What's Going on With UFL?

The last time there was news related to UFL was way back in January. This came via the official gameplay reveal, which we covered here. It’s been some time since then, so what’s going on with the UFL these days? The original video below was primarily a developer diary explaining how UFL was made, but towards the end of the video we got a little more meat. With strong PES and FIFA vibes, the UFL gameplay seems to have a solid base. While I can’t expect them to get everything right, the sole fact that we’re even discussing a third company making a soccer game is a plus in everyone’s book.

What’s Going On With UFL?

It’s been a little quiet since the big reveal, but with them being based out of Ukraine there are other more important circumstances at play that have certainly led to communication not coming as frequently as it normally would. Let’s catch up and see what’s been going on with UFL now.

Release Date

The release date for UFL has been somewhat of a mystery since the start. Considering the game was built from the ground-up, it’s fine to have some patience. 2022 was always the target date, but Strikerz Inc. CEO Eugene Nashilov dropped a hint last week on Twitter:

1. We will publish a schedule for a new video format that will substitute dev diaries with the next episode. Gameplay videos will be a part of that of course as we will touch base on many topics
2. On release date: hoping to have it and publish it around Gamescom. Challenging 😅

— Eugene Nashilov (@styxflows) April 14, 2022

It’s still unclear what exactly “publish” means. It could mean that at Gamescom 2022 (August 24-28th) we get the release date or that we get the full game then. Either way, we know that late this summer we’re getting the definitive answer. The first part of Eugene Nashilov’s tweet talks to a new video format that will replace the previously published “Dev Diaries” series they were running on their official YouTube channel. The previously published videos were shorter reveals with their longer clips hosted by IGN.

Dev Diaries

Speaking of Dev Diaries, there have been two shorter clips published since the Official Gameplay Reveal.

The first of these videos focused on cutscenes. Even though we’re gameplay first around these parts, it’s important to highlight the “little things” that bring immersion into the equation. In this brief clip, UFL emphasizes their realistic intentions by creating cutscenes that mirror real-life emotion and authenticity, whether that be the reactions of the players and/or the camera angles used to capture the moment. Facial expressions, blended animations, and various other specifics highlight their attention to detail. In the case of facial expressions, it will be particularly interested to see if they can pull off realistic facial movements, something that FIFA and eFootball struggle with to this day.

The second and most recent video posted by UFL focuses on equipment.

Everything from kits, banners, and captain armbands are highlighted with textures looking particularly good. Kits, while not detailed in the sense that we’ll know if we can customize them, look to be high resolution for the authentic ones donned by official partners such as West Ham United. Customization is a main ingredient to a successful game nowadays, and by the looks of it, UFL will have some options to choose from when the game finally releases.

Random Musings

As often is the case now, companies maintain an online presence to gauge and interact with the community. With Eugene very active on Twitter, several small tidbits of information can be learned.

Will UFL Be Playable On PC?

PC is complicated for us in a few ways that’s why we don’t give a definitive answer. I think I will write a few posts on why it is so soon.

— Eugene Nashilov (@styxflows) April 14, 2022

As the PC gaming community exploded during the pandemic, which also coincided with a scarcity of next-gen consoles, a lot of gamers have turned their main focus to gaming PCs. Offering more power and the ability to modify games, PCs are more popular now than ever, but as Mr. Nashilov says, they come with their own set of challenges. We’ve seen the likes of this before with FIFA 22 where their most hyped next-gen feature, HyperMotion, wasn’t able to make it to the PC (or even last-gen systems). Oftentimes, these new features are resource heavy and/or require commonality when it comes to specs. These are the same specs that frequently separate the PC community, leaving gaming companies to set the specs for games on the lower end as to not exclude any potential buyers. Hopefully within the next few weeks we’ll get an answer from Mr. Nashilov.

On The Topic Of Licenses

National teams are currently a topic of discussion. Not so ez 😐

— Eugene Nashilov (@styxflows) April 14, 2022

So we’ve seen a few partner clubs cozy up to UFL, but with the World Cup around the corner, the status of national teams are currently up in the air. National teams seem to be a tricky license to procure, most likely down to having to negotiate with each individual nation instead of securing a league like with club teams. We’ll see how authentic FIFA’s World Cup mode will be this year, if it comes out at all, a result of potentially parting with the FIFA license as their contract winds down.

New licenses and partnerships will form a second chapter of reveals, but it is planned for a later period this year.

— Eugene Nashilov (@styxflows) April 14, 2022

We’ve seen the likes of West Ham and Sporting CP sign deals with UFL, as well as player partnerships such as Romelu Lukaku and Kevin de Bruyne, but beyond that we haven’t heard too much as stated before. Eugene gives us a little insight into some new deals being announced later this year, so it’s safe to assume that the team is working on securing new deals.

A Potential Demo?

It’s not exactly the way you put it. We will be showing various gameplay aspects with our show and somewhere around that time we will start posting goals / highlights from the game. All of that is about to happen in the coming months of summer

— Eugene Nashilov (@styxflows) April 14, 2022

We touched on the release date a little, but this is the first time UFL has responded to talks of a demo or longer gameplay video. There still isn’t mention of an actual demo, something that seems to be slowly dying, but videos are incoming and they will be of the highlight variety. That’s not ideal seeing as 11-on-11 gameplay is the best indicator of how a game will play — besides actually playing it ourselves.

Bottom Line

With eFootball 2022 and FIFA 22 dominating the current landscape, the initial excitement generated by UFL has subsided some. The hype stemming from the announcement and subsequent videos, mainly the gameplay clip, has quieted down, which is completely understandable considering what’s going on in the studio’s neck of the woods. However, it seems as if their team is safe and still working on the game with some big announcements on the horizon. Nevertheless, it’s going to be a big summer leading up to a potential fall release coinciding with the start of new domestic campaigns. Hopefully we’ll receive some more information soon on modes as well as gameplay.