Pre-orderers worldwide were able to get an impression of the new EA FC 25. For MeinMMO author Thomas Dummer, the first 30 games went very well. He is hoping to get a coaching position at a big club so that he can demonstrate his new tactical skills. But secretly he knows that it has less to do with his skills than with new technology that provides more game intelligence than ever before.
At a press launch in July, Thomas Caleffi, one of EA Sports’ main producers, spoke of a new technology that was nothing less than the “most significant change in over a decade.” A new artificial intelligence called “FC IQ” was born.
EA had actually made the biggest change, because it was already visible from the outside, a year earlier, when it separated from its long-time co-publisher and ultimately namesake, the World Football Association, in 2023. “FIFA”, separated.
However, EA remains true to one thing. The next new era will again be one with 4 letters (FC IQ). “The last remnants of the ex-partner,” evil tongues would now claim.
EA SPORTS FC 25 | Official Gameplay Deep Dive
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This is how my first game with FC IQ in FC 25 went: Without thinking too much, I jumped into kick-off mode and into the first game in FC 25. Real Madrid now has this incredible offensive with Mbappé, Bellingham and Vini Junior. “This can only be good,” I thought to myself.
And how well it works. I drive the ball through the midfield with Bellingham and when I get close to the opponent’s penalty area, Mbappé offers himself for a short pass. And then it happens.
Out of nowhere, the French centre-forward offers me a path between two defenders. I just need to pass the ball through the gap, the rest is a formality. As you would expect from a world-class star on the football pitch.
So everything is as usual, right? Stop for a minute. Mbappé first gives me a passing option and then chooses the perfect path for a deadly pass all by himself, without me having to give him an order. When I think about it, I realize that this feels somehow new for EA FC.
So I paused for a moment and looked into why this could work so well. Then I remembered: the new FC-IQ technology also introduced new player roles. I might have to take a closer look at them.
With FC IQ, the stars make me feel like a master coach
This is how the roles work in FC 25: I look at the team tactics and see two green plus marks under Mbappé in addition to his role as a professional striker.
The description says: A versatile striker who usually stays close to the opposition’s back line. However, the player also offers a passing option in the build-up and makes runs behind the defence to create a goal threat.
That actually sounds exactly like what I just saw with my own eyes. That’s a good start. And let’s move on.
The opponent kicks off and puts me under pressure. I win the ball and drive it forward on the left. The opponent blocks me on the left with many players. On the right, my right-back Carvajal sees the space on his flank and starts an advance.
Once again, a player recognizes the potential of a running path. It won’t… But it will. Daniel Carvajal also has a player role with the two green plus signs.
After the game, I don’t want to play any more. And that’s not because of the gameplay at all; I have a completely different mission now. First, I’m going to study the best players and their roles.
My first conclusion: The new player roles seem to deliver on what EA promised. The artificial intelligence makes smart decisions and gives players a certain amount of responsibility. This makes for varied gameplay while also giving me a better understanding of what my fellow players are planning to do next.
It was clear what FC IQ meant, right?
FC IQ sounds like a catchy word construct, and I was immediately enthusiastic about it. I’ve been playing FC (short for EA FC), including FIFA, for 20 years anyway. And I’ve never had anything against a little more IQ (abbreviation for intelligence quotient) in the gameplay for my players.
What exactly is this FC IQ? There is a lot of content behind this catchy term. Without going into the last detail, FC IQ covers the movements of the players away from the ball.
To do this, EA Sports took a close look at the movements of real football professionals. EA’s analysis tool “Opta” collected up to 4,000 minutes of data from individual players.
The result is the player roles, which are a new feature in FC 25. They are intended to provide information about how well a player can perform certain positions under certain conditions. This not only sounds good in theory, but also seems to work well in practice at first glance.
And to be honest, that was necessary when we look back at the gameplay, especially the tactical approach in FC 24.
The new player roles will hopefully end the reign of terror of meta-tactics
From a tactical point of view, after what felt like a week of FC 24 – let’s say it was a month, but definitely way too early – we ended up with a single formation, whose name shall not be mentioned here, that everyone played. Or had to play because it was simply the meta-tactic par excellence, against which nothing could be done and which all the professionals also played.
In the end, everyone knew how their next and the next and the next… opponent would play.
In the popular forums, players longed for a change and consistently demanded it throughout the year. And here we come back to the beginning and the appearance of EA Producer Thomas Caleffi in July. He answered the questions and demands with a clear: “FC IQ”
The start of EA FC 25 was promising. The 31 different player roles for now could just be the start of a new feature that could be supplemented with more roles over time, perhaps even in FC 25.
The good and very good players in FC 25 not only stand out from the rest through better ratings and playstyles, but also differ from the poorer players in terms of their game intelligence. In FC 24, I would never have thought that I would choose the formation based on the strengths of my players, because I always forced my system on the players. But now my players and their roles have a real say.