Why there will be two different versions of FIFA 18 this year

What’s the story?

As the release date for FIFA 18 draws near, it is now clear that this will be the second edition of the game using the ‘Frosbite’ Engine. This means yet another form of The Journey mode will also be present for fans to enjoy. This, however, does not seem to be the case for FIFA 18 on Nintendo Switch.

FIFA 18 on Nintendo Switch, as it turns out, won’t even be called FIFA 18. The game will go by the name of ‘FIFA on Nintendo Switch’ and will not contain Journey Mode or even be powered by the Frostbite engine that FIFA 18 runs on. On the face of it, this appears to be a major blow to Nintendo users. EA Sports sources also confirmed to Sportskeeda, that the Switch version will have a different cover star as well.

In case you didn’t know...

Nintendo Switch allows classic FIFA gaming content to be played on-the-go and has been a relative success for the Japanese company in the past. However this time around, it appears as though sales may take a hit.

Downgraded version aside, Nintendo continues to have the support of most fans so it is also possible that a different version of FIFA could hit the portable screens. It remains to be seen what the change would be like and how it would affect Nintendo users.

The Journey mode is back for another season in FIFA 18

The heart of the matter

FIFA is one of the best games to play while travelling and Nintendo’s vast fanbase allows the game to reach millions of fans around the world. So, it is safe to assume that the revamped version of the game on Nintendo Switch wouldn’t necessarily be a downgrade.

Journey mode on FIFA 17 garnered massive respect from fans and the addition of Frostbite by EA made the game better on many different levels.

While fans still have the PS4, Xbox one and PC to enjoy FIFA 18 on, the revamped version on the Switch could prove to be a blessing in disguise with a possible second version of the game being developed for the portable device.

What’s Next

Nintendo Switch receiving a different version of the FIFA 18 could lead to reduced sales if the game is a downgraded version. However, since Nintendo is the only option for travellers to continue playing FIFA, it is most likely that fans would still accept a different version of the game on their Nintendo device.

Author’s take

In my opinion, Journey mode was one of the most exciting features of FIFA 17. The Frostbite engine made the game more enjoyable and the various different improvements made FIFA fun again. That being said, it would be a major disappointment if the same exciting features weren’t available on-the-go.

Nintendo Switch players deserve a version at least on par with the rest of the consoles if not the exact same one.