Last Updated on July 30, 2021 by Mark P.
The time has come: EA Sports has officially announced FIFA 22, and they’ve provided us with a fair number of details, including who will be on the cover of the game, next-gen exclusive features, how to upgrade to a next-generation version, and what is new to the series overall. Of special mention is the “Dual Entitlement” edition, which will allow you to get the game on both Xbox and PlayStation if you get the $100 Ultimate edition. More details on that later.
Release Date and Available Platforms
The good news is that FIFA 22 will be coming out on pretty much every platform imaginable. It will be available on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and even Stadia. As for the PC, the game will be available via Steam and Origin. There will be a special “Legacy Edition” made for the Switch.
The game will release on all the platforms on October 1 of this year.
The Cover Star
The athlete on the cover FIFA 22 will be Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappé, which will make it his second year in a row doing exactly that. Before him, the athletes who shared this distinction were Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Mbappé said that “Being on back-to-back FIFA covers is amazing. I have a very special relationship with the game and look forward to enjoying FIFA 22 alongside all of you.”
The Reveal Trailer
You can find the reveal trailer here, which focuses a lot on the new HyperMotion technology that FIFA 22 uses. This technology is supposed to use machine learning to more accurately capture the sport itself. We’ll be giving a little more detail on the technology below.
HyperMotion
HyperMotion was developed by EA Sports to create the “most realistic and immersive gameplay experience to life, in every match, and across every mode.” EA had quite a bit to say about the new technology and what it is capable of.
“Powered by HyperMotion, FIFA 22 combines Advanced 11v11 Match Capture and proprietary machine learning technology to deliver the most realistic, fluid, and responsive football experience for next-gen consoles and Stadia, unlocking the raw emotion, passion, and physicality of the world’s game.”
What makes HyperMotion amazing is how EA has used it to motion capture more than 20 professional soccer athletes “playing at high intensity.” Supposedly, EA’s machine learning tools will even be capable of “learning” from its millions of frames to create whole new animations in real-time. This advanced technology will even apply to passes, crosses, and shots. Taking all of this into consideration, EA claims that HyperMotion will be able to “transform how players move on and off the ball.”
EA Sports FIFA GM Nick Wlodyka said, “FIFA 22 offers millions of fans around the world a chance to engage with the sport they love in an unprecedented way. Each player experiences FIFA in their own way but on-pitch gameplay is the unifying constant, so we’re excited to offer deep innovation there. HyperMotion elevates that even further on next-gen consoles and Stadia and completely changes the feel of the game.”
Available Game Modes
There will be multiple modes for FIFA 22, including FIFA Ultimate Team, Volta, Pro Clubs, and Career. EA said that this installment of the FIFA series will allow players to expect “more consistency and distinct personalities” for goalies in particular, with the entire goalkeeper system in the game being completely rebuilt from the ground up.
The Career mode has also had some changes made to it, as it now has a create a club feature. Volta mode has “reimagined gameplay” though we’re not sure what that’s supposed to entail. FIFA 22 also has Ultimate Team Heroes this year. According to EA, these are “completely new items that represent the stories and glory of cult player and fan favorites.”
As one might expect, EA plans to give us more detail about all of these game modes later on in the year, though we don’t know when that will be, other than sometime this summer.
A Numbers Game
Exactly how big is the scope of FIFA 22? Well, the amount of players, teams, stadiums, and more is truly astounding. There are over 700 teams in the game, with 17,000 players available. There are over 90 stadiums and 30 different leagues. Of particular note is that FIFA 22 is the only game to feature several leagues, including the UEFA Europa League, the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Europa Conference League, Bundesliga, the Premier League, and many more.
Pre-Order Bonuses
If players choose to pre-order the $100 Ultimate Edition of the game prior to August 11, they will receive an untradeable FIFA Ultimate Team Heroes player item. On top of that, these other benefits will be made available to those buyers.
- Limited Time Offer – FUT Heroes Player item
- 4 Days of Early Access
- Ones to Watch Player item
- Dual Entitlement – free Xbox Series X|S upgrade
- Team of the Week 1 Player item
- 4600 FIFA Points
- Kylian Mbappé Loan item
- Career Mode Homegrown Talent
- FUT Ambassador Loan Player Pick
Price and Dual Entitlement
The Ultimate Edition of FIFA 22 is $100, and it will be available for play four days earlier than the normal edition. As of right now, buying it appears to be the only way to get access to dual entitlement, which gives you access to the game for not only the Xbox One and X|S, but also the PS4 and PS5. For the Xbox One and PS4, the game will cost $60, but the next-gen versions will cost $70.
