EA FC 24 is set to add women’s players to Ultimate Team for the first time in the mode’s history. Following complaints that having men and women would affect the realism of Ultimate Team, a dev responded to the backlash in an interview with Dexerto.
When EA SPORTS FC 24 arrives later this year, it’s set to deliver a whole host of fresh features across each of its modes. Pro Clubs fans can finally enjoy crossplay to join up with friends on other platforms, while Career Mode players will be able to hire coaches and negotiate with agents.
Ultimate Team is also receiving plenty of new additions, including the interesting Evolutions system that lets managers upgrade their own cards. However, arguably the biggest change is the arrival of women’s players in Ultimate Team for the first time.
This will allow EA FC 24 players to build squads featuring both male and female stars, leading to a few complaints that Ultimate Team will be less realistic as a result. But the game’s Senior Producer, Gareth Reeder, told Dexerto why they took the decision.
“Ultimate Team is all about building your dream squad. We wanted to make sure men’s and women’s football could come together,” said Reeder. “I think it’s just going to give more choice in terms of what players people want to put into squads.”
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He also revealed some of the thought processes around the ratings for women’s players once they finally make their FUT debut, explaining that the team wanted to portray both sides of the sport as fairly as possible.
“We wanted to make sure that we could respect the competitions that they play in real life,” Reeder continued. “So, if wanted to have the WSL and Chelsea’s Sam Kerr, we want her to be just as good as she is in Kick-Off mode as she is in Ultimate Team. We’re bringing those men’s and women’s worlds together on the pitch.”
EA SPORTS has been expanding its roster of women’s licenses in recent years, and adding stars like Alexia Putellas and Lucy Bronze to Ultimate Team in EA FC 24 is the next step in representation. Women’s players will also show up in promos throughout the year, so only time will tell how their inclusion will shake up the meta.
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