FIFA 23 Ultimate Team brings in a total overhaul to the Chemistry system, marking one of the biggest changes to a core FUT feature fans have seen for many years. The game’s gameplay design director, Kantcho Doskov, has explained the thinking behind the changes and addressed some of the early confusion.
Football fans around the world are finally dropping into FIFA 23 for the first time, and the yearly Ultimate Team grind is back on. For all of the exciting new features present in the mode in FIFA 23, the main change players will notice as soon as they fire up Ultimate Team is the revamped Chemistry system.
The tried-and-tested setup, which saw players link to those around them in the formation, has been scrapped, with every member of the starting 11 now offering links to every other player in the team.
Players are now assigned a Chemistry rating out of three, based on how many of their teammates share a league, nation, or club with them. This means that managers now have to consider far factors if they want to achieve perfect harmony within their squad.
In an interview with Dexerto, FIFA 23 gameplay design director, Kantcho Doskov, gave some insight as to why such a vital feature has been overhauled after all this time.
“Even as a fan I play Ultimate Team, every year I try to build my favorite fantasy squad. But the thing is, often in the past, I couldn’t put in players that I wanted to because they didn’t link up in the previous system,” Doskov explained.
“The most interesting thing for me is that now I can put certain players together that may not have bonded well in the old system. So it gives more possibilities and more variety in the types of squads you can build – that’s why I’m excited.”
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As you can probably imagine, fans who have become accustomed to the same Chemistry system for over are struggling to adapt. After both the Web App and early access went live for creators, key figures in the FUT community mentioned that they were still confused about how to achieve maximum Chemistry within their squads and in SBCs.
Is anyone else still trying to fully understand the new chemistry system in FIFA 23? 😭
— Matt Craig (@MattHDGamer) September 22, 2022
When asked about fans’ struggles to navigate the new system, Kantcho Doskov said that the team expected some early teething issues, but he thinks that players will embrace the change long-term.
“I think there’s a bit of a learning curve, it’s because it’s been a certain way for so many years and now it’s completely different. You have to try a few things out, it’s going to take a little bit of time. But I think once people figure it out, it’s gonna feel really satisfying to build those different versions of squads that you can do before.”
There’s no doubt that Chemistry in FIFA 23 is a huge departure from what FUT fans are used to, but only time will tell if fans to take to the revamped system and make the most of the flexibility that the developers are trying to offer them.
FIFA 23 launches worldwide on September 30, and with a boatload of top-rated stars and SBCs available on day one, players won’t have to wait too long to try out the new-look squad building.