The beautiful game might finally look so on Switch.
EA Sports FC 24 on Switch looks like it could be a major upgrade compared to the FIFA 23 Legacy Edition (and all those other Legacy Editions) that Nintendo fans had to deal with in the past.
This time around, EA Sports is taking the Switch version more seriously and has ported it using the Frostbite engine.
Previously, the Switch version of the FIFA games has felt like an afterthought, with football fans forced to pick up the dreaded ‘Legacy Edition’ each year – which was arguably nothing more than a reskin of the same game year after year, with new kits and squad updates. These versions didn’t even feature a full Ultimate Team mode.
It’s safe to say they weren’t popular, but now it appears as though EA Sports has finally put more effort into the Switch version of its seminal football game, bringing it closer to parity (content-wise at least) with the PS4 and Xbox One versions of the game.
EA FC 24 marks the first time an EA Sports football game has run on the Frostbite engine on the Nintendo Switch.
It supposedly took years to get the engine up and running on the Switch in a good state, which is why we’re only just now seeing a more proper version of EA’s football on the hybrid console.
Speaking to IGN, John Shepherd (executive producer at EA) explained of the Switch version of EA FC 24: “It’s going to have all the modes. It’s more representative of the Xbox One, PS4 gameplay.”
Before you get your hopes up too high, though, he does also add that “there are a few differences, just because of the hardware, but the game’s running great”.
Expect the Switch version of EA FC 24 to be close to the PS4/Xbox One version – but not an exact port.
Described as a “huge achievement” that took “multiple years [of] just trying to get [Frostbite] working really nicely on Switch”, EA is now “really excited about it” and we should be seeing gameplay from the Switch version soon.
The game is now in a closed beta and a YouTube video showcasing Switch gameplay was briefly live before EA took it down – players sign an NDA to not show closed beta footage publicly, after all.
All we’ve officially seen so far is what appears to be Switch version screenshots on the eShop page – which do look pretty good, to be fair. Fingers crossed we get to see some Switch-specific gameplay soon.
EA Sports FC 24 is set to launch on Nintendo Switch (and every other platform) on 29th September 2023. You can pre-order a copy now through stores such as GAME and Amazon.
Hopefully, the Switch port is as good as EA is claiming it to be. A proper football game on the go? That could be something legendary.
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