On next-gen console versions, which now includes PC, these advances will be powered by new motion capture technology and machine learning animations. Dubbed Hypermotion2 by EA Sports, players in FIFA 23 will have a greater freedom of motion than in previous years and move less robotically in response to dynamic conditions. These movements draw on motion capture data from more real-life games than previously, which are then fed into a machine learning algorithm that can generate movement animations in real time in response to what’s happening on the pitch in your match. One of the main points of contention to be addressed is when players appeared to ‘skate’ when sprinting, changing direction while dribbling and stopping suddenly. With Hypermotion2, players can take smaller balancing steps in between strides to make their gait more true-to-life. On the more tangible gameplay side of FIFA 23, both attacking and defending have received some reworks. First up, you can now do “Power Shots” by holding both bumpers (L1 + R1 on PlayStation) and the shoot button. These ultra-powerful strikes zoom the camera in for a showpiece finish, but are very slow and difficult to aim. Additionally, “Technical Dribbling” is now the default style when you move using just the left stick. It is supposed to make running with the ball “more responsive” by incorporating the new animations. However, it is supposed to be heavily dependent on a player’s dribbling skill. To counter this, defenders’ ability to jockey opponents has been improved. With better and more consistent animations, the aim is to improve a defending player’s ability to position themselves effectively to snuff out attacks. Also on next-gen console versions, all players have been given one of three new “AcceleRATE” sprinting styles. Players can either be “Explosive”, “Lengthy”, or “Controlled” in how they run, changing how they reach their top speeds. Explosive players burst away from others quickly, but top out just as fast. Lengthy players take some time to get going, but can build up a head of steam to catch up to even the fastest opponents. Whereas Controlled is a more typical mix of the two. All of these features are available in both men’s and women’s football and there will also be animations that are exclusive to women’s matches. You can learn more about the ins-and-outs of the new features in the official trailer, as well as the pitch notes blog post. While Hypermotion2 is one of the showpiece ‘under the hood’ improvements for FIFA 23, EA Sports has also announced some more traditionally eye-catching additions as well. As well as players on the same console generation being able to cross-play, this will be the first year where players can use Women’s club teams in-game, and there will be included game modes for both the Men’s World Cup 2022 and Women’s World Cup 2023. Then on the licensing front, Italian giants Juventus are finally back in FIFA 23 - replacing their off-brand holding team Piemonte Calico after a 3 year absence. FIFA 23 is set to be the final FIFA game made by EA Sports after the two bodies agreed to part ways after almost 30 years. It’s been reported that EA were unhappy with FIFA’s alleged demand of an increased licence fee along with the right to commission other developers to make other FIFA games alongside the long-standing sim. From 2023 onwards, the series will apparently continue on under the name EA Sports FC. FIFA 23 has no firm release date, but usually hits shelves around the start of October.
