Worldwide, pre-order customers got a glimpse of the new EA FC 25. For MeinMMO author Thomas Dummer, the first 30 games went very well. He hopes for a coaching position at a big club to showcase his new tactical skills. Deep down, he knows, however, that it is less about his abilities and much more about a new technology that provides more game intelligence than ever before.
At a press presentation in July, Thomas Caleffi, one of the main producers of EA Sports, spoke about a new technology that should be nothing less than the “most significant change in over a decade.” A new artificial intelligence, called “FC IQ,” was born.
The biggest, because visibly apparent, change was something EA had actually accomplished a year earlier when they separated in 2023 from their long-standing co-publisher and ultimately also the name giver, the football world association “FIFA.
In one thing, however, EA remains true. The next new era is supposed to also consist of 4 letters (FC IQ). “The last remnants of the ex-partner,” would be what some might say.
Here’s how my first game with FC IQ in FC 25 went: Without much thought, I jumped right into the kickoff mode and into my first game in FC 25. Real Madrid now has this incredible offense with Mbappé, Bellingham, and Vini Junior. “This can only turn out well,” I thought to myself.
And how well it works. I drive the ball through the midfield with Bellingham, and as I approach the opponent’s penalty area, Mbappé makes himself available for a short pass. And then it happens.
Out of nowhere, the French center forward offers me a run path between two defenders. I just need to pass the ball through the gap; the rest is a formality. Just like you would expect from a world star on the soccer field.
Everything seems the same as always, right? Wait a minute. Mbappé first presents me with a passing option and then independently chooses the perfect run for a deadly pass, without me having to give him a command. Upon closer reflection, I realize that this does feel somewhat new for EA FC.
So I hit pause for a moment to see why this could work so well. Then I remember: With the new FC IQ technology, there are also new player roles. I might want to take a closer look at those.
With FC IQ, the stars make me feel like a master coach
Here’s how the roles affect FC 25: I look into the team tactics and see next to Mbappé two times the green plus next to his role as a strike professional.
The explanation states: A versatile attacking professional who usually stays close to the opponent’s defensive line. The professional also offers a passing option in build-up play and makes runs behind the defense to create scoring chances.
This actually sounds exactly like what I just saw with my own eyes. That’s already a good start. And on we go.
Kickoff. And already my opponent sets me up. I win the ball and drive it forward on the left. My opponent crowds me on the left side with many players. On the right side, my right-back Carvajal recognizes the space on his flank and starts a push.
Once again, a player recognizes the potential of a run path. It can’t be…. Yes. Daniel Carvajal also has a player role with the two green plus signs.
After the match, I don’t want to play anymore. And it has nothing to do with the gameplay; rather, I now have a completely different mission. I’m studying the best players and their player roles.
My first conclusion: The new player roles seem to keep the promise EA made. The artificial intelligence makes clever decisions and gives players a certain degree of autonomy. This results in a varied gameplay while also providing a better understanding of what my teammates are planning next.
It was clear what FC IQ meant, right?
FC IQ first sounds like a catchy word construct that I could get excited about right away. I’ve been playing FC (short for EA FC), especially considering FIFA, for 20 years anyway. And I never had any objections to a bit more IQ (short for intelligence quotient) in gameplay for my players either.
So what is this FC IQ actually? Behind the catchy term lies a lot of content. Without wanting to go into detail, FC IQ encompasses the movements of players off the ball.
For this, EA Sports closely examined the movement patterns of real football professionals. EA’s analysis tool “Opta” has collected up to 4,000 minutes of data material on individual players.
The result is the player roles that come as a new feature in FC 25. They are supposed to indicate how well a player can execute certain positions under specific 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 also necessary when we look back at the gameplay, especially the tactical approach in FC 24.
Hopefully, the new player roles will end the tyranny of the meta-tactics
From a tactical standpoint, after what felt like a week with FC 24 – let’s say a month, way too early anyway – players settled on a single formation, the name of which will not be mentioned here, which everyone played. Or had to play because it was simply the meta tactic that could not be countered and which all pros also played.
In the end, everyone knew how their next and the following opponents would play.
In the common forums, players yearned 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 responded to the inquiries and demands with a clear: “FC IQ”
The launch of EA FC 25 was promising. The initially 31 different player roles could also just mark the beginning of a new feature that might be expanded with more roles over time, even perhaps still in FC 25.
The good and very good players in FC 25 distinguish themselves from the rest not only by better ratings and playstyles but also differ from the worse ones in their game intelligence. Even in FC 24, I would have never thought about choosing the formation according to my players’ strengths, as I always imposed my system on them. Now my players and their roles, however, have a significant say.
