A new report tells that FIFA 23 will be free-to-play, while FIFA 22 standard edition will cost £59.99. Let's see in details.
 
The report -- which comes the way of FIFA insider, Donk -- not only claims FIFA 23 will be free-to-play, but that it will add cross-play to the series. While the latter is easy enough to imagine, it's difficult to imagine FIFA going free-to-play, even after its only competition went free-to-play. Why? Because it doesn't need to. FIFA sells big numbers each and every year. That said, the bulk of its revenue isn't actually game sales, but micro transactions, and to that end, a free-to-play model makes sense.
 
What is free-to-play?
It's like it says on the tin, these games are free to download and play. Konami has recently revealed that eFootball (formerly known as PES) will be free to play, with optional DLC purchases available for offline game modes. It is now rumored that EA will follow suit and make the FIFA series free-to-play which could really shake things up. This means game modes like Career Mode could become a purchasable add-on and not be included in the free download.
 
Why is FIFA going free to play?
The FIFA series has been a massive seller for EA for well over two decades, with the likes of FIFA 95 and 96 being console movers in the days of the Sega Megadrive. The most recent iteration, FIFA 21, was also a big mover for the company, and with it now being available on the EA Play subscription services, there's even more chance for people to get into the biggest football game on the planet.
 
EA can afford to look at a free-to-play model for FIFA 23 because the FIFA Ultimate Team series is still a huge money-making machine when it comes to micro-transactions.
 
Players buying FIFA Points to get packs has been a big reason that FIFA's YouTube community has grown year after year. The upselling of these micro-transactions have followed suit, meaning that EA can really boost their profits of packs and points if the base game is available to more players than ever without a barrier to entry (like a £59.99 base game price).
 
It remains to be seen if the rumour from Donk will gather any pace; however, it would make sense for EA to consider a free to play model as the series grows more as an eSport to compete with the likes of League of Legends, DOTA 2 and CS:GO.
 
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