FIFA and PES/eFootball have dominated the virtual soccer scene for decades. With UFL from the makers Strikerz Inc. comes serious competition for the two. All info on the free soccer game that wants to shake up the scene.
For years, nay decades, dominance in the game of soccer was quite clearly settled: FIFA is the king (mainly because of the numerous licenses) and PES (since this – Season eFootball) has the better gameplay. But now everything is to be different.
Not only that Konami really messed up with eFootball and ran the launch of the free-to-play version into the wall, the gameplay of FIFA 22 is also really fun! No, no – we’re not here to have such discussions at all, relax. We’re talking about the Ultimate Football League, or UFL for short. Never heard of it? Then you’ve come to the right place!
Developer Strikerz Inc. presents UFL: What is it?
After the release of Goals, another soccer title, publisher Strikerz Inc. also unpacks a title. UFL will be a free-to-play soccer game with a focus on online matches. However, there could also be a career mode, and there will be the option to play offline with friends. That sounds really cool, doesn’t it?
Developer Strikerz Inc. has already answered some questions in a Q&A. In the meantime, there is gameplay, a cooperation with Cristiano Ronaldo and first reactions to UFL.
UFL release date and gameplay trailer
On January 27, 2022, the first gameplay has been released. Publisher Strikerz Inc. has not yet commented on the official release, but it should still be released in 2022! We assume that it will be released in the fall, in time for the new – Season .
It all looks very good already. And don’t forget: UFL will be free. Imagine if we really got a viable counterpart to FIFA… but for free? No one would mind a free new soccer game, right? The partnerships and modes don’t sound bad either.
UFL gets Cristiano Ronaldo as a partner – is he disappearing from FIFA?
“I am delighted to announce my partnership with UFL. This is truly a revolutionary project in the soccer video game genre. UFL’s goal is to provide a competitive and fair gaming experience for every player.” Boom. UFL has Cristiano Ronaldo as a partner. Pretty rad for a game that just launched.
It’s not known what will happen with CR7 in FIFA. But we assume that after the extension with FIFPro, all superstars will be in FIFA 23.
It is still questionable how Ultimate Football League will make profit. We assume that there will be something similar to Ultimate Team (pay to win) for the UFL. With FUT, EA is showing how money can be made.
UFL gameplay reactions
After unveiling its game in Abu Dhabi, the publisher thanked us for “all the positive feedback we received during the sessions.” We’re really excited to see how UFL will play. The graphics aren’t world-class – but for the debut of a free-to-play title, they’re not too bad either. There’s already something to be made of it.
Offline, Online and FUT: All game modes in UFL
UFL offers several game modes, including one that strongly resembles FUT. Developer Strikerz Inc. emphasizes that the focus is on the online mode, especially in the release year.
Offline and online 1 vs. 1, 2 vs. 2, and 3 vs. 3 modes (like “Kick-off” in FIFA).
Flagship mode (like FUT, but maybe without starting from scratch every year).
Special missions and challenges
Flagship mode lets you build your club and team by hiring players and coaches. Sounds a lot like FUT, probably will. The special feature: in UFL it should be possible to continue your club – even across – Season s. Well, we are curious what exactly is behind it.
Original clubs and players: What licenses does the UFL have?
The United Football League also has contracts with FIFPro – just like FIFA. However, the selection at launch won’t be quite as large as EA’s long-standing flagship. There are supposed to be more than 5,000 licensed professional footballers in the UFL. FIFA 22 comes in at over 17,000.
But the UFL has already signed its first official partnerships. Besides CR7, ManCity’s Oleksandr Zinchenko and Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino are figureheads and advertising partners. In addition, the UFL has signed contracts with well-known clubs such as West Ham United, Sporting Lisbon, Shakhtar Donetsk and Borussia Mönchengladbach.
What exactly lies behind these contracts is not entirely clear. However, we suspect that the United Football League owns the rights to the logos, stadiums and player names. Maybe Strikerz Inc. is snatching up some licenses for themselves…?
UFL vs. FIFA vs. PES/eFootball
Which of the games will attract the most people in the future is hard to predict at this point. Sure, there’s still no way around FIFA 23. Its success is too long-lasting, gamers are too obedient and buy FIFA again every year.
Still, with the FIFA series as we know it coming to an end, everything is set for a new player in the game. Konami will have to work hard to keep the “2nd place” in the industry. UFL can become something, of course, we will keep you informed of further developments.
FIFA 23 RELEASE – WHAT IS KNOWN SO FAR
FIFA 22 is still in full operation, but in the background the game makers of EA Sports are already working on the next part – FIFA 23 will be released in autumn 2022.
But under which name will the classic game be continued in autumn 2022? As things stand, it is not at all certain that the game will continue to bear the name of the world association FIFA. We have the most important information about FIFA 23 for you, why the game series will get a new name and on which consoles the next part of the soccer simulation will be available.
WHEN WILL FIFA 23 BE RELEASED?
We can’t give you an official launch date for the next part of the FIFA game series yet. EA hasn’t communicated much in this regard yet, so so far we can only assume that FIFA 23 will be released in the period between mid-September and early October 2022, just like its predecessors. In the past years, the latest launch date of a FIFA game was October 06.