[jwplayer S0RLWo1s]EA SPORTS have drawn some criticism for scrapping the FIFA 21 demo after fans had been expecting its release ahead of the game’s full launch.
Each year, prior to the release of the new FIFA title, there are few things to tick off along the way. We have the cover reveal and first gameplay tease as the summer starts, then everything builds up to the beta, ratings release, and then the Web App.
Though, for fans who aren’t lucky enough to get beta access, the demo provides the first chance to get hands on with the new game. In years past, the demo has typically launched two weeks before the games actual release, but that isn’t the case with FIFA 21.
On September 21, EA SPORTS confirmed that they would not be releasing a demo for FIFA 21. They stated this is because they’re working on getting things ready for next-gen, but some fans aren’t pleased.
Plenty of fans responded to the dev’s tweet about scrapping the demo, expressing their displeasure, and voicing their theories on why it’s been cancelled.
FIFA YouTuber Danny ‘R9Rai’ quickly chimed in, saying: “No excuse now, gameplay has to be 10/10 lads.”
Other content creators like Nick28T and MattFUTtrading urged EA to not let the fans down. “It is all understandable under current COVID issues. Just don’t let us down when you DO release the game,” said Nick.
No excuse now gameplay has to be 10/10 lads. No button delay pls
— R9Rai (@R9Rai) September 21, 2020
Just make #FIFA21 good. That’s all we want. Please.
No demo. Late game release. It is all understandable under current COVID issues. Just don’t let us down when you DO release the game.
— Nick 🇨🇦 (@Nick28T) September 21, 2020
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Fair play, spend the time focusing on the best full game experience.
Just don't disappoint, seeing as the first time many will get to play the game will be through a paid version.
Don't. Let. The. Fans. Down. 👍🏻
— Matt (@MattFUTTrading) September 21, 2020
Not everyone took the post so well, however. Many quickly spammed EA’s replies with clown emojis and berated them for breaking with the traditions.
Posters on Reddit, like jnicholl, suggested that the demo had been scrapped to prevent people canceling pre-orders. “More like they don’t want people to cancel their preorder by playing a demo with sh**e gameplay,” they commented.
Others suggested that scrapping the demo would disrupt the hype surrounding the release – especially as next-gen approaches.
Comment byu/GeorgeCuz from discussion inEASportsFC
Though many concerns might be valid, EA not rolling out a demo is understandable as the on-going global pandemic is likely to disrupted development and they’re also gearing up for next-gen – which could have some different gameplay than current gen.
As of writing, the October 9 release date of FIFA 21 remains in place but if anything changes you’ll be able to find the latest news over on @UltimateTeamUK.