It’s all change in the football gaming scene right now: as FIFA starts moving to its properly next-gen set-up, PES has changed its name to eFootball, and now there’s a whole new contender in the ring, too. Enter UFL: a brand new free-to-play football game for consoles from Strikerz Inc. that looks set to give the established names a run for their money.
Created on Unreal Engine, and supported by a platform that the developer reckons will be able to effortlessly and seamlessly connect football fans around the world, the new competitive title wants to put fair and free football on the table for football/soccer fans around the globe. The developer itself calls the game “a revolutionary new global online football league,” and it reiterates that it will be dedicated to fair play.
If you’re curious to learn more about this enigmatic newcomer title, we’ve compiled all the information we know so far about UFL that’s been revealed since the game was first unveiled publically at Gamescom 2021 Opening Night Live.
UFL
– Official Announcement Trailer
#fairtoplay #uflgame #joinufl #gamescom2021 pic.twitter.com/EiC3TR3By6— UFL (@UFLgame) August 25, 2021
UFL release date, platforms and price
The big question everything is asking about the game is ‘when will UFL launch?’ At the time of writing, there is no release date published – however, Strikerz, Inc. has said we can expect more information on the game “soon”.
Similarly, the game’s platforms have yet to be fully disclosed, yet we do know that we’re going to get the game on ‘consoles’. Whether that’ll be cross-gen, cross-play, or available on less powerful machines like the Nintendo Switch remains to be seen. Consoles – as a catch-all term – generally means PS5, PS4, Xbox Series S|X, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch, for what it’s worth.
In terms of cost: the game will be free-to-play (and seemingly not pay-to-win).
“The game will be available for free and we will regularly add new features and updates with no mandatory payments or yearly fees,” Strikerz Inc. said in a press release. “The game is designed to be a fair-to-play experience that implies a skill-first approach and zero pay-to-win options.”
We’ll update you with more information as it becomes available.
UFL teams and licenses
UFL will have player likenesses and licenses from FIFPro – an organization that represents more than 65,000 professional players from across the globe (this is the same database FIFA uses in its games, for what it’s worth). At launch, the game will feature 5,000 licensed real-world players which you can recruit and poach in your own custom club, and you’ll be able to take that club against other real-world teams.
In terms of which teams you’ll be up against, not a lot is known: at the time of writing, we’ve only seen the West Ham Utd stadium and kit in gameplay footage.
Individual club and league licenses have yet to be disclosed, but more will be divulged in due course, we’re sure.
The game will be kept up-to-date and player metrics will be calculated based on data provided by InStat, which will “provide detailed data and up-to-date statistics for each player,” as per a press release.
UFL gameplay
We’re yet to see a proper gameplay trailer – the best we have is that promo embedded in the paragraph above – but we have got some insight into what to expect from the game courtesy of Eugene Nashilov, CEO at Strikerz Inc.
“We are football fans and passionate gamers — we have been playing football video games for years and we know exactly what people want to see in a football simulator,” says Nashilov. “We want to reinvent football video gaming from the ground up, offering players around the world a revolutionary, exciting and fair to play experience.”
The game has been in development for five years, too, so it looks like Strikerz Inc. really wants to launch with a bang.
We’ll update you with more information regarding UFL as it becomes available.
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