FIFA is dead, long live EA Sports FC! After one of the most acrimonious divorces in gaming history, EA Sports’ flagship 30-year-old football juggernaut has finally ended its somewhat awkward partnership with FIFA. While the cause of this separation appears to be the governing body’s astonishing demand of around $250m annually to license its name, it feels as though this has been on the (red) cards for some time. While FIFA (the game) was venerated for many years, FIFA (the organisation) has famously been long mired in eye-watering scandal and corruption. Indeed, the game is so popular that its arguably more valuable to FIFA’s reputation than vice versa.

So what does this seismic shift mean for the world’s most popular football game? Largely, it’s business as usual, which will delight some fans and irritate others. It’s only a small thing but developers EA Vancouver and EA Romania have taken the opportunity to finally overhaul the ghastly tile menu system that’s dogged the game for years, and the result is so much more functional and easier to use. Bigger improvements include a vastly expanded roster of women’s teams, and the integration of female players into the game’s infamous (though hugely popular) Ultimate Team (FUT) mode, something, it’s alleged, that FIFA had previously blocked. And match presentation has been refurbished with some nifty new pre-and post-game atmospherics.

Within the game itself, defending has been tweaked to make it much tougher, often resulting in some unusually high scoring games. EA Sports’ HyperMotion technology continues to advance the games’ AI by vastly increasing the fluidity of players’ animation. Some of this interpolation stands out, particularly when controlling the star players, each of whom handles uniquely. The technology also provides some astonishing TV-style in-game analyses which are sparingly used for effect.

Elsewhere, a revamped tutorial is a genuine attempt to boost the skills of amateur players, making this otherwise neglected mode well worth checking out. While the enormous popularity of FUT continues to dominate the playlist, all other modes tag along as expected. Volta Football has had a little TLC but career modes continue to languish at the bottom of the table. Perhaps one day they’ll get the love they need.

EA Sports FC 24 is out now on PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.