menu glitches resulting in the game freezing; Clubs drop-in matches not working; the trainer being broken in FUT Champs; and Ultimate Team objectives not counting. One such glitch is illustrated perfectly by X (formerly Twitter) user @Tim76999072, showing how the penalty accuracy indicator has disappeared, making it impossible for players to time their shots!

Of course, a well-articulated post like the one above will draw the community in. They will then pile on with their own issues of the game!

One factor that keeps coming up is the selling of high-value packs in the FUT Store. This has a few impacts on the game for everyone, most notably creating a pay-to-win experience. The influx of higher-rated players from the packs also creates a market crash, making it harder for casual players to trade successfully to level up their squad.

Despite the ongoing issues, millions of players keep coming back to EA’s football title and paying on a yearly basis for the latest game. Why?

There seems a pretty simple explanation. Competition, and the lack of it! There was a time when picking between FIFA and PES actually involved some thought. However, Konami’s eFootball game isn’t anywhere near the level it needs to be to compete with EA FC. Aside from Football Manager – which, as the title suggests, is focused on the managerial side of the game, as opposed to recreating on-field action – that’s about all the competition EA has.

President of FIFA Giovanni Infantino had said more FIFA titles would be on the way. But it doesn’t seem like they have found a developer to work with yet. New football sim projects GOALS and UFL have seen major delays and, in all honesty, don’t look like they will be able to hold a candle to the current EA FC gameplay.

Many fans think this domination of the market has made EA lazy. Able to release games with so many bugs because they know there is nowhere else for the fanbase to turn. This could be true.

Yet, there have been developments to the game, with PlayStyles one significant improvement to gameplay in FC 24! When EA gives us something like that, it makes it more frustrating that little bugs and glitches are still prevalent.

As summarised in our FC 24 review: “Bugs and glitches catch EA offside”. It has been a long-term problem for EA and has become such a recurring issue that we honestly don’t know if we see it coming to an end. How much longer the community puts up with that is a whole other issue.