FIFA and PES/eFootball dominated the virtual football scene for years. But UFL from developers Strikerz Inc. is bringing some serious competition for these two. Here's everything you need to know about the free-to-play football game that wants to stir up the market.
For years, for decades actually, the dominance in the football game market was unquestionable: FIFA is the king (mainly due to the numerous licenses) and PES (now called eFootball) has the better gameplay. But now everything will be different. It's about the Ultimate Football League, or UFL for short. Never heard of it? Then you've come to the right place!
UFL Game: What Is That?
Another football title is supposed to appear with Goals, but the publisher Strikerz Inc. also revealed a brand-new title in the football games market. UFL will be a free-to-play football game with focus on online matches. But a career mode could still come and there will be an option to play offline with friends. Sounds really cool, doesn't it?
In the meantime, we have gameplay, a cooperation with Cristiano Ronaldo and many more insights into the details.
UFL Release Date And Gameplay Trailer
We saw the first gameplay on January 27, 2022. As for the official release date, publisher Strikerz Inc. has told us that it will be released between July and December 2023. The last update on Twitter was that it will be released in autumn or winter of this year!
Hey!
— UFL (@UFLgame) January 4, 2023
We plan to release in Q3-Q4 2023, but we don't yet have the exact date.
Check out our CEO's Q&A for more info https://t.co/VIIqNLykc8
Looks quite good so far. Remember. UFL will be free-to-play. Imagine we really get a viable counterpart to FIFA … but for free? Nobody has anything against a free new football game, right? The Partnerships and game modes are sounding great, too.
UFL Got Cristiano Ronaldo As Partner
“I am happy to announce my partnership with UFL. It is truly a revolutionary project in the football video game genre. UFL aims to provide a competitive and fair gaming experience for every gamer." Boom. UFL has Cristiano Ronaldo as a partner. That's pretty awesome for a game that's brand new and just starting.
It is not known how CR7 will continue to be featured in FIFA. But since EA Sports has secured the licences of FIFPro, we assume that CR7 will definitely be in EA's new football game.
The question remains how Ultimate Football League will make profit. We assume that there will be something similar to Ultimate Team (pay to win) for UFL. With FUT, EA is showing how you can swim in money.
All Game Modes In UFL: Offline, Online And "FUT":
UFL offers several game modes, including one that is very similar to FUT. Developer Strikerz Inc. emphasizes that the focus is on the online mode, especially in the year of release.
- Offline & Online 1 vs. 1, 2 vs. 2 and 3 vs. 3 Options (like "Kick-off" in FIFA)
- Flagship Mode (like FUT but without restarting every year)
- Special Missions & Challenges
In flagship mode, you can build your club and team. There, you get players and coaches. Sounds a lot like FUT, it will probably be more or less the same. The special thing: In UFL it will be possible to continue with your club across seasons. Well, we are hyped and curious to see what exactly is behind it...
Original Clubs and Players: What Licenses Does UFL Have?
United Football League also has deals with FIFPro — just like FIFA. However, there won't be quite the same broad lineup at the start as with EA's longstanding flagship. More than 5,000 licensed professional players are said to be in UFL, whereas FIFA 22 comes with over 17,000.
But UFL has already secured its first official partnerships. Oleksandr Zinchenko from Arsenal and Roberto Firmino from Liverpool are advertising partners. UFL also has deals with renowned clubs such as West Ham United, Sporting Lisbon, Shakhtar Donetsk and Borussia Mönchengladbach.
The exact details are not entirely clear. But we think that United Football League has the rights to use the logos, stadiums and player names. Maybe Strikerz Inc. will grab a few licenses just for itself…?
UFL vs. FIFA vs PES/eFootball
It's hard to say at the moment which of the games will attract the most people in the future. Of course, there will be no getting past EA Sports. Its success is too longstanding, its players are too obedient and buy FIFA again every year.
Nevertheless, after the break-up between EA and FIFA, everything is in place for a new player in the game. FIFA 24 will no longer exist as we know it. Konami has to make an effort to keep the "2nd place" in the industry. UFL could be something, we will of course keep you up to date on further developments.