More FIFA Games On Nintendo Switch Are Likely, Says EA

FIFA 18 is launching on Switch simultaneously with its PS4, Xbox One, PC, and last-gen counterparts, but because of EA's somewhat short-lived support of portable FIFA games and of Nintendo consoles in the past, some fans worried this would be the first and last football game available on the console.

However, in an interview with GameSpot, FIFA supervising producer Andrei Lazarescu said he believes the series will return to Switch after FIFA 18. When asked whether we'll see more FIFA games on Nintendo's new console after this year's edition, he replied, "I think we are going to see more FIFA on Switch in the future."

Elsewhere in our interview, Lazarescu stated believes FIFA 18 on Switch is "the best portable FIFA we've ever done," and he also addressed criticism of the Switch version lacking some modes seen in the PS4 and Xbox One versions of the game.

"The Journey is a mode powered by Frostbite [the engine that current-gen versions of the game run on], it only exists because of Frostbite--they are not separate. You can't just [put it on Switch] without taking the whole Frostbite engine. So because this doesn't have Frostbite, it doesn't have The Journey."

When asked if a future edition of FIFA on Switch could include the mode, Lazarescu replied: "If we moved the [Switch] game over to Frostbite, then yes it could happen. But I don't know if that's going to happen. Frostbite is a very different beast."

Finally, despite previous reports that FIFA on Switch would lose functionality seen in other versions when playing with just one Joy-Con, Lazarescu informed us that different button combinations and modifiers mean only skill moves are lost when playing with a friend.

"[When playing with one Joy-Con,] obviously you don't have the [right] stick, he said. "You don't have as many buttons, [and] you only have the two bumpers, instead of triggers and bumpers. We created a custom scheme for this, called Four Button Mode. The advantage of it, is that with just one console, you can play FIFA 1v1, without buying anything else.

"You can knock the ball ahead of you by double tapping the sprint button. [For chipped shots and finesse shots,] you can use modifiers--[but] you can't use skill moves.

"Is this the ideal way to play the game? No," Lazarescu declared. "It's just a way for people to play the game."

We played the portable version of this year's football behemoth at E3, and you can check out our FIFA 18 on Switch impressions here. The version does include Ultimate Team, which EA revealed last month. The popular multiplayer mode will include a new feature called Stories, in which classic players will receive three rare cards for different stages in their career. Lots more is coming to FUT this year--check out all the new features here.

FIFA 18 was first revealed in June, and it launches for PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PS3, Xbox 360, and PC on September 29. Customers who preorder the Ronaldo Edition or Icon Edition will get to play it three days early, while EA Access and Origin Access members can enjoy a 10-hour trial on Xbox One/PC starting September 21.