FIFA 21 won’t have a playable demo this year, EA has confirmed
Electronic Arts has confirmed that it will not be releasing a playable demo for FIFA 21, breaking a usual habit the hugely popular football sim has held for years.
Set to launch for PS4, Xbox One and PC on October 9th, throughout the past generation players have normally had the opportunity to sample each new entry before it is unleashed upon the general public, but such a thing won’t be possible this year.
“We aren’t releasing a demo for FIFA 21,” EA said on Twitter. “Instead we’ve made the decision to focus our development team’s time on delivering the best full game experience for current and next-gen consoles.
“We look forward to EA Play members jumping in 10 days from now and launching the game 9th Oct.” This decision makes sense in the grand scheme of things, but it’s unfortunate to see such a long-held tradition being abandoned as we move into the next generation of consoles.
We aren't releasing a demo for FIFA 21.
Instead we've made the decision to focus our development team's time on delivering the best full game experience for current & next-gen consoles.
We look forward to EA PLAY members jumping in 10 days from now and launching the game Oct 9.
— EA SPORTS FIFA (@EASPORTSFIFA) September 21, 2020
Depending on which version of the game you decide to order, FIFA 21 has a number of different release dates. Those with EA Access can jump on the playable trial from October 1, while the Ultimate Edition will be available on all platforms from October 6, with the same three days of early access also applying to the Champion’s Edition.
As for the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions of FIFA 21, they won’t be arriving alongside current platforms, largely because the consoles themselves won’t be out yet. However, existing players will have “Dual Entitlement” meaning they are to free to upgrade to the next-gen versions of FIFA 21 at no additional cost. It will be fascinating to see how distinct the changes will be, since sporting sims ride the wave between generations more than any other genre.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
