First FIFA 12 details hit

New Player Impact Engine promises to change the game

Posted on May 27, 2011 - 2:25pm EST

Electronic Arts today announced that EA SPORTS has developed the Player Impact Engine, a new physics engine that will deliver revolutionary changes to the franchise. Two years in development, the new Player Impact Engine inside FIFA Soccer 12 delivers real-world physicality in every interaction on the pitch.

“The transformation FIFA Soccer 12 has undergone is revolutionary not evolutionary,” said Kaz Makita, Executive Producer for the FIFA franchise, which has won 136 videogame awards the past three years. “To create the best and most authentic FIFA game ever, we needed new technology to deliver on our vision. Fans will see, and more importantly feel, the significance of the Player Impact Engine immediately.”

The new Player Impact Engine will drive FIFA Soccer 12. Fans will experience the way real-world players challenge each other for the ball, win possession, and test each other physically. The Impact Engine processes decisions continuously in real-time at every point of contact on a player’s body to create an infinite variety of natural and believable outcomes in every collision. Players now feel more resilient, push and pull during the fight for possession, and recover from light challenges more easily.

New Precision Dribbling creates a higher fidelity of touch on the ball for better control in tight spaces, more time to make decisions in attack, and more control over the pace of the game. Innovations in attack are balanced by a re-designed defending mechanism. Defending is now as strategic as attacking with all-new Tactical Defending, which fundamentally changes the approach to defending by placing equal importance on positioning, intercepting passes and tackling.

Players on the pitch have been infused with Pro Player Intelligence, a self-awareness and aptitude that enables them to make decisions based on their own skills as well as the strengths and attributes of their teammates. Players who possess exceptional vision, for example, will see opportunities for through balls that other players won’t. Real Madrid’s Kaká will be more likely — and quicker — to pick out a run from a teammate farther away than a player with poorer vision. Additionally, teams will vary their attack based on the strengths of their players on the pitch, and the weaknesses of opposing players, creating a more authentic experience and greater variety of matches.

FIFA Soccer 12 will also deliver a new Career Mode, driven by the storylines from the real-world sport. Elements like player morale, on-pitch form and league position will influence outcomes in the game. Users will face more decisions and factors than ever before, with their consequences being played out on the pitch.

FIFA Soccer 12 will be available in stores world-wide this fall for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Windows PC.