NEW GAME PROPOSITION RP

EA SPORTS FC - THE ULTIMATE FOOTBALL LIFE AND PERSISTENT FOOTBALL WORLD CONCEPT

A VISION FOR THE FUTURE OF FOOTBALL GAMES

EA SPORTS FC already allows players to experience football on the pitch, but I believe there is an opportunity to create something much bigger: a football experience where players do not simply control a professional footballer for ninety minutes, but actually live an entire life inside the football world.

The idea would be to combine EA SPORTS FC gameplay with the immersion of a realistic open world, the depth of a management simulation, the freedom of an RPG and the social interaction of a persistent online world.

Instead of making the player think, “I want to play one more match”, the objective should be to make them think, “I want to see what happens next in my football life.”

This could become the future of Player Career Mode or even a completely separate EA SPORTS FC experience.

START AS NOBODY AND BUILD A REAL CAREER

A career could begin at sixteen, seventeen or eighteen years old in a small club, academy, youth team or lower division.

At first, almost nobody knows who you are.

You play in smaller stadiums with fewer supporters and less media attention.

If you start performing well, scouts begin appearing in the stands.

At first, maybe there is only one scout watching you. A few weeks later, your agent tells you that several clubs are interested.

Eventually, clubs begin making real offers.

One club may offer more money. Another may guarantee playing time. Another may offer Champions League football but no guarantee of starting. Another may present a long-term development project.

The player would have to choose between money, prestige, playing time, development and ambition.

A young player could join a giant club too early and spend two years on the bench. Another could stay at a smaller club and develop more naturally.

There should not be one perfect career path.

REAL TRANSFER SAGAS

Transfers should feel like stories rather than menu transactions.

Imagine being linked with a club for several weeks.

Journalists report that negotiations are advanced.

Supporters believe the deal is almost finished.

Football media begin saying that the transfer is nearly confirmed.

Then, at the last moment, you sign for their biggest rival.

That decision should create real consequences.

When you return to the stadium of the club you rejected, supporters could boo every touch, display hostile banners, create chants against you and remind you of what happened.

Journalists could ask about the failed transfer before every important match against them.

Years later, the rivalry could still exist if the event was important enough.

Clubs could also enter real bidding wars.

One president increases the offer.

Another club offers higher wages.

Another promises a starting position.

Your agent gives you advice.

Your current club refuses to sell.

You become unhappy.

The supporters ask you to stay.

The coach publicly says you are important.

The transfer market becomes a real story.

A WORLD THAT REMEMBERS YOUR CAREER

One of the most important systems should be career memory.

The football world should remember important events.

Imagine starting your career at West Ham.

You eventually leave and become one of the greatest players in the world.

Years later, you play against West Ham and eliminate them after an incredible 5-4 comeback.

Near the end of your career, you decide to return to West Ham and try to give them the first Champions League in their history.

That return should not feel like a normal transfer.

Supporters should remember that you started there, that you became a superstar, that you once broke their hearts and that you are now returning as a veteran.

Some supporters could forgive you. Others could still be angry. Some could see you as a club legend.

The game should remember controversial transfers, historic goals, missed penalties, derbies, injuries, trophies, interviews, promises, captaincy, international success, contract disputes and major rivalries.

A fifteen-year career should feel like fifteen years of history, not fifteen disconnected seasons.

LIVE THE DAILY LIFE OF A FOOTBALLER

Player Career should be more than matches and menus.

Players should be able to experience the daily routine of professional football.

You could travel to training, enter the training centre, go into the dressing room, interact with teammates, attend tactical meetings, go to the gym, recover after matches, meet doctors, attend sponsor events, travel to airports, stay in hotels and travel with the team bus.

Not everything should be mandatory.

Players who only want football should be able to skip routine activities.

Players who want deeper roleplay should be able to experience everything.

RANDOM REAL-LIFE EVENTS

Unexpected situations could happen.

For example, you leave home for training and there is a huge traffic jam.

Maybe there is an accident blocking the road.

Maybe one of your tyres suddenly goes flat.

You arrive twenty-five minutes late.

The manager is angry.

The game then considers your reputation.

If you have always been professional, the manager may believe you.

If you already have a history of lateness, he may think you are making excuses.

You could explain what happened, provide evidence, call someone who can confirm the situation, accept the punishment or argue with the manager.

The consequences could include a warning, a fine, starting the next match on the bench, being removed from the squad or damaging your relationship with the coach.

These events should be rare enough to remain interesting.

The goal is not to make the game annoying.

The goal is to make football life unpredictable.

NUTRITION, FITNESS, SLEEP AND RECOVERY

A player’s lifestyle should matter.

Nutrition, hydration, sleep, recovery, gym work, individual training, fatigue, injury prevention and rehabilitation could all influence the career.

This should not become an overly complicated simulator.

It should create meaningful decisions.

For example, after playing several matches in a short period, your player feels exhausted.

You could speak to the manager and ask to start the next match on the bench.

A manager who trusts you may accept.

A manager under pressure may refuse.

You could also request a rest day, reduced training, additional recovery or individual work.

RELATIONSHIPS AND REPUTATION

Players should develop real relationships with managers, teammates, captains, agents, presidents, sporting directors, supporters, journalists, sponsors and national team staff.

Your behaviour should create a reputation.

A player could become known as professional, loyal, ambitious, arrogant, difficult, charismatic, quiet, controversial or a natural leader.

There should not simply be good and bad choices.

Different personalities should produce different careers.

PRESS CONFERENCES THAT ACTUALLY MATTER

Press conferences should have real consequences.

Imagine saying before a derby, “They are not on our level.”

The quote appears everywhere.

Opposition supporters become more hostile.

Their manager responds.

Players talk about it.

If you lose, journalists remind you of what you said.

If you score the winning goal, the statement becomes part of the rivalry.

Or imagine promising supporters that you will stay at the club next season, then leaving three weeks later.

Supporters should remember that.

Your credibility decreases.

When you return, banners could reference your old promise.

A REALISTIC FOOTBALL CITY

The game could include an open or semi-open world inspired by the immersion of games such as GTA, but without focusing on crime or violence.

The world would exist specifically around football life.

You could travel between your home, the training centre, stadium, medical facilities, restaurants, sponsor offices, club headquarters, shopping areas, airports, hotels and gyms.

The map would not need to be enormous.

A smaller but extremely detailed football city could be more immersive.

RIVAL CLUBS SHOULD EXIST IN THE SAME CITY

If several clubs play in the same city, their presence should be visible.

You could physically pass the rival stadium while driving.

Different neighbourhoods could display different club colours, flags, murals, banners and supporter culture.

Before a derby, the atmosphere of the entire city could change.

There could be police barriers, supporters gathering, media vans, flags on balconies and banners everywhere.

A derby should begin days before kickoff.

FAME SHOULD CHANGE YOUR LIFE

At the beginning of your career, almost nobody recognises you.

As you improve, supporters occasionally ask for pictures.

After becoming a superstar, everything changes.

People recognise you in restaurants and shopping centres.

Children ask for autographs.

Rival supporters react to you.

Paparazzi follow you.

Journalists wait outside certain places.

If you are seen leaving a restaurant very late before a Champions League final, the media may question your professionalism the next morning.

The progression from anonymous teenager to global superstar should be visible in the world.

REAL SUPPORTERS AND ULTRAS

Supporters should react to form, loyalty, transfers, interviews, trophies, bad performances, rivalries and club history.

They could chant your name, whistle you, create tifos, wait outside training, celebrate in the streets, protest against the president, ask you to stay or turn against you.

Your relationship with supporters could become one of the emotional foundations of the career.

THE 4-0 COMEBACK EXAMPLE

Imagine losing the first leg of a Champions League knockout match 4-0 away from home.

The return match should begin before kickoff.

You arrive at the training centre.

The atmosphere is unusually serious.

Players speak less than normal.

The manager gives a final speech.

The squad enters the team bus.

As the bus approaches the stadium, you begin seeing thousands of supporters.

There are flags, chants, flares, fireworks and banners.

The bus slowly moves through the crowd.

Players look through the windows.

Some record the atmosphere.

Others remain completely focused.

Then the match begins.

At 1-0, supporters start believing.

At 2-0, the stadium becomes much louder.

At 3-0 in the seventieth minute, every attack creates tension.

Every tackle creates an explosion from the crowd.

Then, in the eighty-ninth minute, you score the fourth goal.

That moment should not receive the same celebration as a normal league goal.

Substitutes run toward the pitch.

The manager loses control.

Players jump into the crowd.

Commentators struggle to be heard.

The entire stadium feels like it is witnessing history.

This should not simply be one scripted cutscene.

The game should understand aggregate score, competition, minute, rivalry, club history, previous results and crowd expectations.

FULL TROPHY CELEBRATIONS

Winning the Champions League should not immediately return you to a menu.

Players should experience the final whistle, emotional reactions, medals, trophy presentation, team photographs, lap of honour, dressing-room celebrations and supporters waiting outside.

If the trophy is historic, the celebration should be even bigger.

Imagine giving West Ham their first Champions League.

The next day, the city could be covered in club colours.

There could be an open-top bus parade.

Thousands of supporters could fill the streets.

The achievement could become part of the club museum and history.

A REAL BALLON D’OR CEREMONY

Winning the Ballon d’Or should feel important.

There should be a real ceremony.

The main contenders attend.

Families, teammates, managers and football legends are present.

Highlights from the season are shown.

The finalists are announced.

The cameras show their reactions.

Then there is genuine suspense.

The envelope is opened.

For several seconds, you genuinely do not know who has won.

If another player wins, you watch him receive the trophy and your character reacts.

If you win, you walk onto the stage and receive the award.

You could choose parts of your speech, such as thanking teammates, family, your manager, supporters or your childhood club.

The football world then reacts to the result.

The same idea could apply to the Golden Boot, Young Player awards, UEFA Player of the Year and international tournament awards.

INJURIES SHOULD BECOME STORIES

A serious injury should be more than a number showing how many weeks remain.

The player could experience medical examinations, diagnosis, surgery when necessary, rehabilitation, physiotherapy, individual training, first running session, first training with the squad, return to the bench and first match.

Imagine returning after nine months.

You begin warming up.

The stadium notices.

Your name is announced.

The supporters stand and applaud.

That could become one of the most emotional moments of a career.

AGENTS AND SPONSORSHIPS

Agents should have real importance.

Different agents could specialise in transfers, young-player development, contract negotiation, international moves or commercial opportunities.

You could fire your agent if you believe he is not representing you properly.

Sponsors could approach depending on performances, popularity, personality and reputation.

Commercial commitments could sometimes conflict with football responsibilities.

RETIREMENT SHOULD FEEL EMOTIONAL

The end of a career should be treated as a major event.

If you announce your final season, supporters know.

Journalists discuss your career.

Former teammates react.

Opposition supporters may applaud you.

Your final home match could include a giant tifo, career highlights, former teammates in attendance, a guard of honour, a speech and a final lap around the stadium.

Retirement should not necessarily end the world.

The player could become a manager, sporting director, scout or club executive.

The same football universe continues.

A PERSISTENT ONLINE FOOTBALL WORLD

The most ambitious version of this concept could become a persistent online football universe.

The idea would be similar to large roleplay games where each real player occupies a useful position and everybody contributes to keeping the world alive.

However, the entire universe would be based around football.

Every player creates their own original character.

Nobody needs to control a real-life football superstar.

Every human player creates their name, appearance, nationality, position, physical profile, preferred foot, personality and career.

Over time, the greatest players in the server would become legends created entirely by the community.

Every server would develop its own history.

EVERY ROLE COULD BE OCCUPIED BY A REAL PLAYER

Human players could choose to become footballers, managers, presidents, sporting directors, scouts, agents, journalists, doctors, physiotherapists, fitness coaches, referees, club staff or supporters.

Footballers would control their own character.

A real manager could decide tactics, training, starting lineups, substitutions and discipline.

A real president could manage club finances, wages, transfer budgets, sponsorships, stadium investment, academy development and staff appointments.

A sporting director could negotiate with agents and build the squad.

A real scout could attend matches and discover young players.

Imagine being seventeen years old in a small club and discovering that the scout watching you is actually another real person working for Bayern.

A human agent could represent several players and negotiate contracts, salaries, transfers and sponsorships.

Journalists could interview players, report rumours and cover controversies.

Doctors and physiotherapists could help manage player recovery.

Even smaller roles could exist.

For example, a club chef could be a real player who helps prepare meals and nutritional plans for the team.

If no human wants the role, AI handles it automatically.

Supporters could also be real players.

They could organise tifos, travel to away games, celebrate trophies and create supporter groups.

The football world would become an entire society.

HUMANS WHERE POSSIBLE, AI WHERE NECESSARY

The world cannot depend entirely on humans being online.

The solution would be a hybrid system.

Every important role can be occupied by a human.

When that person is unavailable, AI temporarily handles essential responsibilities.

If a goalkeeper is unavailable, a reserve human or AI goalkeeper can play.

If the president is offline, routine club operations continue automatically.

If the chef is offline, AI manages the meals.

If no journalist covers a match, AI generates media coverage.

The universe never stops.

REAL CLUB ECONOMIES

Presidents and executives could manage virtual club finances.

Revenue could come from broadcasting, sponsorships, ticket sales, merchandise, player sales and competitions.

Expenses could include wages, transfers, staff, stadium maintenance, academy development and debt repayments.

Clubs could even borrow virtual money from in-game banks.

A badly managed club could genuinely enter financial trouble.

Imagine a president spending huge amounts on transfers.

The club misses the Champions League.

Revenue falls.

Debt remains.

Now the club must sell important players.

Supporters become angry.

The manager complains.

Players reconsider their future.

Journalists discuss the crisis.

None of this needs to be scripted.

It emerges naturally from the football economy.

Another president could take a small second-division club, manage its money intelligently, develop the academy and eventually win the Champions League.

Real players would experience the entire journey.

PLAYER-GENERATED FOOTBALL HISTORY

The developers would create the world.

The community would create the history.

After many seasons, one server could have a striker with seven hundred goals.

Another player could win five Ballon d’Or awards.

A goalkeeper could become the first goalkeeper in the server’s history to win the Ballon d’Or.

A small club could unexpectedly become a European giant.

A player could spend fifteen seasons at the same club and become its greatest legend.

Another could become hated throughout the league after joining several rivals.

These stories would not need to be written by EA.

They would happen naturally.

MAJOR MATCHES AS SERVER EVENTS

Imagine a Champions League final in this world.

The twenty-two starting players are real people.

The managers are real people.

The presidents are watching.

Agents are present.

Scouts are watching potential targets.

Journalists have discussed the match all week.

Supporters fill the stadium.

Thousands of people inside the server follow the event.

Someone scores the winning goal in the ninety-third minute.

That player has not simply scored against AI.

They have created a moment experienced by thousands of real people.

Years later, people could still remember that goal.

WORLD CUPS AND INTERNATIONAL FOOTBALL

International competitions could become some of the biggest events in the entire game.

Created players represent the countries linked to their nationality.

National team selection depends on performance, form and manager decisions.

Imagine spending years trying to earn your first World Cup call-up.

Then the national team finally selects you.

The media attention increases.

Players travel together.

The entire server follows the tournament.

Winning a World Cup could become one of the rarest and most prestigious achievements in the game.

ACCELERATED SEASONS

A persistent football world could not use real-life timing.

Waiting seven real days between matches would be frustrating.

The calendar should be accelerated.

There could be several matches per real week and seasons lasting several real weeks or months.

The exact rhythm would need testing.

The objective would be to let stories develop naturally while still allowing players to complete full careers.

REGIONAL SERVERS

One worldwide server would create problems with latency, capacity and time zones.

Large regional servers could work better.

Europe, Africa, the Americas, Asia, the Middle East and Oceania could each have their own football worlds.

Cross-server international competitions could potentially connect them.

Every server would develop its own football history.

THE CHALLENGES

A project this ambitious would obviously create major challenges.

Development cost would be extremely high because the game would combine football gameplay, online infrastructure, open-world systems, RPG mechanics, management simulation, AI, economy and social features.

Development time would also be long.

The best solution would probably be to develop the idea gradually.

The first stage could focus on deeper Player Career systems such as career memory, relationships, transfers, lifestyle, ceremonies and dynamic supporters.

A later stage could introduce a semi-open football world.

After that, multiplayer roles could be introduced.

The complete persistent economy could come later.

TROLLING AND SABOTAGE

Human roles create the possibility of abuse.

A president could intentionally bankrupt a club.

A manager could deliberately bench every good player.

A referee could abuse his position.

Strong systems would therefore be needed.

Important roles could require reputation, progression, activity levels and community trust.

Major club decisions could require approval from more than one executive.

Clubs could have boards rather than giving unlimited power to one president.

UNPOPULAR ROLES

Not everybody will want to become a third-choice goalkeeper or work for a small club.

AI can fill positions where no human player is available.

Rewards and progression could also encourage players to try less popular roles.

OFFLINE PLAYERS

Real life must always come first.

Players cannot always be online.

Nobody should lose an entire career because they miss one evening.

AI replacements, substitutes, reserve players, flexible schedules and availability settings could solve this.

TIME ZONES

Players from different continents may not always be available simultaneously.

Regional servers and flexible match windows could reduce the problem.

ECONOMY EXPLOITS

Any online economy creates risks such as inflation, transfer manipulation, collusion, cheating, account selling and currency farming.

The financial system would require strong controls.

Money should remain virtual.

AVOID PAY TO WIN

Competitive success should never depend on real money.

Players should never be able to buy higher attributes, guaranteed transfers, better contracts or sporting advantages.

Monetisation should focus on optional cosmetics and personalisation rather than competitive power.

MODERATION AND SOCIAL SAFETY

A world containing thousands of footballers, journalists, agents and supporters would require strong moderation.

Systems would need to prevent harassment, discrimination, targeted abuse and toxic communication.

Privacy settings and communication controls would be essential.

REALISM MUST NOT BECOME BORING

Realism does not automatically mean fun.

Nobody should be forced to drive twenty-five minutes to training every day.

Players should be able to choose their level of immersion.

You could experience the entire journey, use fast travel, skip routine activities or automatically manage less important tasks.

Important moments remain immersive.

Routine remains flexible.

AVOID REPETITION

A fifteen-year career requires enormous variation.

Seeing the same press questions and animations repeatedly would destroy immersion.

Dynamic systems and modern AI could help generate contextual questions, reactions, media stories, commentary and supporter behaviour.

Important moments should still receive carefully designed content.

FOOTBALL MUST ALWAYS REMAIN THE CORE

All of these systems would be meaningless if the actual football is not excellent.

Football should remain the centre of the experience.

The open world exists to make matches more important.

The economy exists to create stories around matches.

The media exists to give consequences to matches.

Everything eventually returns to football.

THE FINAL VISION

Imagine beginning at seventeen years old in a small academy.

A real scout notices you.

A real sporting director becomes interested.

A real agent negotiates your first major contract.

A real president approves the transfer.

A real manager gives you your debut.

Real teammates play alongside you.

Real journalists discuss your performances.

Real supporters learn your name.

Years later, you become one of the greatest players on the server.

You win the Ballon d’Or.

You play in World Cups.

You experience rivalries, injuries, transfers, historic comebacks and trophies.

Near the end of your career, you return to the club where everything began and give them the greatest trophy in their history.

You retire.

Then you become a manager.

A new seventeen-year-old arrives at your club.

Now you are the person deciding whether that young player deserves his first professional appearance.

The world continues.

Your history remains.

The ultimate football game should not simply simulate matches.

It should simulate belonging to the football world.

Players should experience being unknown, being discovered, earning contracts, fighting for starting positions, becoming famous, surviving injuries, experiencing transfer sagas, facing hostile supporters, becoming captain, winning trophies, attending real award ceremonies, dealing with paparazzi, travelling with teammates, seeing ultras surrounding the team bus, living historic comebacks, representing a country, winning or losing a World Cup, growing older, returning home, retiring and watching the next generation emerge.

In the most ambitious version, thousands of real people would be living their own football stories inside the same universe.

Some become players.

Some become managers.

Some become agents.

Some become scouts.

Some run clubs.

Some become journalists.

Some become supporters.

Some could even simply become the club chef preparing meals for the squad.

When humans are unavailable, AI keeps the world functioning.

Every person contributes to a football ecosystem that continues to evolve.

EA creates the technology, football foundation and rules.

The community creates the history.

Not just a football game.

Not just Player