The UK-based content creator is right up there with the biggest in the FIFA scene, boasting over 1.7 million subscribers on his channel. In recent months, he’s been posting everything from Ultimate Team videos to Football Manager, but just like everybody else, one eye has been on what comes next for EA’s flagship title.
For the most part, he said to us that he’s optimistic about FIFA 21. Staggered news on the game has been posted regularly but anybody who played FIFA 20 knows the proof is in the pudding, though, not the pitch notes.
The actual game will be where it will sink or swim.
YouTuber Manny on FIFA 21
Ultimate Team is the most popular and competitive game mode. The franchise basically lives off it these days, generating $1.49 billion in net revenue – according to their fourth-quarter fiscal 2020 earnings call this May.
As you would expect, this means a lot of time and effort goes into its development. This year, we have a few new features to look forward to as well.
EA have already confirmed sweeping changes for FUT – including Co-Op, FUT Stadium expansion, and more – not to mention everything coming in Career Mode. Gameplay-wise, things appear to have been fixed across the board, too. This includes manual heading, slicker passing, personality-driven tweaks to positioning. Encouraging stuff.
Manny told us: “My general feeling about FIFA 21 is just optimistic. I feel like FIFA 20 was a step back for FIFA and EA as a whole. So, to keep the interest and fan base the next step has to be forward.”
Ultimate Team and gameplay
One complaint many players had with the last game, in relation to FUT, was the sheer amount of promos. These add loads of new special cards to the game, on a monthly basis. Just like many members of the community, Manny wants to see more of a balance here.
“I would say it’s good that EA are trying to keep the content fresh,” the YouTuber said. “However I also agree with the fact there are too many promos because it seems like the overlook the actual issues in the game meanwhile just pumping out fresh cards to use in questionable gameplay. There are two sides to it, of course. It’s good to use different special cards that we may not have used but it also renders a lot of the regular cards pointless. A balance is definitely needed.”
One of the competitions Ultimate Team players will be more than familiar with by now is FUT Champions. Weekend League happens, well, every weekend. Manny has noticed a shift in playstyle online over the last few years, though, and is hoping to see changes made to encourage more variety this time.
What needs to change in FIFA 21?
In an interview with Dexerto, he said: “The competitive aspect of FIFA has always been there. Way back since the GameBattles days on FIFA 09, now though EA have done it themselves and brought it to the forefront.
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“This has had a good impact in terms of being rewarded for playing games in Champs, rather than just doing Division Rivals and getting the same old rewards. On the flip side, it gives people more of a ‘I must do anything to win mentality’ which makes them play and adopt a boring style of play. I don’t know how they’re going do it but they need to find a way of re-engaging with the casuals and making FUT as whole more fun again.
- Read More: The ultimate FIFA 21 defending guide
“The biggest issues with FUT have been gameplay issues. The game (FIFA 20) started off being really good and balanced and then all of a sudden deficiencies just began to pop out everywhere. The gameplay needs more attention and more realism. It should play in a way where there is a way to use A 6″5 player who hasn’t got pace just a well as a small pacey striker. The only stats that mattered in FIFA 20 were balance, agility and 5* weak foot. It got boring quickly because so many players were unusable.”
The beta is now open, allowing chosen players to test out new features. On paper, things look to be optimistic for FIFA 21, although only time will tell for both Ultimate Team and gameplay.
How many FIFA Points do Ultimate Team players need to buy?
One of the biggest questions Ultimate Team players will be wondering at the start of the game is how many FIFA Points do they need to buy, right off the bat. Well, while Manny admitted this isn’t always a rewarding method of improvement, he did give us a ballpark figure to become competitive.
“I think that you could spend a load of money on FIFA Points and not get the reward you deserve. I would say just enough to guarantee 100k coins then build your team from there and play games. If you want to be more competitive I think you’re talking 20,000 FIFA points and above.”
To put that into perspective for players, using pricing from FIFA 20 as a guideline, that would be around £143.83 ($179.83) just for in-game purchases. If you pick up the Champions Edition, which costs £89.99 ($99.99), and add the cost of the recommended FIFA Points on top you’re looking at around a £230 ($270) investment altogether.
That’s just to be competitive at the start as well. As time goes on you can expect that figure to rise and rise as more competitors invest. It means you’re spending more than the amount you paid for the game in add-ons very quickly, too.
Hopefully, Manny’s wish list for FIFA 21 will reflect reality when the game rolls out on October 6. For more information on literally everything FIFA 21, head over to our game information hub.
Until next time, follow @UltimateTeamUK on Twitter because there’s much more exclusive content like this to come.
