FIFA 23 hasn't actually been formally announced by EA just yet but it feels like it’s almost certainly only a matter of time as the series’ annual release schedule is, at this point, pretty predictable.
What’s less predictable, though, is what the series will look like going forward, particularly where its name is concerned. EA Sports has said that it’s “exploring” the possibility of renaming the series and a more recent report suggests that’s almost certainly going to happen. What that new name might be is unclear but rumors have pointed to 'EA Sports FC', or some variation on that, which doesn't have quite the same ring to it.
Aside from name changes, there are currently rumors that the next game in the series – whatever it ends up being called – will include support for crossplay. This hasn’t been explicitly confirmed, though the fact that crossplay is being introduced to FIFA 22 for testing in the near future does make it seem likely.
While we wait for more official announcements from EA, keep reading to find out everything we know about FIFA 23 so far.
FIFA 23: cut to the chase
EA Sports hasn't confirmed a release date or platforms for FIFA 23 yet.
We can, however, make an educated guess on when we'll get our hands on the next FIFA. The past few FIFA games have been released between September and October, with FIFA 21 releasing on October 5, 2020 and FIFA 22 releasing on September 26, 2021. If EA follows the same pattern then we imagine FIFA 23 will release within this time period.
It's likely we'll see FIFA 23 release on Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S , PS5 , PC and Nintendo Switch . If the new FIFA launches on the same platforms as its predecessor, then we'll also see it release on Xbox One , Google Stadia , and PS4 .
It's unclear whether or not FIFA 23 will have the 'FIFA' moniker at all.
Back in October 2021, EA Sports announced that it is "exploring" the possibility of renaming its FIFA game series and a March 2022 report by VentureBeat's Jeff Grubb has said that EA Sports does indeed seem to be moving forward with its plans to drop the FIFA name.
In a blog post celebrating the release of FIFA 22, the developer also touched on its plans for the future of the series.
"As we look ahead, we’re also exploring the idea of renaming our global EA Sports football games," the blog post reads. "This means we’re reviewing our naming rights agreement with FIFA, which is separate from all our other official partnerships and licenses across the football world." At the same time, EA made clear that it's fully aware of how important branded competitions and national leagues, as well as globally-popular clubs, stadiums, and players are to the "authenticity" of the FIFA game series. "Through years of building our global franchise, we also know that authenticity is essential to the experience," the blog post adds. "That’s why we focus so much energy on the collective strength of over 300 individual licensed partners that give us access to 17,000+ athletes across 700+ teams, in 100 stadiums and over 30 leagues around the world.
"We continually invest in the partnerships and licenses that are most meaningful to players, and because of that, our game is the only place you can authentically play in the iconic UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, CONMEBOL Libertadores, Premier League, Bundesliga, and LaLiga Santander, among many others."
The blog post specifies that the naming rights for the FIFA series are separate from its other official partnerships and licenses, meaning that, apart from a name change and the absence of heavy FIFA branding, we shouldn't see a big change to content within the game itself.
A February 2022 report from VGC suggested that FIFA 23 might be named as such but that it could well be the last game in the series to bear the FIFA name.
EA itself hasn't given an explicit reason for this change, but we imagine EA likely pays a lot to license the FIFA name, and that license may come with some constraints as to what EA can and can't do, so dropping the name altogether would likely save EA money and give it more freedom.
VGC's report on statements apparently made by EA CEO, Andrew Wilson, in an internal meeting suggest as much, with Wilson reportedly saying that moving in a different direction "might even be better for our gamers than continuing with those four letters on the box.”
What exactly the name will change to remains a mystery, though shortly after EA announced its exploration of a new title, VGC spotted that EA has filed multiple trademark applications for ‘EA Sports FC', which could reasonably be a name that replaces FIFA. This has been further supported by VentureBeat's Jeff Grubb, who reported in March 2022 "that is indeed the name EA is going with."
Crossplay coming to FIFA 22 points to FIFA 23 plans
FIFA 2022 is getting crossplay support in the "near future", letting players connect with friends in multiplayer matches even if they’re playing on a different platform from the one they're using.
It will roll out in a testing phase, allowing FIFA 2022 players on PS5 , Xbox Series X |S, and Google Stadia to play together in Online Friendlies and Online Seasons. During the test, it won’t be available for PS4 , Xbox One , or PC players.
EA says it’s limited this initial crossplay test to Friendlies and Seasons so it can iron out any technical issues that appear. But it expects to roll out the feature to more game modes in the future off the back of community feedback gathered from this test.
This testing certainly gives credence to reports that crossplay is something that we’ll see included in FIFA 23 and it’s promising that EA is looking to set up the feature and iron out technical problems now.
It looks like the name change is happening, says new report
A new report suggests that EA intends to move ahead with dropping the name FIFA. Following previous reports detailed below that it was a possibility, VentureBeat's Jeff Grubb has said in a new report that EA Sports is now moving forward with its plans to drop the FIFA name.
According to Grubb's sources, EA is making the major move as it no longer wants to "pay a premium" to license the FIFA name, with Grubb claiming FIFA has asked EA for $1 billion to keep hold of the 'FIFA' moniker.
So what will the FIFA game series be called instead? According to Grubb, the developer is going with the name 'EA Sports FC'. This doesn't come as a huge surprise as trademark applications for the name 'EA Sports FC' were spotted by VGC in October 2021, shortly before EA Sports announced it was exploring dropping the FIFA name. EA Sports hasn't confirmed it's moving ahead with the name change, nor has it confirmed that EA Sports FC could be a potential new name, but we imagine that the developer will confirm any name change in the coming months, especially with its next annual 'FIFA' game due to release later this year.
More reports of crossplay
There are further reports that FIFA 23 could allow players to play each other across the PC, PlayStation and Xbox platforms.
The report of crossplay support comes from industry insider and leaker, Tom Henderson (via XFire ). According to Henderson, while “There has been no indication from sources familiar with the project that FIFA 23 will be free-to-play”, despite previous rumors of this, he claims that the game “will feature cross-play for the first time in the series’ history, bringing FIFA players across the PlayStation, Xbox and PC platforms together for all of the title's game modes.”
Henderson goes on to report that FIFA 23 will include “both the men's and women's World Cups, with EA expanding its licensing partnership across all the major leagues to drive and build a single FIFA experience that brings males and females together.”
Henderson also claims that improvements have been made to the Hypermotion Technology introduced in FIFA 22 and that it “now allows the development team to capture animations from real footballers in real matches using stadium cameras, eliminating the need for Xsens suits.”
Thanks to this advancement, the report says, the development team has been able to capture “over 100 times more data in a single league season than they have ever captured in the franchise's entire 29-year history”.
FIFA licence reportedly an “impediment” to EA
According to a report from VGC , EA’s CEO, Andrew Wilson, has expanded on the reasons the company could part with FIFA in an internal meeting, with the comments sent to the outlet anonymously.
As detailed above, it’s already been suggested by EA that the company could part from FIFA for its line of football games and VGC has suggested that FIFA 23 could be the last game bearing the name.
In its report, VGC says it “understands EA is currently planning to release this year’s game as FIFA 23 and include two FIFA World Cup tournaments – the men’s and women’s events – for the first time.”
The report goes on to say that Andrew Wilson told EA employees that parting from FIFA could be beneficial. “I would argue – and this may be a little biased – that the FIFA brand has more meaning as a video game than it does a governing body of soccer,” Wilson reportedly said. “We don’t take that for granted and we try not to be arrogant. We’ve worked really hard to try and make FIFA understand what we need for the future.”
“Basically, what we get from FIFA in a non-World Cup year is the four letters on the front of the box, in a world where most people don’t even see the box anymore because they buy the game digitally.”
According to the report, Wilson went on to say that EA’s relationship with FIFA has been an “impediment” when it comes to growing the games and adding new features. He describes being unable to introduce new brands like Nike “because FIFA has a relationship with Adidas” and not being able to add player-requested new modes of play and “different things beyond 11v11”, explaining “it’s been a fight to get FIFA to acknowledge the types of things that we want to create, because they say our licence only covers certain categories.”
Although FIFA 23 will carry the brand name, the report says, Wilson isn’t certain whether or not the companies will be able to come to an agreement that extends the relationship. “We’re going to work through this,” Wilson is quoted as saying, “we’re going to be thoughtful and we want to be good partners with FIFA, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we ultimately move in a different direction. At the end of the day, I think that might even be better for our gamers than continuing with those four letters on the box.”
Will the new name be 'EA Sports FC'? As spotted by VGC , EA has filed multiple trademark applications for ‘EA Sports FC', suggesting this could be the name that replaces 'FIFA'. The applications were filed on October 1 and October 4 2021, shortly after EA Sports announced it was exploring a name change. VentureBeat's Jeff Grubb has also reported that this is the name that EA intends to use.
Will it be free-to-play and support crossplay? Known FIFA leaker Donk on Twitter posted a tweet back in 2021 possibly suggesting that FIFA 23 will be free-to-play and will support cross-platform play. The post simply says "free to play", followed by a handshake emoji, followed by "crossplay" with the hashtag #FIFA23.
It's possible this is just speculation (or wishful thinking) from the leaker, and EA Sports hasn't confirmed this is the case, but both would certainly offer the shake up we're expecting from the next entry in the FIFA series.
This DJI RSC 2 rival is cheaper, lighter and strong enough for full-frame filmmaking
YouTubers and amateur filmmakers can often be seen wielding DJI RSC 2 gimbals to help steady their shots, but rival Zhiyun has just launched a new camera stabilizer that's one of the lightest full-size gimbals so far.
The Zhiyun Crane-M2S effectively offers a sweet spot between its larger and pricier Crane-M3 gimbal, and the more stripped-down Crane-M2. Despite weighing only 549g (that's less than half the weight of the 1.2kg DJI RSC 2), the stabilizer can hold full-frame cameras like the Sony A7S III .
The slight catch there is that the Crane-M2S can only support an A7S III if it has small prime lenses like the Sony FE 24mm f/2.8 G attached, rather than longer zooms. But those are likely to be the kinds of lenses that vloggers and YouTubers will be looking to use, and the new gimbal can support other full-frame cameras including the Nikon Z7 II and Canon EOS RP .
Despite its size and tempting price tag (US$269 / £259, around AU$470), the Crane-M2S packs in some handy features that you won't find on the Crane-M2, including the ability to charge the gimbal while you're filming, a built-in fill light for illuminating subjects, Zhiyun's latest Quick Release 4.0 system and a much longer battery life.
That battery life is a quoted ten hours, which is some way short of the 14 hours you'd get on the DJI RSC 2, but still enough for most shoots. Zhiyun also says that support for USB Power Delivery fast-charging means you can get the battery recharged in around 100 minutes.
Naturally, you can also adapt the Crane-M2S to work with your smartphone or action camera too, which means it's shaping up to be a strong option for mobile filmmakers. You can buy the gimbal right now in a standard bundle (US$269 / £259, around AU$470) and a Combo option (US$349 / £329, around AU$595) that includes a customized bag for the gimbal.
Analysis: Smoothing out the rough edges?
Gimbals help remove undesirable shake or wobble from your videos, which has made them popular with YouTubers and vloggers who are looking to step up their video production quality. And while Zhiyun isn't quite as big a name as DJI in the field, the Chinese manufacturer certainly isn't far off – particularly with offerings like the Crane-M2S.
While we've found Zhiyun's gimbals have performed well in the past, our main criticism has been around their usability – both in the lengthy setup and balancing process, and also their companion apps. For example, in our tests of the Zhiyun Smooth Q3, we didn't find the app to be quite as intuitive as DJI Mimo app, while some features are locked behind a membership paywall.
Luckily, the Crane-M2S appears to address those issues, particularly with its new quick release plate that should make balancing and adding new cameras much easier than before. Add this to other quality-of-life upgrades like the built-in fill light (which can produce up to 1,000 lumens of light) and the fast-charging, and it should prove to be a bit more approachable for beginners.
The DJI RSC 2 remains a more powerful option for pro filmmakers, and we're also big fans of its folding design and app. But the Crane-M2S is shaping up to be a more affordable alternative for those with smaller mirrorless cameras, or full-frame models with compact prime lenses.
Fitbit Versa 4 and Sense 2 could be arriving sooner than you think
Ready for a new fitness watch? The long-awaited Fitbit Versa 4 and Fitbit Sense 2 might be launching much sooner than expected, according to a new leak.
The information comes from 9to5Google , which has reported that the two new Fitbit watches are currently targeting a spring launch – which if correct would mean we should see the watches before the end of May – although the site adds that “plans might change”.
The site remains tight-lipped about the nature of its source, but there’s plenty more information to go along with the release date leak. The Versa 4 and Sense 2 reportedly share the same screen size and rounded-corner shape, just like the original Sense and the Versa 3, which launched August 2020.
It’s also reported that the devices might be ditching the previous models’ indented solid-state ‘button’ after a poor reception from users who found it less than intuitive. The touch-sensitive indentation might be scrapped and replaced with the old-style physical button, which was used on the Versa 2.
A recent teardown gave us an indication that the Versa 4 and Sense 2, codenamed Rhea and Hera, were on the way this year. These codenames were mentioned alongside a display resolution of 336 x 336 pixels, the same as the original Fitbit Sense and Versa 3.
Analysis: Fitbit is keen to stand out from the pack
With the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 and Apple Watch 8 also on the horizon, 2022 is about to get very interesting when it comes to big-brand smartwatch releases.
There’s no word on a release date for either of those watches yet, so it stands to reason that an early launch might be preferable for Fitbit: a fitness enthusiast who just bought a Versa 4 is unlikely to jump ship to Samsung anytime soon.
Based on the Fitbit Versa 3 and Fitbit Sense’s August release date, and Fitbit’s tendency to release devices on a two-year cycle, we weren’t expecting the new devices until later this year.
As far as we know, Fitbit won’t be using Wear OS, so no sweeping changes would need to be made to prepare the devices for a new operating system; and if the watches are ready to go, Fitbit moving their release date up to get a head-start on its competitors could prove to be a smart decision.