Another Challenger Enters the Arena - Football Player 2023

Following in the footsteps of the recently announced UFL and Goals, another new soccer title looks to be on the horizon — albeit in 2023. This new trend of independent studios entering into the footy market is certainly welcomed as competition breeds improvement. The soccer gaming market has traditionally been dominated by two companies, EA and Konami, with the latter taking a free-to-play approach this year that has certainly opened some eyes. Perhaps these other companies saw an opening they intend to capitalize on, but realistically speaking, any real threat to both EA and Konami is still a few years. Announced on September 1, here’s everything we know about Football Player 2023 so far.

Football Player 2023 FAQ

Who’s Making The Game?

It’s odd that we don’t know who the developer is at this point, but it seems as if there is some connection with Pixelont LLC, a Creative Agency based in Kosovo. As there’s no developer there certainly isn’t a publisher at this point, and from the looks of the Discord channel, the creator (someone who goes by “DH”) is actively looking for anyone interested in helping to make the title. That’s not very encouraging as it seems like the game is more of a concept as opposed to anything concrete at this point, but all games start as an idea so we’ll give DH the benefit of the doubt on this one.

When Will It Be Released?

With no developer on tap, the release date is obviously unknown at this time, but if the “2023” in the title is any indication, it looks like that’s when we should expect this game to drop. I’m no video game developer nor do I have any experience in working on video games, but with little to show so far one has to seriously question the 2023 timeline and whether or not Football Player 2023 will be released by then.

What’s Will Football Player 2023 Cost?

From the official Q&A on their Twitter account:

Q: Is the game going to be free?

A: No, the game is not going to be free. However, it’s not going to be expensive in the first year, $15-$20.

It looks like Football Player 2023 will not be following the eFootball “free-to-play” model, but with a price of $15-20 it’s certainly an interesting way into the footy gaming market. It’s a little bit more expensive than some of the mobile soccer games that have come out recently, such as Sensible Soccer, but it’s certainly not to the same level of FIFA.

What Platforms Will It Be Available On?

Q: What devices is the game coming to?

A: At the moment, the game is only coming to PCs & Macbooks. Although, we are looking closely at other devices so we might upgrade in the future.

No consoles or mobile devices are the big omission here, so perhaps it’s more Football Manager than it is FIFA/eFootball. That’s not necessarily a bad thing as most hardcore footy fans would salivate over a game that has the depth of Football Manager while also providing the on-the-pitch experiences that FIFA and PES have traditionally offered.

Speaking Of, What Kind Of Game Will It Be?

Q: Is “Football Player” a simulation or an arcade game?

A: Football Player is a simulation game. We are trying to make our game as realistic as possible (not graphics wise) because we think realism is the most important thing of football games.

As eFootball evolves into what seems like a mobile game, or at least at first release, Football Player 2023 is aiming to be a simulation albeit with one huge caveat in the graphics department. It’s odd that “not graphics wise” was mentioned in the tweet, but perhaps a focus on the simulation aspects of the game are more important — meaning that the base of the game could be in place before we start to see a game that can be played on consoles. It’s an interesting approach, sacrificing the immediately noticeable visuals in favor of depth and true-to-life tactics, but these are interesting times and thinking outside of the box is something that the soccer gaming community has been calling for.

Can You Play The Games?

Q: Are we going to play or the games will get simmed?

A: The games will not be played completely, but you will get scenarios when you have a highlight. So you will get the chance to shoot, pass, cross, defend, take a set piece, etc. The rest of the game will be commentary.

Interesting indeed. On the surface, it seems that this game will be a sim with the ability to “drop-in” at key moments where you can take control of the action. Commentary is a nice feature if it’s fluid and dynamic, something that has plagued PES, but I wouldn’t be shocked if the commentary sounds like Siri or some other computer-automated dictation.

How Often Can We Drop-In?

Q: How many chances per game are we getting?

A: As we said, we are trying to make the game as realistic as possible, so the number of chances will be different according to the opposition. Better opposition = less chances per game, worse opposition = more chances per game.

A variable amount of chances based on opposition or perhaps difficulty? That’s certainly thinking outside of the box and blends the best of both FIFA/eFootball and Football Manager.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1435970145701097472

Bottom Line

Given the relatively small amount of information released and the lack of a developer being attached to this game, I am skeptical about this title and its chances of being released. While I’m not holding my breath, I am certainly keeping an eye open for additional information on this title considering we’re still some time away from 2023. This newfound trend of different soccer titles, as well as the indie footy scene kicking up, is an encouraging sign. Additionally, game engines such as Unreal that offer greater collaboration could ease the transition into this market for upstarts. Legitimate challenges to FIFA‘s crown are still years away, but the groundwork is being laid, and more importantly, the interest by way of developers is there.