EA SPORTS has opened the door to more crossovers in FIFA 23 and beyond after adding Marvel hero cards to Ultimate Team as well as Ted Lasso face scans.
Ted Lasso has been running since August 2020, following the journey of the fictional team Richmond FC which started in the Premier League in Season 1.
After two campaigns of drama and suspense, the show returns in early 2023 for Season 3. Though, football fans around the world won’t have to wait much longer to see the unconventional coach take the reigns once again in the dugout, as he’s included in FIFA 23.
This isn’t the only crossover EA has confirmed, either, with Marvel having their name on the Heroes cards in Ultimate Team.
And it appears this is just the start of a trend for the series.
Ted Lasso arrives in FIFA 23
In an exclusive interview with Dexerto, EA gameplay design director Kantcho Doskov opened up about seeing Lasso – and his glorious mustache – in the game they helped design.
“I was a fan of the show and I was really excited to watch that video. I have played myself with Richmond and Ted Lasso in the game. All the characters are there, the coach is there. And I mean, I’m pretty impressed even as a developer like, wow, we did that, that’s more than I expected even.”
When FIFA 22 debuted Create A Club in Career Mode, it was widely speculated that Richmond would be added to the mix. The manager and players will be available when the game goes into early access, on September 27.
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Expect Fortnite-style crossovers in FIFA 23 & beyond
Looking ahead, the developers have a massive rebrand on the horizon in 2023, as the series will be renamed to EA SPORTS FC. This followed a public back-and-forth with Electronic Arts and FIFA, with the latter looking to branch out from their exclusive naming rights agreements to secure more crossovers in gaming.
Epic Games appears to have already secured content for the FIFA World Cup – according to Fortnite leaks, a game known for multiple collaborations with endemic brands – and it appears EA would be open to see more crossovers in their game moving forward.
“I would hope so (more crossovers),” Doskov continued. “That show, in particular, Ted Lasso, even my parents who aren’t really football fans, they watch it and they enjoy it. And it kind of brings the audiences into the sport. It’s just bringing more people around the world into football and into FIFA. And that’s why I think it’s successful.
“So if there are any other things like that, or shows or any other media that sort of makes that connection, and it feels right, I would hope that we could do it in the future.”
Many might have predicted that the change of name to EA SPORTS FC would be used as an opportunity to open the series up to working with other major brands.
There is a clear appetite, not just from developers but from fans across the world, for this to happen. With Marvel and Apple TV+ under their belt, who knows what the future will hold for this series.
