The first of the announced games is AI League: FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Edition by Altered State Machine. Players will watch a 4-on-4 casual soccer game controlled by AI with “player input at fun and tactical moments.” At launch, Altered State Machine will run a 10-week prediction component that rewards players with prizes, both digital and physical, for correctly guessing the results of real-world matchups. By participating in the prediction game, players will unlock 4 unique collectibles for use while playing the main AI league mode.
The second title is FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 in the Upland Metaverse which ties into the Upland blockchain-based metaverse. Players will be able to travel to a virtual recreation of the World Cup Lusail Stadium and Village within the UpLand metaverse in order to purchase digital goods and collectibles. As part of the UplandMe/FIFA collaboration, users will also be able to unlock official digital assets including “legendary video highlights of the tournament.”
The third game is another collaboration with an existing app, this time it is Phygtl, a fan engagement mobile app. FIFA fans on Phygtl can “augment a golden-globe-football from the palm of their hands into their real-life environment, own a limited fragment of it to attach and eternalize their handpicked FIFA World Cup pictures and video moments.” As FIFA stated, digital goods on Phygtl are a “representation of eternal fandom.”
The last and likely to be equally disappointing for longtime fans of EA’s FIFA titles, is MatchDay Challenge: FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Edition. Matchday is described by FIFA as a “highly engaging casual social prediction game based on football cards.” While not detailed, MatchDay Challenge will include some type of functionality allowing users to see who is the best among their friends.
During the announcement of the split with EA, FIFA made mention of multiple games that were in production and would be available by the end of the year. It is now clear that FIFA was referring to the four blockchain titles announced today. Meanwhile, EA has signed an agreement with La Liga under the new EA Sports FC banner which will be replacing the annual FIFA title.