Following the restructuring of the eSports circuit in EA SPORTS FC 24 at the expense of the organisations, NEO draws consequences. After four years, the team is withdrawing from FC 24 eSports
2022 Noment est Omen (NEO) has placed the German Individual Champion in FIFA. Dylan ‘DullenMIKE’ Neuhausen, who now plays for FOKUS, defeated Umut ‘RBLZ_Umut’ Gültekin in furious fashion. A little more than 365 days later, it’s all over for NEO in FC-24 eSport. The organisation announced in a statement.
“We have experienced the lows of defeats and the highs of victories – above all, winning the German Individual Championship. Today our journey comes to an end,” NEO introduces. The reason? “EA SPORTS FC 24 no longer allows us our sustainable existence.”
New eSports system at the expense of organisations
The trigger is the new direction in football simulation eSports. It is well known that FIFA and EA SPORTS have parted ways. As a result, the publisher is now responsible for the World Championships and accordingly also regulates the qualification routes there. As announced so far, the eSport season in FC 24 will culminate in the FC Pro World Championship. 32 participant places are up for grabs for the event.
The catch: 28 of these tickets will be awarded via national leagues – only four eSport players can qualify via the FC Pro Open. So anyone who plays in an organisation or even wants to make their way to the tournament as a free agent has a lower chance of making it to the final round in future.
90 per cent of organisations will “jump ship” in virtual football
Former DFB coach and now former NEO content creator Benedikt ‘Salz0r’ Saltzer said after the structures were announced, “There was speculation beforehand that FIFA would hold EA back when it came to eSports issues. But unfortunately the opposite is proving true. EA is taking a clear step back since they have sole power.”
“To survive, all organisations – even the best ones – have to become agencies,” opined Moroccan eSports coach Bassy ‘BassyS’ Saad, predicting that 90 per cent of organisations will “abandon the virtual football ship”. IQONIC, which sensationally reached the semi-finals of the DFBe Cup last year, also drew consequences from EA SPORTS’ decision. Although they have not yet officially declared their withdrawal, they want to think about the future.
In addition to ‘Salz0r’, Benedikt ‘BeneCR7’ Bauer, Michael ‘MegaBit’ Bittner, ‘JuliusFGU’, Julius ‘Juli’ Kühle and Lenard ‘xLennyy’ Peters are also affected by NEO’s departure from the FC 24 cosmos. For Nomen est Omen, however, things are basically to continue. At least that is how the conclusion of the statement is to be understood. One should remain curious about “what the year 2024” has in store for the organisation.
