Request for an EA SPORTS FC Server/Data Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba

Hey Tumikely​,

I understand where your request is coming from, and I can share our Game Data Center article with you.

The article explains why EAS FC uses game data centers and how EA decides where to place them geographically.

Adding more centers doesn’t automatically result in a better player experience.

The game will always try to connect you to online matches on your best game data center.  Although that’s often the nearest one, this isn’t always the case.

Internet service providers (ISPs) generally don’t send data directly from Point A to Point B. They route data across locations, sometimes across the globe. This can be a physical networking infrastructure limitation of some ISPs or part of their business model. ISPs ultimately handle these decisions based on their unique needs and situations.

In some cases, your connection to a game data center is the best connection available at the moment, even if it’s farther away.

However, your connection can be routed elsewhere if internet issues impact the route that your network traffic would normally take, or if one of our game data centers is experiencing technical problems.

I recommend you try troubleshooting the connection to try and stabilize the ping; you might notice an improvement with a different DNS configuration for a few hours, changing the Wi-Fi Channel, or switching to using an Ethernet cable. 

You could also test different connections to check if you notice an improvement with a different ISP.  

Thank you for the response. I understand that ISP routing can affect latency and that adding a data centre does not automatically guarantee a better connection.

However, I want to clarify that my concern isn’t unstable ping, Wi-Fi, DNS, or a problem with my home connection.

My connection is stable, but I consistently play around 38–45 ms from Winnipeg, Manitoba. The issue I’m raising is the geographical latency disadvantage for players in Manitoba and central Canada compared with players who live much closer to an EA SPORTS FC game data centre and can consistently play at significantly lower latency.

I use a high-speed wired connection and have already tested and optimized my network. Changing DNS or performing basic connection troubleshooting cannot eliminate the latency caused by distance and network routing to a game data centre.

At a competitive level, the difference in responsiveness matters. I’m not asking EA to give Manitoba players an advantage. I’m asking for players in this region to have access to a competitive connection comparable to what players closer to existing data centres can receive.

So my request isn’t simply for connection troubleshooting. I’m asking EA to investigate game data centre coverage and routing for Winnipeg and central Canada and to consider additional infrastructure where appropriate.

Could this feedback please be passed to the team responsible for EA SPORTS FC game data centres and network infrastructure?

EA_Claus​