FIFA 23 is set to get a more ostentatious matchday presentation and denser atmosphere. eSport spoke to senior art director Fab Muoio about how EA SPORTS wants to get you watching.
Every year EA SPORTS unveils new in-game scenes to bring the football experience to life at home on the sofa. For FIFA 23, senior art director Fab Muoio and his team have also come up with things to make the virtual match day even more authentic. But one question remains – who’s watching all this?
Dare more variation
When asked how EA SPORTS gets gamers to actually watch the labour-intensive inserts, Muoio has to laugh in our conversation at the FIFA 23 Producer Showcase and acknowledges: “That’s a very good question.”
Sure, in the first few weeks after release, curiosity may still be high and the one or other cut-scene or matchday presentation is watched to the end. But in the course of the FIFA year, the interest in the same events and stories about the game declines. At the latest, when friends sit on the couch for a cultivated FIFA evening, every single player and every slow-motion shot falls victim to the skip button. One person is happy about the extra mile of football culture, the other is annoyed by the disruptor in the game.
EA SPORTS reacts to this problem in FIFA 23 with more variety: “There is a selection of scenes during the game that can be triggered. The reaction of the audience always depends on what is happening in the game,” Muoio said:
“It’s a complex process of assessing what’s happening and choosing an appropriate scene. We always try to improve the audience’s behaviour, as we have done now with the better synchronisation of the audio track to the audience’s behaviour in FIFA 23. “
“We try to find the perfect balance “
After all, cheering is also extensively celebrated in FIFA eSport: Players sometimes use the same one over and over again, like ‘DullenMIKE’ for example his skier – a recognition value. EA SPORTS therefore tries to find the right balance for cut-scenes and matchday presentations as well, because they exist, the atmosphere suckers.
“We try to find the perfect balance between being able to start a game quickly and giving the game enders key information about the game,” says Muoio: “We have so many game enders who prefer different things: some want to get as deep into the game as possible and compete, others like scenes away from the game. We customise that for each mode. “
Can it be a little more?
In competitive modes such as FUT or Pro Clubs, such scenes would accordingly be kept to a minimum. EA SPORTS knows “that these players just want to play. “
In other modes, the needs might be different: “A career mode player might want to soak up the atmosphere, be presented with stories and stats about the game. So we take the time there to tell something unique to the individual career.”
So for those who want to take advantage of the matchday bric-a-brac, FIFA 23 offers drone rides and even more variety to get them in the mood. For everyone else, the skip button still remains for quick entry or immediate continuation of the game.
