It's been a rather tumultuous week for FIFA amidst its corruption scandals but there has at least been one positive announcement. EA has revealed, for the first time in the FIFA series' long history, that female players are to be included in FIFA 16 when it releases for consoles and PC later this year.
The latest release will include 12 national women's teams, which is perfect timing as the Women's World Cup finals is set to kick off next month in Canada - 11 of the included teams will feature at the tournament. The first 11 squad as well as select reserve players have been facially scanned by EA for accurate representation in the game. Representation doesn't stop at just accurate facial modelling, however, as US international Abby Wambach was also used for motion capture so movement will be distinctly different.
FIFA 16 won't allow for women's teams to play against men's, just like in real life. Women's teams won't feature in FIFA Ultimate Team, which has quickly become a popular component of the FIFA series. Women's national teams are available in Match Day, Offline Tournament, and Online Friendly Matches. Still, the inclusion of female players is a big stride for the series although it isn't the first time female players have appeared in a football title.
The full team women's team lineup will include: Germany, USA, France, Sweden, England, Brazil, Canada, Australia, Spain, China, Italy and Mexico. More about FIFA 16 will likely be revealed at E3 that is being held June 16-18 so we'll be sure to update when more is known about the latest installment.
Release date and first trailer
EA first showed off FIFA 16 in a trailer in March, which showcases its EA Sports IGNITE Engine that is being used. Notably, the new engine only powers the next gen console and PC versions of FIFA 16 and won't be included in the XBox 360 and PS3 versions. EA has claimed the new engine will include completely revamped goalkeepers that include over 50 new save animations. Here's hoping for less goalkeeping blunders (although a few would still be in the spirit of the real game). Over 600 new 'emotional reactions' have also been added, such as responses to bad misses or poor challenges, to give a more realistic experience.
The release of FIFA 16 is scheduled for the 26th September in the UK, 25th September in Europe and 23rd of September in North America.
