When a feature makes money in the gaming industry, it will eventually appear in every game whether it benefits players or not. The latest trend game execs are chasing in unison is open-world experiences in games, all games. Especially sports games, thanks to the success of The Park in the NBA 2K series. EA Sports President Cam Weber has confirmed the publisher is working on open-world experiences, and rumors are saying we could get one as soon as EA Sports FC 26.
In NBA 2K, the concept of parks all over the city where you can find a game makes sense. It mirrors how basketball actually works. If I were in any way athletic off the virtual court, there are all kinds of gyms, rec centers and city parks where I could find a pickup game.
But to extrapolate this idea into say, Madden NFL? I could find some flag football games around town, but that's about it. And the number is far less than the number of basketball games I can find. I did know some guys who played semi-pro football. Considering everything we now know about CTE, I couldn't hang around those guys for any longer than it took to finish my story. It was hard even to make eye contact.
I felt bad about this. Me, a card-carrying super nerd looking down on anyone with real athletic ability? On my very next stop, a high-school coach I was interviewing heard about the semi-pro football players I had just talked to and said everything I was thinking aloud.
"Semi-pro football? Man, at what point do you just let it go?"
I'm ready to ask game companies the same question about open-world experiences. I applaud the latest Mafia installment for saying, hey, this is a single-player game. We understand if that's not your jam. But Mafia: The Old Country knows what is and what its fans want from an experience.
Adding a gigantic open world is a huge drain on the resources of a game even if it works perfectly. EA Sports FC is not that game. EA's titles already risk collapsing under the weight of Ultimate Team modes and constant game-breaking glitches. If you polled 1,000 FC 25 players and asked what improvements they want to see in the next game, I doubt ten would call for an open-world mode.
The gaming industry is now notorious for "live-servicing" its customers. We are lining up to pay between $60 -100 as features we didn't ask for and don't want continue to be added. Imagine going to the grocery store and having the clerk dump $10 worth of asparagus into your cart and then demanding you pay for it.
EA's monopoly on several sports allows it to shovel live-service right down our throats. And make no mistake, the purpose of open worlds in sports games is for publishers to reach for our wallets while our eyes look elsewhere.
Look no further than NBA 2K's City, the model all these open worlds will no doubt be built upon. You can't take more than two digital steps without ads for Gatorade, Nike, or Jake from State Farm being an actual quest giver in game. Yeah, that happened.
I won't be surprised when an open-world enters EA Sports FC , but I won't be excited either.