FIFA 18: EA Sports to introduce free 2018 World Cup mode?
What's the story?
EA Sports might have a treat in store for FIFA 18 fans with a free World Cup update as the marquee tournament in Russia is just months away from commencement.
In case you didn't know...
FIFA 14 saw EA Sports release a World Cup update that was free of cost for the FUT players and included players and kits from all the participating teams in the World Cup in Brazil.
The heart of the matter
FIFA fans could be in for a delight as EA Sports might release a free Russia 2018 World Cup mode in the FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT) game. There has been no official confirmation from EA Sports but it follows the precedent that they introduced for the 2014 Brazil World Cup.
In May 2014, EA Sports released a FIFA Ultimate Team: World Cup mode which was given to the players as a free update. That was a surprising change given the fact that EA Sports prefers to follow an in-game purchase model.
The 2014 World Cup mode included all the 32 teams that participated with their kits and players available as cards. The mode included the official Adidas Brazuca match ball and the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. There were items for the players along with updated player images in their national kit and updated stats specifically for the World Cup.
The marquee tournament could be played in both modes - online and offline, right from the group stages to the knockouts.
EA Sports did a wonderful job with the FIFA World Cup in 2014 providing the FUT players a fresh mode and a similar feature for the upcoming event in Russia would be a no-brainer.
What's next?
EA Sports has not officially confirmed the development of the announcement might take place pretty soon.
Author's take
FIFA fans had a great experience back in 2014 with the free mode and the fresh look for an event as big as the World Cup and 2018 should be no different and EA Sports would surely capitalize on the event's grandeur and the popularity of the game to full extent.