With EA Sports FC 24 launching this week, we finally have confirmed performance information from EA itself on how the football game runs on the Nintendo Switch. The Switch version is particularly interesting this year because for the first time it runs on EA’s Frostbite Engine, which is used to power the other versions. It means EA isn’t simply releasing a rebranded “legacy” version of FIFA 19 again. Instead, the Switch version is more akin to the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One version.
Switch players also get an expanded Ultimate Team mode on par with the Ultimate Team seen in other versions of the game. Ultimate Team in the Nintendo Switch version of FIFA was severely limited, so this improvement is sure to go down well with fans.
Nintendo Switch owners have heavily criticised EA for releasing legacy editions of FIFA on the console. IGN awarded the original FIFA 19 a 5/10, and FIFA 20 (which we said offers "nothing but a barebones roster update") a 4/10. FIFA 21, FIFA 22, and FIFA 23 earned just a 2/10 each. The final entry is "a prime example of minimal effort for maximum profit", we said in our review.
Speaking to IGN in a new interview, Doru Logigan, Line Producer on FC 24 for the Nintendo Switch, discussed the “multi-year effort” across multiple teams that went into getting FC 24 running smoothly on Frostbite on Switch. “We consider that FC 24 is a whole new chapter for the franchise and we wanted to offer our players the same feature-rich experience that the other platforms are offering,” Logigan explained.
This work involved some of EA’s most experienced and senior software engineers, Logigan said. The teams had to strip FC 24 bare and create a new foundation that would give them the confidence that the game could run smoothly on Nintendo’s console. At first, EA Sports stripped the game of all the rendering assets that were consuming the most memory, just to get the game booting on Frostbite on Switch. Logigan recalled the team being “really excited” at that moment.
The initial gameplay test had no players, no stadium, not even a crowd. But this bare bones version of the game was the jumping off point, and was another big moment for the team. “The fact that we reached gameplay made us believe that we had a working prototype and that Switch on Frostbite could be a reality,” Logigan said.
Assets were added back in slowly, alongside memory optimisations. Making sure the game ran smoothly was at the forefront of the team’s mind. Meanwhile, the Switch development team then had to add in all the various developments that were created by other EA Sports teams that would make it into the PS4 and Xbox One versions.
With work on the game completed, EA Sports can finally confirm performance details for the Switch version. FC 24 on Switch runs at 30 frames per second, Logigan confirmed to IGN. Resolution is the maximum the Switch allows: 720p in handheld mode and 1080p in docked mode. FIFA has always run at 60fps across platforms, including Switch. Indeed 60fps is seen by many as essential to the responsiveness required of the football series. But while 30fps on Switch may disappoint some, Logigan said FC 24 represents a new starting point on Nintendo’s console.
“Getting to this point of having Frostbite running on Switch I think is already a huge achievement for the team and we were really excited to get our players’ feedback and reactions,” Logigan said.
“In terms of as how we look ahead, we're going to start with the FC 24 launch and we're very excited that it's going to be at full parity, and also the fact that after the launch we're going to be able to offer Switch players the same level of support in terms of live service support that the other platforms are benefiting from.
“So we're going to be able to include patches at a higher cadence than before. And these patches will include bug fixes, quality of life improvements, and also live campaigns in Ultimate Team, Volta and Clubs throughout the season."
Thoughts inevitably turn to Nintendo’s heavily rumoured Switch 2, which is reportedly due out in 2024. It seems likely EA Sports will be readying a version of FC 24 for Nintendo’s next-gen console. Depending on the power capabilities of the unannounced hardware, perhaps a version of FC 24 that’s running at 60fps and closer to the current-gen version will be possible.
As you'd expect, Logigan kept his cards close to his chest when asked about the future of FC 24 on Nintendo consoles. "In terms of how we look ahead for the next versions of the game, I cannot say unfortunately," he said. "I cannot speak to that, but in terms of FC 24 itself, it's going to benefit from the same live service post-launch as the other platforms."
EA Sports FC 24 launches on Nintendo Switch on September 29.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
