STACK #263 September 2026

GAMING FEATURE

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WOMEN RISING “In the first 26 days following FC 26 ’s launch, Women’s Player Items were used more than one billion times in online Ultimate Team matches, up nearly 30% year over year.”

philosophies over multiple seasons. We’ve also overhauled how players perform and develop throughout their careers. Dynamic OVR allows ratings to rise and fall based on factors like form, confidence, fitness, injuries, and playing time. New Growth Profiles add more variety to long-term development, reflecting how real players can break through, peak, and decline at very different stages of their careers. With staggering advances in AI generally, how have you harnessed the technology to improve FC 27 ? AI has long been part of how we develop more responsive and authentic football experiences, from gameplay systems to presentation. Where AI is used, our focus is on enhancing the player experience and supporting the people who help bring the game to life. In FC 27 , one example is AI-supported commentary, which helps create more dynamic match storytelling. When it comes to commentary and talent, this is a collaboration with approved talent and rights holders. Our focus is on using technology responsibly to improve the experience for players. What excites you the most personally about EA Sports FC 27 ? For me, it's the new skill-based crossing system. It's a great example of the direction we're taking gameplay in for FC 27 , giving players more control while making key moments feel more rewarding. Delivering the perfect cross now takes more precision and timing, and when you connect with a diving header or create a great chance from wide areas, it feels genuinely satisfying. It's one of those changes that adds more depth to gameplay while still feeling authentic to football.

GENRE: Sports MULTIPLAYER: Yes

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It’s that time of year when soccer fans get justifiably super excited, as EA Sports FC 27 heads our way.We spoke with senior game design director Kantcho Doskov to learn more about what’s in store in this year’s model. Words Amy Flower KICK IT TO ME!

How did you harness community feedback in shaping your priorities and design choices for FC 27 ? Community feedback continues to be at the centre of how we develop EA Sports FC . Across FC 24, FC 25, and FC 26 , we’ve listened closely to what players love, where they see opportunities to improve, and what they want to see reflected in-game from the real-world sport. Those insights have helped shape our priorities for FC 27 . You can see that directly in gameplay, where we’ve made changes in response to community feedback, including intelligent curved runs, off-balance dribbling, spatial awareness, and defensive and attacking AI. Can you please outline any significant changes in gameplay? We’re focused on giving players more control and creating more expressive gameplay across both attacking and defending. Authentic Gameplay 2.0 brings more personality to the players and greater variety in opposition tactics. We’ve also improved off ball movement, with attacking runs that better recognise space, defensive positioning, and the offside line, alongside new manually triggered run options that give players more control. Manual runs have also been refined to create more authentic attacking situations and better reflect a player’s positioning and responsibilities. Defending has also been rebalanced to reward manual decision making, while off-balance dribbling creates more dynamic one-on-one encounters. We’ve also reworked heading and finishing from crosses and corners, with greater precision required for clean contact and more

variety in how players attack the ball.

The big new thing this year isThe Grounds – an open-world mode. Can you please tell us more? The Grounds is our new social football playground and the biggest update to Clubs yet. It brings up to 100 players together in a shared world built around a central Terrace and three distinct districts inspired by football cultures from around the world. It’s a place to meet up with friends, play small sided matches and casual Kickabouts, connect with football mentors, and express your football identity beyond the match. With Clubs at the heart of the experience, players have more ways to connect, compete, recruit teammates, and progress together. Career mode has been given an overhaul – how have you improved upon it? One of the biggest changes is the rebuilt Transfer Market. We’ve partnered with TransferRoom on a new player variation model, expanded negotiations, and improved AI so clubs recruit, spend, and build their squads with more distinct

• EA Sports FC 27 is out Sep 25

14 SEPTEMBER 2026

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