For the first time in years, Nintendo fans were hopeful of a good football game with EA FC 26.
EA Sports has confirmed that the latest iteration of its football simulator series is coming to Nintendo Switch 2.
It was one of three sports games confirmed for Switch 2 at the latest Nintendo Direct, alongside Madden NFL 26 and NBA Bounce.
However, the reveal trailer featured a small disclaimer for the EA FC 26 trailer, which read:
“Certain features and content will not be available on Nintendo Switch.”
It has not yet been confirmed what exactly these missing features are.
The trailer did confirm the following as new features and upgrades coming to the EA FC 26 Switch 2 edition:
- Fluid, dynamic and responsive dribbling
- Smarter goalkeeper movement
- Drag to Chop skill move
- Improved off-the-ball shielding
- Better on-ball physicality
- Signature perks
- New Ultimate Team Icons
- Archetypes
- Simplified skill moves
- Be-a-Keeper mode
- Low driven power shot
This will be disheartening news for many, as there were high hopes for the new Nintendo console’s considerably higher specs.
However, many had stated that the Switch 2 was about as powerful as a PlayStation 4, so a last-gen version of EA FC makes sense.
And it isn’t all bad news though, as the EA FC 26 Switch 2 gameplay looked excellent in the trailer.
At the very least, it appears to be a significant upgrade on EA FC 25’s Switch version, which looked like a Nintendo DS game.
Without a Switch 2 upgrade for EA FC 25, the new game will be the first EA FC that Nintendo fans can really enjoy.
There’s also the chance that EA FC 26 on Switch 2 will be able to benefit from cross-play, but this hasn’t been confirmed yet.
If it does, it would likely have to be with PS4 and Xbox One players only. Not PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X/S.
And the Nintendo Switch 2 likely won’t be considered for esports tournaments.
The EA FC 25 esports season is coming to an end at the Esports World Cup, with esports betting sites struggling to call a favourite.
Perhaps the Switch 2 version will shine better in offline modes, especially with the console’s portability.
Nintendo fans will be able to benefit from the revamped EA FC 26 Career Mode, which appears to be significantly improved.
With a working manager market seeing teams change coaches and playstyles, the mode should be very fun.
In my seven years of esports writing, I’ve introuduced esports coverage to newspapers, interviewed some of the biggest names in the industry, and driven viewers mad with the puns in my YouTube scripts. I’m most proud of the latter.