Quick Summary
The first FIFA game in several years will launch for free on Netflix next week.
FIFA World Cup: Launch Edition can be played on a TV by any Netflix subscriber using a mobile phone as the controller.
After its acrimonious split from EA Sports, FIFA claimed that it would go it alone with future football games – a move that many expected would result in a new partnership with Konami and its PES / eFootball franchise.
However, it came as a bit of a shock to learn that a few years later, Netflix would be picking up the slack instead. Now we can see exactly what it had in mind.
It has unveiled that the long-awaited new FIFA game will be released on 11 June, to coincide with the launch ceremony and first match of the World Cup in North America. And perhaps the most surprising news is that it will be completely free to play.
FIFA World Cup: Launch Edition will be available to all Netflix subscribers no matter the tier, and it can be played using a mobile phone as the controller. As it runs through the Netflix app, you'll be able to play it on pretty much any smart TV or via a streaming device, and up to four players can join in.
We've not tested it ourselves yet, but the gameplay looks similar to FIFA games of yore (and the EA Sports FC series). Netflix does point out though that this is a "streamlined football simulation game", so don't expect it to compete with Ultimate Team or eFootball for hardcore footy game action.
It's been developed by Delphi Interactive, which is a fairly new studio that's only previously collaborated on 007 First Light with IO Interactive. But it is fully licensed, has the real-life World Cup stadiums, teams and player names, and is, again, completely free to play.
Also, considering this is called the "Launch Edition", it suggests that a more feature-rich game might be in the pipeline too. So we'll see if that comes to fruition once the World Cup is done and dusted.
