I may have just been reminded to never judge a book by its cover, but sometimes the cover is so bad that I can't help it.

A few years back EA Sports and FIFA, who had collaborated for decades on the globe-conquering FIFA series of video games, split. EA now makes its own series, EA Sports FC, and FIFA--when not engaging in blatant corruption and cronyism with some of the worst people on Earth--had to find a new partner if they wanted to make some money in the video game space (which they do, all FIFA cares about is making money, see earlier comments).

I’m Taking It As A Bad Sign That Two Big Games Were Announced With No Screenshots

One game overthought it, the other knew exactly what it was doing

AftermathLuke Plunkett

Late last year, it was announced they'd found one! As I said in December:

Earlier today Netflix announced that Delphi, a company you've likely never heard of (they're relatively new, and their only public credit is as support on IO's upcoming 007 game) will be both developing and publishing a new FIFA game.

That was all we knew at the time, but now, courtesy of an interview Delphi recently conducted with GI.biz, we know more. And what we know sucks.

"Delphi has evolved into a full-fledged developer and publisher," [executive producer] Tang-Peronard says. "We believe in a lean, highly experienced core team, supported by best-in-class co-development and outsourcing partners." For FIFA, that includes Refactor Games, based at Delphi's LA headquarters, part-owned by Delphi and backed by venture capital giant A16z's Speedrun fund. Founded in 2021, it launched physics-heavy American football title Football Simulator into Early Access in 2022. The studio employs alumni of VR dev Survios and blockchain dev N3TWORK.

A16z is Andreessen Horowitz, a terrible company even by venture capital's vampiric standards, run by some of the most overt technofascists operating in Silicon Valley today. Refactor's site boasts of hires from rights licensing company OneTeam (whose partners are currently under investigation by the FBI) and N3TWORK (a blockchain studio), and their single published sports game, Football Simulator, is not exactly a smash hit.

None of that guarantees anything! For all we know a new FIFA could turn out to be the sleeper hit of the decade, a true middle finger to complacent AAA sports gaming, a rebirth of the FIFA brand and a reward for the millions of gamers exhausted by EA's near-monopoly on the sport.

Or, you know, it could show FIFA have no idea what they're doing, and they're going to get exactly the game they deserve for it.

Available as part of the Fantasy FC League Objective Group, Instant Impact allows EA FC 26 players to give Rapid, Finesse Shot+, as well as a welcome +4 SHO and +3 PAC upgrade to any under 87-OVR player, no matter their position.

But as getting the evo requires stacking up 18 wins against what I can only call meta-filled evo teams, it would be a nightmare to waste it. Here are the best non-chain players for the Instant Impact evolution in EA FC 26, and an overview of all the other rewards you can get from the Fantasy FC League.

The Best Players For Instant Impact Evolution In EA FC 26

As many can guess, given vis 5/5 WF/SM and Low Driven Shot+ PlayStyle, Winter Wildcards Johan Cruyff is by far the best choice for the Instant Impact evolution in EA FC 26. He is then followed by Winter Wildcards Rafael Leão, Time Warp Pedro, Flashback Miedema, Flashback Gyökeres, and Winter Wildcards Thierry Henry. Just keep in mind that Henry will still not have a single passing PlayStyle in his arsenal at the need of the day.

If you don’t have the above, though, Cornerstones Claudia Pina is also a perfect match for the evolution. After all, who can say no to a card pairing Pina’s unique strengths with the Finesse Shot+ and Low Driven Shot+ combo? Even if still lacking in PAC, TOTW Messi can also be a fun fit. To recap, here are the best players for the Instant Impact evolution in EA FC 26:

• Winter Wildcards Johan Cruyff (87 OVR / CAM)
• Winter Wildcards Rafael Leão (87 OVR / LW)
• Time Warp Pedro (87 OVR / LW)
• Flashback Viktor Gyökeres (87 OVR / ST)
• Flashback Vivianne Miedema (87 OVR / ST)
• Winter Wildcards Thierry Henry (86 OVR / ST)
• TOTW Lionel Messi (87 OVR / ST)
• Gold Rare Claudia Pina (86 OVR / LW)

All Fantasy FC League Objective Rewards

Apart from a 10x 86+ Rare Gold Players Pack and both the Premium Badge and Instant Impact evolutions, you can get 18 other rewards via the Fantasy FC League objective in EA FC 26, including three exclusive players. Here’s an overview of all rewards and how to unlock them:

Now that you know who the best players for the new evolution are, make sure to also take a look at How To Quickly Get All Icon Swaps Tokens In EA FC 26. Trust me, you don’t want to be known for missing out on a free 94-OVR R9.

Available until March 10th, the second batch of Icon Swaps Tokens just arrived on EA FC 26, thus allowing players to finally claim the talked-about and meta-defining 94-rated Icon Swaps R9.

But just like with the previous selection, is getting all 10 tokens a Herculean effort? Or is it possible to speed things up? Here’s how to get all of the new Icon Swaps Tokens as quickly as possible in EA FC 26.

All New EA FC 26 Icon Swaps Tokens & How To Get Them

Like with the previous batch, all 10 new EA FC 26 Icon Swaps Tokens can be acquired by completing seasonal objectives, with four being rewarded via the Icon Swaps: Italy, France, Spain, and England groups. Unlike the above, though, the remaining six tokens won’t demand taking part in a Live Event. Instead, they can only be acquired by getting wins on Squad Battles and Champions. Here’s an in-depth overview of how to get all new tokens:

• Icon Swaps Token Martin Palumbo: By winning 10 Champions matches
• Icon Swaps Token Roggerio Nyakossi: By winning six Squad Battles matches (min World Class) with 11 Silver players in your starting lineup.
• Icon Swaps Token Féerine Belhadj: By winning six Squad Battles matches (min World Class) with at least 11 Roshn Saudi League players in your starting lineup.
• Icon Swaps Token Isaías Delpupo: By winning three Squad Battles matches (min Professional) with 11 Barclays WSL players in your starting lineup.
• Icon Swaps Token Harvey Blair: By winning three Squad Battles matches (min Professional) with 11 Liga F players in your starting lineup.
• Icon Swaps Token Julie Swierot: By winning three Squad Battles matches (min Semi Pro) with 11 First Owned players in your starting lineup.
• Icon Swaps Token Leonardo Mendicino (Icon Swaps: Italy): By taking part in the Icon Swaps One Nation Live Event with a starting 11 featuring at least eight first-owned Italian players. You must then win six matches, score with a header in three, and assist with a through ball in seven.
• Icon Swaps Token Florianne Jourde (Icon Swaps: France): By taking part in the Icon Swaps One Nation Live Event with a starting lineup featuring at least eight first-owned French players and winning six matches, scoring with low driven shots in seven, and assisting with through balls in five.
• Icon Swaps Token Bakary Haidara (Icon Swaps: England): By taking part in the Icon Swaps One Nation Live Event with a starting 11 featuring at least eight first-owned English players and winning six matches, scoring in eight, and assisting with a defender in five.
• Icon Swaps Token Othmane Maamma (Icon Swaps: Spain): By taking part in the Icon Swaps One Nation Live Event with a starting 11 featuring at least eight first-owned Spanish players and winning six matches, scoring chip shot goals in five, and assisting with crosses in six.

The Fastest Way To Get All New EA FC 26 Icon Swaps Tokens

Although there’s no way to get multiple One Nation tokens at once, you can easily get two of the others in one go by winning 11 World Class matches with a fully Silver Roshn Saudi League squad. Upon doing that, you can repeat the feat by using a first-owned Barclays WSL or Liga F lineup and stacking another three dubs.

To speed up the process when going for the mentioned Live Event tokens, we recommend helping your fellow players by giving away goals. It does not cost a thing to be kind, and letting your opponent advance in a couple of objectives can make them reciprocate before you both go for the win. Remember, there’s no real difference between starting the match at 0:0 and 1:1, but lending a hand can take you a long way.

Setting aside stat boosts for a handy Low Driven Shot+ and 5-star WF upgrade, Fantasy FC Path might actually be one of the trickiest evolutions to rate in EA FC 26. After all, is a second PS+ really enough to justify its premium price?

Well, it turns out it might, even if getting it there will demand very specific picks. Here’s who are the best players for the Fantasy FC Path evolution in EA FC 26, as well as a full breakdown of everything it brings to the table.

EA FC 26 Fantasy FC Path Evolution Requirements And Upgrades

Available for 50K Coins / 400 FC Points, Fantasy FC Path can only be used on under 87-OVR strikers, with a maximum of 10 PlayStyles and one PS+. Your chosen player must also not be an LM/RM, nor a World Tour Silver Icon. You can check out all of the upgrades your chosen card can get, including an ++ upgrade to all ST roles and a few handy regular PlayStyles, below.

• Level 1: +1 OVR (max 88), +1 PAS (max 87), +1 DRI (max 88), +1 PHY (max 85), +1 Acceleration (max 92), and +1 Sprint Speed (max 92)
• Level 2: +1 OVR (max 88), +70 Shot Power (max 99). Advanced Forward++ (ST), Poacher++ (ST), False 9++ (ST), and Target Forward++ (ST)
• Level 3: +3 SM (max -star) and +4 WF (max 5-star). Low Driven Shot+
• Level 4: Low Driven Shot, First Touch, Finesse Shot, and Power Shot PlayStyles

Best Players For The Fantasy FC Chain Evolution In EA FC 26

Although the evolution’s PlayStyle focus might make it a better fit for those looking to build meta slayers with long chains, its upgrades can also allow many already high-rated picks to shine. The best examples of that can be seen in Base Icon Fernando Torres and Gianfranco Zola, who can use it to get both a welcome PAC increase and the meta 5-star WF/Finesse Shot+ and Low Driven Shot+ combo.

TOTW Endrick and Thunderstruck Dumornay can also be worthy picks for it, as their Rapid+ only makes Low Driven Shot + more lethal. It’s also worth pointing out that we don’t recommend using promo icons here, in special Winter Wildcards Baby Henry and Cruyff. Why? Apart from not getting a second PS+ from it, the evo also locks them away for the foreseeable future. To recap, here are the best players for Fantasy FC Chain in EA FC 26, as well as a few alternatives sure to excel.

• Base Icon Fernando Torres (87 OVR / ST)
• Base Icon Gianfranco Zola (87 OVR / CAM)
• Flashback Viktor Gyökeres (87 OVR / ST)
• Ayoze Peréz (87 OVR / ST)
• Thunderstruck Melchie Dumornay (87 OVR / ST)
• TOTW Rasmus Højlund (87 OVR / ST)
• TOTW Eberechi Eze (87 OVR / CAM)
• TOTW Endrick (86 OVR / ST)

Now that you know who the best players for the Fantasy FC Chain evolution are, make sure to also take a look at All EA FC 26 Fantasy FC Upgrades, Explained. Since no team can survive without an elite guardian between the sticks, we also highly recommend that you check out The Best Ultimate Team Goalkeepers, Ranked.

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A wide selection of EA games have been reduced on Amazon ahead of Black Friday, including Battlefield 6 and Split Fiction.

Black Friday might be over a week away, on November 28, but many retailers have already started cutting prices in preparation.

Sony has already announced its Black Friday deals across PlayStation 5 games and consoles, including a big £135 discount on the digital edition of the console. Meanwhile, Nintendo has knocked down the prices of various games, including Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom, as part of its sale.

If you’re after titles beyond these companies, Amazon is currently holding an early Black Friday sale on games from EA.

As part of this promotion, EA Sports FC 26 is down to £37.99 on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, which is a massive 33% discount. It’s even cheaper if you’re after the Nintendo Switch 2 version, which is 54% off at £27.85.

The other headline deal is Battlefield 6, which is already £20 off at £49.99, despite only coming out a month ago. If you’re on the fence, some of the game’s multiplayer suite will be free to everyone later this month, or you can try the battle royale mode Redsec.

There isn’t much to be had hardware wise, but if you’re after a Meta Quest 3S VR headset, these are 16% off at £319 as part of the Black Friday offers. You can check other discounted titles below.

Best gaming deals in Amazon’s early Black Friday sale

• EA Sports FC 26 (PS5) – £37.99
• EA Sports FC 26 (Switch 2) – £27.85
• Battlefield 6 (PS5/Xbox Series X)) – £49.99
• F1 25 (PS5/Xbox Series X) – £37.99
• Madden NFL 26 (PS5) – £40.45
• NHL 26 (PS5) – £46.95
• Meta Quest 3S – £319
• Star Wars Jedi Survivor (PS4) – £16.95

Beyond this promotion, Amazon has a bunch of games at discounted prices that aren’t by EA. These include Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds at £37.95, along with action role-player Hell Is Us, which is 30% off.

The premium edition of Doom: The Dark Ages is a massive 45% off at £54.95 (the same price as the standard version), and comes with a digital artbook, soundtrack, and access to future campaign DLC. The SteelBook version of Monster Hunter Wilds on PlayStation 5 is similarly very cheap too, at £29.95. You can check out other deals below.

Other cheap gaming deals on Amazon

• Split Fiction (PS5/Xbox Series X/Switch 2) – £28.98
• Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds (PS5/PS4/Xbox Series X) – £37.95
• Death Stranding 2: On The Beach (PS5) – £54.99
• Hell Is Us (PS5) – £34.95
• Monster Hunter Wilds Steelbook (PS5/Xbox Series X) – £29.95
• Elden Ring Nightreign (PS5) – £28.97
• Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 (PS5) – £39.99
• Doom: The Dark Ages Premium Edition (PS5) – £54.99

More new prices will inevitably roll out over the coming days, so we’ll keep you posted on any new ones, and keep an eye on other retailers as well.

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