FIFA 23 | Pitch Notes - Career Deep Dive

Hi everyone, we are Alex, Andrei, and Tomasz from the Career Mode team and we’re looking forward to sharing new FIFA 23 Career Mode features and updates in this Pitch Notes.

Our additions to FIFA 23 have been primarily driven by the goal of giving more freedom to how you approach Career Mode, both in terms of gameplay and customization. Whether you want to focus on playing specific highlights of matches, have more control over your playstyle, or want to dabble in more off-pitch activities, we hope you enjoy reading all about FIFA 23’s Career Mode.

Let’s jump in.

COMMON (Manager Career + Player Career)

PLAYABLE HIGHLIGHTS

Career Mode playthroughs have always been a unique part of FIFA, specifically because they require the right mix of being able to get the best results and the desire to progress as fast as possible towards the big matches like finals, six-pointers, or promotion play-offs. That is why we introduced Interactive Simulation to Manager Career two years ago, but even with that addition, we still want to add more to the Career Mode progression toolkit.

We‘re looking to give you more control over how much attention, time, and focus you invest in each part of the season, one match at a time. This is why we are introducing a new gameplay format that is specific to Career Mode called Playable Highlights.

In Playable Highlights, you take control of key moments in matches in an attempt to define their outcomes, specifically handling close calls that impact the scoresheet while leaving the rest of the match to be simulated by the match engine. 

We’ve included some short summary clips for many sections of this FIFA 23 Gameplay Deep Dive featuring Alex Constantinescu and Ionel Stanescu. If you don’t have time to read through this entire article in one go, the summary videos provide an overview of what’s new in FIFA 23 along with footage of our new features in action.

Watch the full trailer

How Playable Highlights Work:

We have an in-depth background system in place that evaluates the two opposing sides for each match, taking into account their offensive and defensive strengths and weaknesses based on the players in the lineup and their stats at that exact moment in the season. Team OVR, Fitness, Sharpness, and Morale are all included as part of this system.

Using all of that data, FIFA 23 generates the number of scoring chances each team will have and spreads them across the match. Each scoring chance triggers a match highlight, prompting the player to take action in gameplay to either convert a potential goalscoring opportunity (attacking highlight), or to prevent the CPU AI from doing the same (defensive highlight). 

The highlights themselves are diverse both in terms of types and position on the pitch, replicating the variety of situations that can be encountered in regular matches. They range from typical positional attacks to numerical superiority counter attacks, solo runs, and all the way to set pieces, including free kicks, corners, penalties, and even throw-ins. In Playable Highlights you’ll see everything you’d normally expect in a match, but with less time to make an impact on the outcome, so you'll really have to make your chances count to be successful.

With Playable Highlights, we’ve compressed the match into an intense, bite-sized experience that will enable you to cruise through seasons while conserving your focus for the encounters you feel are most important, all without giving up control over the results you generate along the way. The new experience is available alongside all of the previous match progression options, so you can still choose to play the full match, Sim To End, or use the Interactive Sim.

Playable Highlights in Manager Career

As a manager, you can choose to play all of the highlights in a match, or to play only the attacking ones by allowing the simulation to decide the defensive outcomes. This way, all your gameplay focus can go towards the attacking aspect of the sport if that’s what you prefer. 

Playable Highlights in Player Career

Similar to playing a full match, Playable Highlights offers two options, controlling the entire team or just the player you began your career with. If you choose to play controlling only your player, the system will only show highlights that your player is actively involved in, while resolving other highlights in the background.

Additionally, Playable Highlights adapts to both being a starting XI player and a bench player. The objectives for both cases adjust appropriately to fit the bite-sized format.

MAIN MENU EXPERIENCE

One thing we’re aiming to achieve in FIFA 23 is to create a more unified menu design across the game.

We’ve redesigned our main menu so that you can have faster access to your areas of interest. We’ve also brought more contextual information forward such as your squad depth, the players whose contracts are about to expire, or the most promising players in your Youth Academy. This information is surfaced more prominently in FIFA 23, meaning that you don’t have to access as many layers of menus in order to find the information you’re looking for.

DYNAMIC MOMENTS

Dynamic Moments is a collection of cinematics which will accompany your progression throughout the Career Mode experience in both Manager and Player Career, with the aim of making your journey more immersive and memorable

There are seven bespoke Dynamic Moments you can experience in your Career, each of them tied to various achievements or events that you might encounter on your path to stardom, from the very first moment you enter the club. 

Making it into the club’s starting XI in Player Career or dealing in the transfer market in Manager Career can trigger more cinematics for you to discover as you play.

PRE-SEASON TOURNAMENT FORMAT

We’ve updated the structure of pre-season competitions to a more authentic format. Eight teams will play three matches each in order to get their campaign off to a good start. Only the winner of the tournament will be able to claim the prize money award that will help boost their transfer budget.

We’ve also changed the timing of the tournament, with matches taking place closer to the first games of the season. This way you can put your players’ hard earned sharpness to better use from the season opener

SAVE FILE CHANGES

We know how important and fun it is for you to experiment with various clubs across different leagues in both Manager and Player Career.

You are now able to use a common pool of the save file space, allowing you to mix and match between Career Mode and Tournament saves. This enables you to create up to 17 Career Mode save files.

Additionally, FIFA 23 surfaces more information about a save file, so ahead of loading a save file you will be able to identify the team you were playing with and the upcoming opponent, to better differentiate between saves. 

MANAGER CAREER

PLAY AS A REAL MANAGER

We’ve seen feedback from players wanting to play as some of their favorite managers, and we’re happy to say FIFA 23 enables you to play as one of the 350+ authentic football managers, of which 30+ have star heads, in Career Mode. 

Upon selecting the manager of your choice, you can customize their outfit and decide on the club they’ll be in charge of. You have the option of continuing to build a legacy at an authentic manager’s current club, pick a different club to start at, or even create a new club for the manager to lead to glory.

TRANSFER ANALYST

We’ve designed a new feature in FIFA 23 Manager Career Mode to help you step up your negotiation skills and hone your managerial instincts, the Transfer Analyst. The Transfer Analyst will assess the financial and squad impact of your transfer business. 

There are five different ratings that the Transfer Analyst can provide for the financial aspect of your transfers, ranging from A (for high quality business deals) to F (for deals that financially don’t make too much sense). You’ll be able to find a transfer deal’s financial rating on the left side of the screen, right after completing an incoming or outgoing deal.

For transfers, these ratings are provided based on the ratio between the transfer sum and the asking price of the selling club.

For loans, your financial rating will be determined by the agreed wage split structure with the loaning club.

The Transfer Analyst helps you to improve your negotiation skills by showing you how close you were to the selling club's minimum acceptable fee. The closer you are, the higher rating you'll get, and you'll immediately know if you've done as well as you could have once the player joins your club.

You’ll want to be sure to use your scouts and attain all of the information on the player you’re targeting whenever possible in order to make the best deals. In FIFA 23, when a player is fully scouted you will receive precise information about the asking price, leaving it up to you to best prepare for the negotiations ahead.

^{*Player ratings not final and subject to change*} 

Besides the financial aspect, the Transfer Analyst will assess the new player’s impact in the squad by comparing their overall rating to your most relevant options in the same position. Buying a player whose OVR is superior to your squad average will result in a good squad impact rating. While prioritizing buying those players that will immediately make your team better is always important, that’s not to say that you shouldn’t look at a player who can develop over time and become an even better option for your team. 

Each time you sell a player the Transfer Analyst will look at the current players in the position of the departed player to determine if you have a solid replacement, if you could still use a backup option, or if you have a highly promising talent in the current squad that can become a future star. 

It’s up to you to make the most of the Transfer Analyst to improve your team in each transfer window.

Transfer Negotiation Tension

To help you ease off some of the pressure of negotiating a deal we’ve also added a Tension meter during negotiations. Whenever you submit a counteroffer, the other party’s Tension will grow since you’re pushing them towards a tipping point in terms of declining the negotiations altogether. The further your counteroffer is from what the other party would consider acceptable, the more tension they will accumulate. This refreshes the dynamics of negotiations as you’ll need to pay more attention to the offer you put on the table to avoid causing a premature departure from negotiations.

CREATE YOUR CLUB IMPROVEMENTS

To let you express yourself further, we’ve expanded upon the customization options available through Create Your Club in FIFA 23 Manager Career mode.

Third Kit & GK Kit Customization

We know a lot of you have been waiting for this, and we’re pleased to say that you will now have the ability to customize your club’s third kit as well as your goalkeepers’ kit.

We’ve added an additional level of customization to the Create Your Club Squad Builder by adding the option to edit details of your players before you start your career. This gives you more control over your entire squad’s characteristics as you embark on your journey.

You can edit player names, height and weight, body appearance, preferred positions, playing Attributes, and even some of their animations. 

BUDGET BREAKDOWN

Financial control is a big aspect of managing a club. Will the wage bill put your club into bankruptcy? Are you making a profit on the transfer market with the players you are selling? How much did you earn from prize money this season?

You can now see this information broken down to help you plan your finances and make sure you have enough money in the bank to pursue your targets. 

We’ve also removed the toggle between Transfer and Wage Budget as the split did not make any difference to how it affected your funds overall. You will still be informed about how your budget translates into weekly wage, as that information will still be used when agreeing personal terms with players. 

PLAYER CAREER

PLAYER PERSONALITY

Each player, both those on real pitches and those on a couch, has their own way of play, a unique style that distinguishes them from others. This year we are proud to present the Player Personality feature which allows you to shape your virtual personality and get Attribute benefits from doing so. Our aim was to deliver a fluid personality system that drives a deeper personal connection to your player and lets you define their character on and off the pitch.

By performing certain actions on and off of the pitch you will gain Personality Points that will accumulate and expand your personality, giving you access to benefits detailed further  below. Your behavior and decisions on the pitch will be closely monitored by the Player Personality system in FIFA 23, for example, every time you decide between connecting with a teammate or keeping the ball a little longer to set up the shot for yourself will shape the kind of player you are. These kinds of decisions contribute to three distinct personality types that impact your Attributes.

Maverick

Mavericks are aggressively chasing goals and acting on intuition, seeking stardom on and off the pitch. They’re more individualistic in general , focusing on their own achievements. They’re ambitious and will pursue their objectives without hesitation. Apart from their drive for achievements,  a more lavish lifestyle can be generated by a Maverick’s aura, but this of course takes nothing away from their flawless professional athlete lifestyle.

Virtuoso

Virtuosos are skillful and intelligent, relying on their ability to change the course of matches in the blink of an eye. Completely focused on their performance, they are also ambitious, but most of their battles are internal. They aim to demonstrate   they are capable of putting their stamp on the game while achieving their goals. . They are rather humble, focusing their finances and influence towards getting to their athletic goals more efficiently.

Heartbeat

A Heartbeat player is like the pulse of a team, reading the game ahead of their opponent and dominating through willpower, determination and resilience. Their top priority is to be sure that the whole team benefits from their presence, they’re not caring so much about personal awards on the shelf, but more about trying their best to fill the team’s trophy cabinet. They are always ready to help, give advice, and leave no one behind. Finances and influence are often used for charitable purposes. 

Evolution and Benefits

As you play more matches, you will gain more Personality Points. The total number of Personality Points can grant you new tiers of Personality, and the higher the level, the higher the Attribute bonuses become.

Every Personality Point you earn is connected to a different Personality. For example, passing to a teammate to earn an assist while in an attacking position can generate Heartbeat points, while shooting, and scoring, gives you Maverick and Virtuoso points. For instance, you could earn a total of 25 Personality Points in a match if you made a successful pass (+5 Heartbeat Points) and scored a goal (+20 combined Maverick/Virtuoso Points).

Distribution of Personality Points between the Personality is also significant, since it decides which Attributes will be increased. The percentage of points that go into one specific Personality, compared to the total number of points, determines how much the Attributes influenced by that Personality grow.  

The Attributes that get increased are defined by distribution of Personality Points among Personalities, and the Personality Tier defines how large that increase is.

Each playing position on the pitch will have a different set of Attributes increased through Personality, a center back for example, will have a different spectrum of Attributes affected by their Personality compared to a striker.

Absolute Personality

When you reach the final tier of Player Personality and dedicate yourself to one of the Personalities by placing the majority of your Points in it, you can reach an Absolute level, the very last evolution stage that will give you even more benefits that will help you to make your mark as a football player.

OFF-PITCH ACTIVITIES

Off-Pitch Activities allow you to further shape your Player Personality outside of matches and training. Each activity has certain requirements to meet before you are able to engage with them, and they can present different types of rewards, in addition to contributing to your Player Personality.

Sometimes you’ll have to decide how you behave in specific situations, and each choice can lead to different outcomes.

There are three different types of Off-Pitch Activities:

DECISIONS

Decisions appear contextually and as a consequence of things you do either on the pitch or off of it. For example, if you’ve won a Man of the Match award, Activities can have you comment on your exceptional performance, giving the opportunity to react and gain a certain reward, Personality Points for example, depending on the selected choice.

Decisions can also include responding to things that are beyond your control, like the situation with the Club, manager or transfers. 

Example Decision:Your team won the semi-final of a tournament and you are asked to respond to this accomplishment. You have three options:

• Take all the credit and let the spotlight focus on you - gain Maverick Points.
• Praise the team spirit and congratulate your colleagues - gain Heartbeat Points.
• Stay humble and dedicate yourself to more hard work - gain Virtuoso Points.

Sometimes you might just choose if you want to participate in an Activity or not. For example, you could be encouraged by an editor to write your own autobiography that will tell the story of your ups and downs.

INVESTMENTS

An important part of every modern athlete’s life is managing their hard-earned funds. Investments allow you to potentially multiply the money you’ve earned in your career. Some Investments are riskier than others, and everything comes with a price, so choose carefully what to do with your cash, since some Investments can end up less fortunate than others. As you progress in a career and gather more funds, more Investment opportunities will become available for you.

Investments Activity examples:Phone App - Low risk

Clothes Branding - Medium risk

Stock Market - High risk

As for what to do with your funds, that’s where the Shopping Activity comes in.

SHOPPING

Earning money is one thing, spending it is another. You can choose if you want to purchase things that will help you grow as an athlete, such as sports equipment, or add a bit of glamor to your life by buying something flashy and grandiose. You don’t have to focus only on yourself when spending money as a broad variety of charitable activities will also become a part of your life outside the pitch. 

You will be able to hire staff, participate in charity events, and much more. As you grow financially you will get access to more items, services and events that will allow you to improve your Personality, improve Attributes, and expand your collection.

Each Shopping item grants you certain benefits, but remember you can only afford so much, so make your choices carefully or let your imagination run wild. 

Shopping Activity examples:

Hire a Personal Trainer - +1 Strength, +25% Xp Training Boost, gain Virtuoso Points.

Donate to Schools - gain Heartbeat Points.

Purchase a Luxury Watch - gain Maverick Points.

Purchase an Electric Car - gain Virtuoso Points and Maverick Points.

We hope you’ll enjoy playing and experimenting with the new features in FIFA 23 Career Mode as much as we had fun building these experiences for you. On behalf of the entire Career Mode team please accept our heartfelt thanks for being part of one of the most passionate communities out there. 

- Alex, Andrei, Tomasz, Florin and the entire Career Mode team.

FIFA 23 is available to pre-order for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC and Stadia.

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