Borussia Dortmund star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang might not feature in FIFA 18

What’s the story?

Borussia Dortmund star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, the fastest player in FIFA 17, may not be a playable character in EA Sport’s upcoming FIFA 18. This new has shocked a lot of fans as Aubameyang was considered to be the fastest player in FIFA 17.

Context

When FIFA 17 was released last year, Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was crowned as the fastest player in FIFA 17, with a pace rating of 96. While the striker was extremely delighted, he joked about it to EA Sports and said: “What took ya so long?” However, while speaking to Fox Sports earlier today, EA Sports announced that fan popular striker may not be a part of FIFA 18. Aubameyang was also the third-quickest man on FIFA 16 behind Arsenal’s Theo Walcott and Dusseldorf’s Matthis Bolly.

Heart of the matter

Earlier today EA Sports told Fox Spots that despite being very popular, the fan popular Chinese Super League (CSL) won’t be a part of FIFA 18. This news seems to have disappointed quite a lot of fans. Earlier reports had suggested that EA Sports had already confirmed that CSL would be a playable league in FIFA 18 and that EA Sports had already started the photo-shoots of players to expand the roster. Moreover, the lack of a Chinese Super League would imply that many superstars who fans love to pick during multiplayer matches will also not be available. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is strongly linked to a 70 million move to Chinese Super League side Tianjin Quanjian. Moreover, given that the Gabon international team is not in the game either, the striker may not b a part of FIFA anymore.

“Our intention with FIFA is to bring the best leagues in the world...Yes, we thought about the Chinese league, but for now, the Super League will not be included in FIFA 18,” said Sam Rivera, EA Sports’ lead gameplay producer. While other players like Hulk and Oscar won’t be playable for their clubs either, they will still feature as part of the Brazil squad.

What’s next?

Gamers have been asking EA Sports to include the Chinese league for months. Earlier this year, Jiangsu Suning’s Alex Teixeira Santos posted a picture on Instagram, with the caption: “Official presentation for FIFA 18 new jersey for the 2017 season.” Taking all this into account, it is surprising that EA Sports decided to not include the league. Fans are even more confused as to which league EA will now add to the game. While ISL currently sits second on the FIFA fan voting website, a merger issue may prevent EA Sports from having ISL in the game as well. We will know more only when the game comes out in September.

Author’s take

EA Sports has a history of not sharing too much information before the launch of a game. However, EA Sport’s decision to not include CSL in FIFA 18 is very surprising. It would be interesting to see which leagues they will add now that CSL and ISL will not be in the next game.