At launch, FIFA 18 was a big step forward, but a series of post-launch patches appeared to wind back many of the innovations players enjoyed, and FIFA 19 needs to avoid repeating the same mistake.
The regression led to a fierce backlash from the community. A #fixFIFA campaign and petition were launched by some sections of the community in the hope that EA would address their issues. The primary complaint was people believing they were mis-sold a product based on the FIFA 18 demo allegedly being vastly different from the actual game following its post-launch patch.
This wasn’t EA’s only misstep of 2017. With Star Wars Battlefront 2 and its implementation of microtransactions proving a massive miscalculation, it was a tough year for the publishing giant. Hopefully, 2018 becomes the year of forgiveness, and the company’s biggest titles come back with a bang, better than ever, starting with the biggest sports title in the world.
With Konami officially unveiling PES 2019, and the fact that Konami’s entry will be arriving in August this year, EA can ill afford two years of poor reception, as there’s now a viable alternative for football fans.
As such, we’ve put together a wishlist of what we want to see from FIFA 19. We’ll also round up all the latest news, trailers and gameplay info as EA reveals more.
FIFA 19 release date
EA hasn’t officially revealed FIFA 19 yet, but the launch date for FIFA games has been consistent for several years now. You can expect the game to launch in the last week of September.
EA has recently confirmed its plans for E3 2018, in which it has confirmed which games will be at the show. In the promotional info, it details showcasing the latest “EA Sports titles”, which is hardly surprising, but expect a good chunk of information and FIFA 19 gameplay during the conference.
FIFA 19 demo
A few weeks ahead of launch, EA launches a demo of the game, giving players the chance to play single matches with a select few teams.
FIFA 18’s demo launched on September 12, 17 days before the full game’s release, so expect a similar trend this year. The teams available last year were Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Juventus, Bayern Munich, PSG, LA Galaxy and Toronto FC. Clubs like Manchester United, Real Madrid, Chelsea, Manchester City, Bayern, and PSG have featured in previous demos, so it’s likely they’ll make a welcome return.