Why FIFA 22 won’t have HyperMotion on PC
EA Sports recently revealed FIFA 22 and while the game is coming to all the usual platforms, only next-gen consoles will feature what the developer is referring to as “HyperMotion” gameplay — a new type of technology that combines machine learning with 11v11 motion capture to produce animations in real time.
The idea is that this new technology will drastically improve how players move during a match. But only if you’re playing on PS5, Xbox Series X|S or Stadia. If you’re playing on PC, in which case you’re relegated to whatever animations the last-gen consoles get.
If HyperMotion is dependent on hardware, wouldn’t it make sense that PCs — which are capable of achieving much more than the PS5 or Xbox Series X|S — would get the next-gen treatment? The answer could lie in EA’s reasoning for why FIFA 21 was also relegated to last-gen on PC.
In an interview with Eurogamer last year, executive producer Aaron McHardy explained that the decision was based on inclusiveness.
"“When we looked at what generation to put the PC game on, we looked at our fans and what capabilities they had with the hardware they have. […] In order to run the gen five game, our min spec would have been at a spot that would have left a lot of people out in the cold not being able to play the game. So we made the choice to keep the PC version of the game on the gen four version of FIFA so that we can open the doors and be inclusive to everybody who wants to play FIFA.”"
More from App and Gaming News
- Cyberpunk 2077 Update 2.1: Last major update released
- GTA 6: Who is Lucia and what is her role?
- Sonic Dream Team review: A welcome surprise to Apple Arcade
- Is GTA 6 coming to PC at launch in 2025?
- GTA 6 trailer arrives early, confirming 2025 release: Watch it here!
This sounds good in theory, but as Rock Paper Shotgun pointed out, FIFA 21’s minimum spec requirements on PC lagged around nine years behind most modern PC gamers. Even accounting for a leap in spec requirements for HyperMotion, it’s unlikely that FIFA 22 will require specs that many PC gamers don’t already have with their rigs.
Perhaps — and this is just a hunch — there just aren’t enough players on PC to warrant the extra time needed to bring HyperMotion over. I’m obviously not a game developer so I don’t know how much extra work that would take but even if my theory were true, I doubt EA would never admit to that.
We don’t know what FIFA 22’s minimum or recommended specs will be on PC just yet. However, the game is available for pre-order ahead of its October 1 release. If you want HyperMotion-driven animation, you’ll have to go with the PS5, Xbox Series X|S or Stadia versions which cost $69.99. The last-gen version only costs $59.99.