The one constant about annual sports video games is that not much changes about the gameplay or mechanics between each instalment. However, EA Sports is changing that with FIFA 21, as the developer will be making changes to the game’s Career Mode with inspirations from Sega’s football sim Football Manager.

According to the FIFA 21 website, EA Sports has highlighted eight key changes and additions to FIFA 21‘s Career Mode. Overall, these improve the management side of the game’s Career Mode by adding more depth and mechanics.

FIFA 21 Interactive Match Sim

These include:

• Interactive Match Sim – This seems to be a stripped-down version of Football Manager. Players will be able to jump in and out of matches while using the management view to make tactical changes as the game progresses.
• Revamped Growth System – This allows you to be more involved with how your players develop and train, as well as enables you to even train players in new positions, like changing defensive midfielders into centre backs.
• Match Sharpness – This brand new attribute controls how well your players will perform in “crucial moments” during matches.
• Active Training System – You will be able to organise group training sessions that improve your players.
• Activity Management System – This is another Football Manager-like addition, where you can manage how much training and how much rest your team will receive between matches, balancing morale and fitness.
• Enhanced Opposition AI – Your AI opponents will now act more “with more intelligence” when attacking and defending, in order to present more challenge.
• New Ways To Sign Players – Career Mode will now feature Loan-to-Buy offers with optional or mandatory future transfer fees to secure new talent for your team, and allow you to respond to player swap proposals made by rival AI managers.
• New Initial Set-up Options – Before starting Career Mode, you’ll be able to switch certain elements on or off to make the experience more realistic or less so, including ‘Authentic Transfers’, or starting with more money via “Financial Takeover”.

EA Sports promises that more details and information will be revealed sometime in August 2020. FIFA 21 is slated to release for the PS4, Xbox One and PC on 9 October 2020, with a free full upgrade to the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions later for those who already own the current-gen versions.

In the meantime, check out the new FIFA 21 trailer below.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwtBQtF_UHA&w=560&h=315]