Hero image: FC 27’s October gameplay developer notes. Image: Electronic Arts
EA has laid out the first gameplay balance changes for EA Sports FC 27 — a month after launch — and they arrive with Title Update v1.2.0 in mid-November.
The October Gameplay Developer Notes explain why it took this long. EA says it deliberately made no early gameplay updates this year, to give players time to adapt to the new mechanics, and calls that a new approach compared to previous years.
A month of match data shows players taking fewer shots but scoring more of their chances, completing a higher share of their passes, and winning more tackles, according to the notes. EA also says win rates by formation are evenly distributed with minimal variance.
Five areas are in v1.2.0. Fullbacks will hold the defensive line more consistently instead of dropping too deep and keeping attackers onside, and attackers get better offside awareness to stay on.
AI attackers should make more purposeful runs into space around the box. After kick-off, the defensive line will hold a higher position, which EA says should make it harder to go straight into the box without pressure.
The fifth change is loose-ball switching — auto player switching that does not always pick the player closest to the ball. The notes list fixes for switching after a teammate’s slide tackle, after a headed pass and after a missed shot.
EA is careful about expectations. The notes say the adjustments are “subtle and targeted”, and that “some unexpected outcomes will still happen occasionally”.
Three areas are still under investigation and not in v1.2.0: high defensive lines that put too much pressure on the opposition, collisions between players of different sizes, and the accuracy of some shot types alongside goalkeeper positioning.
The last update, Title Update v1.1, made no gameplay changes at all. EA’s gameplay team is also holding a live Discord Q&A at 4:30pm GMT on 30 October — 3:30am AEDT on Saturday 31 October, by our conversion.
Source: Electronic Arts – EA SPORTS FC 27 Gameplay Developer Notes, October (Steam)