Do we need a new FIFA (FC) every year?

Although I've never been the biggest fan of annual franchises, it's impossible to ignore the impact that game series like F1, Call of Duty, and FIFA (now known as FC) have had on the market. This impact, contrary to what many think, isn't solely due to reselling the same formula every year, but because, on many occasions, they can genuinely be an inexhaustible source of fun that has been evolving (for better or for worse) for several years or even decades.

I admit that although soccer isn't my favorite sport, for some reason I was quite eager to give Football Club 2026 a chance, driven in part by the interesting rebranding they underwent in 2024, and in part because the most recent game in the franchise I owned was from 2023, and I felt an upgrade was due.

However, rather than writing a review, I'd like to reflect a bit on the practices of companies like Activision and Electronic Arts regarding these annual releases, using FC 26 as a point of reference.

While we can't deny that Football Club is a shameful attempt to squeeze money out of the millions of buyers who purchase each new installment, they are also backed by a reality that supports them: the complicated issue of team, league, and player licenses. This means that unless each title is regularly updated, the available rosters quickly become outdated.

This, of course, is a problem that modern technology could solve relatively easily, limiting the release of a new game to situations where there are sufficient incentives for an upgrade (the release of a new game engine and a mode that drastically alters the gameplay of the previous one). But what would be the incentive for companies like Electronic Arts or Konami to do this? If, after all, the vast majority of users are willing to shell out $60 to $100 annually for the game upgrade—not counting all the microtransactions and DLC that plague both FC and eFootball—then what's the point?

The situation is regrettable but understandable: a social contract where the big companies make the bare minimum effort, modifying a couple of kits and updating the rosters, while we accept paying up once again.

It's not all bad, though. We can't deny that there's a considerable difference between the technical performance of a release like FC26 compared to those titles released during the PlayStation 3 or even the PlayStation 4 era. The gameplay has been refined, and we constantly have new mechanics that can be adapted to our playing style to varying degrees.

However, it's difficult to ignore the cynical nature of these practices, and the discomfort and FOMO that each game generates, to the point of announcing its respective sequel within the game itself, and considering the accompanying annual issue a fundamental part of its aesthetic.

The irony of the whole affair is that FC26 is a fairly solid game, where one of its biggest flaws (the lack of some important licenses) isn't a direct consequence of the game itself, but rather of legal and contractual issues that have always plagued the franchise.

Whether or not it's right to buy each new installment of an annual game series is a matter for each consumer. Personally, I have to have too much love for the concept to even consider upgrading.