##FIFA 19 RELEASE DATE, NEW GAME REVEAL & HOW MUCH IT WILL COST##
FIFA 19
Goal pieces together what we are likely to expect from the most anticipated football video game release of the year
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Just seven months on from the release of FIFA 18, fans are already looking for details on EA Sports' next football game.
The Canada-based company are notoriously good at keeping their cards close to their chest when it comes to information on upcoming releases, but developments through the years coupled with interviews from company officials can give us an idea of what to expect.
Goal has compiled everything we've seen doing the rounds and will continue to update this article when any new information comes to light.
Here's what we know so far...
When will FIFA 19 be released?
There had been talk that there might not even be a FIFA 19 release, with EA Sports chief executive Andrew Wilson stating in a recent interview with Bloomberg that the title could move to a Netflix-style subscription service .
The implementation of such a large undertaking is likely to still be some way away, however, and fans should be able to download FIFA 19 or pick up a physical copy as usual this year.
An official release date is still some time away, too, though we should hear more information when the game in unveiled at the E3 event in Los Angeles in June 2018 .
What we can do is speculate, however, and there's been a very definite pattern around the release dates in the past as outlined in the table below. It would be a huge surprise if EA Sports broke from the pattern of releasing the game in their usual end-of-September/start-of-October window.
Title Release Date
FIFA 07 September 27, 2006
FIFA 08 September 20, 2007
FIFA 09 October 3, 2008
FIFA 10 October 2, 2009
FIFA 11 October 1, 2010
FIFA 12 September 30, 2011
FIFA 13 September 20, 2012
FIFA 14 September 26, 2013
FIFA 15 September 26, 2014
FIFA 16 September 22, 2015
FIFA 17 September 27, 2016
FIFA 18 September 29, 2017
How much will FIFA 19 cost?
The new release will likely cost around the same as FIFA 18, with prices starting from around £49.99 ($69.99) for the standard edition across all platforms.
The special editions cost are expected to cost up to £80-90 ($110-125). Last year the 'Icon Edition' allowed gamers who splashed out £89.99 to play the title three days earlier than everyone else.
Gamers who spend extra on special editions usually get extra FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT) player packs to bolster their new team on the popular game mode.
What formats will it be available on?
FIFA 19 will be available on all the big platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC.
And after the continued success of the Switch, expect to see Nintendo in on the action again for the new instalment.
What will be interesting to see is whether EA Sports continues to use a different engine on the Switch, with Nintendo users having missed out on 'The Journey' mode due to a lack of compatibility.
Additionally, 2017 might have marked the final releases on the old-gen consoles. PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 users may have to buy a new machine in 2018 if they want to enjoy the new game, although nothing is confirmed as things stand.
What features can we expect?
We're very likely to see a return of hugely-popular mode The Journey, which would make its third appearance in a row if confirmed. Why mess with a winning formula?
Similarly popular is FUT, where gamers can pay real cash to open packs that contain players that will contribute to the improvement of squads. Again, it would be strange to get rid of such a lucrative feature.
It's not concrete yet, but 'dynamic weather' could finally make an appearance in FIFA 19. The introduction of ever-changing conditions could alter the momentum of games, with elements like rain and snow likely to cause players to make mistakes and pick up injuries.
What people really want to see, however, is an improvement in server performance – even real life teams' eSports gamers such as New York Red Bull's Mike LaBelle have made their frustrations known.
Since the release of FIFA 18, the gaming community have grumbled that the servers are too unstable, causing disconnections midway through games that result in a DNF (did not finish) modifier, which affects rewards from future matches.
Stay tuned for E3 in June when we'll find out more about what EA have up their sleeve.
