A few days after the announcement that the UFL release might be postponed once again, UFL developer Strikerz Inc. answered fans’ questions in a Q&A session on X.
The UFL schedule seemed to be a done deal. According to an announcement from the developer at the beginning of August, the game was due to be released on September 12. But then Strikerz Inc. rowed back about two weeks later. The studio had heard feedback and concerns from the community after a second open beta and wanted to take them to heart. The result: a dress rehearsal and subsequent feedback from players will decide whether the planned release will go ahead.
Release later this year
This gave rise to a number of questions for fans and interested parties, which CEO Eugene Nashilov answered in a public Q&A session on the developer’s X account on Wednesday. Of course, the most frequently asked question was: What happens if the feedback on the final beta at the end of August is not as desired and the release of the game is postponed? “We are not planning any drastic changes to the schedule. Even if we postpone a little, we won’t go beyond 2024. “
Strikerz Inc. also wants to communicate the release of the PC version of the soccer simulation, which has so far only been announced for PlayStation 5 and Xbox XS, this year. “The PC version is in the works. It will be possible to add the game to your wishlist on Steam in the coming days,” it said.
In addition, Nashilov gave an insight into the studio’s future plans, which will enable online friendly matches at release, is already working on several co-op modes and also has a career mode in mind – which, however, still needs time: “It’s a huge amount of work to make it a great experience, so you shouldn’t expect it too soon, but I can assure you that we are exploring career options. ”
Mechanics and optics constantly under scrutiny
Strikerz Inc. also announced that it is constantly working on the game mechanics and visuals of UFL. “100 percent” was the developer’s simple and clear answer to the question about upcoming updates to the player models and animations, which still looked wooden, especially in the first beta. An overstepping animation would be completely new. After all, the trick does not yet exist in the game. However, it will be added later, as will the “Cancel” function. In other words, the option to cancel an action in progress by pressing a specific key combination:
Licenses remain a tough battle
The player pool in UFL, which is missing some prominent names such as Neymar, is not to be canceled, but rather expanded if possible. “It’s a constant process,” said Nashilov, who confirmed that the list of players would change slightly, but that there would be no update on the Brazilian superstar. “There are sometimes some peculiarities around licensing,” he said cryptically instead. The former Barca and PSG star could only find his way onto the virtual pitch once these had been resolved.
Meanwhile, it remains to be seen when players will finally take this path. The final test run will start on August 26, after which Strikerz Inc. will use the feedback received from the community to decide whether the free-to-play title will actually be available on September 12 as planned
