'EA Sports FC 24' has made a stand against sexism.
Electronic Arts vice president and executive producer John Shepherd has responded to a wave of sexist remarks about including the Women's players in the hotly-anticipated game.
He told IGN of Ultimate Team Evolutions: “We have a vision of connecting not just the 150 million fans we have now, but a billion fans.
“We want this game and this brand, this club, this ecosystem, to welcome everybody.”
He insists the gaming giant is continually working to rid its gaming communities of toxicity.
Shepherd added: “It’s something we take really seriously.
“We’re moving to some new tech in our backend on the server to help us with that.
“But that’s just one thing of many. It’s a group of people constantly looking at the toxicity in the game and understanding how we can make sure it is a safe environment for everybody. But it’s one of those things that’s going to take constant effort for us to continue to focus on."
The rival to 'FIFA' will feature more than 700 teams from across the globe, including teams from the English Premier League, German Bundesliga, Italian Serie A, and the Spanish La Liga.
EA Sports struck a deal with UEFA, meaning players will be able to have access to the Champions League, Women's Champions League, Europa League, and Super Cup.
And they will be able select players of both sexes to play at the same time.
EA Sports is confident in its "future vision" for 'EA Sports FC' and the "new and engaging experiences" they are planning.
As it prepares to launch its rival interactive football title after parting ways with FIFA, 'EA Sports FC' Vice President David Jackson recently explained why fans should stick with them.
He told The Mirror: "There’s a huge amount of energy in all of our studios, all over the world, to get after the ambition that we know we’ve set ourselves with this new brand.
"EA Sports FC is our future vision. I think we’ve done a very good job and had a great relationship over time with the FIFA organisation, but now’s the right time for us to set a new path and chart our own path forward, be able to meet players' expectations where they are, and we feel we can do that best through the lens of our own platform.”
Jackson continued: “It’s a mindset shift for us. We now think very expansively about opportunity. And the areas that we would like to create experiences for fans in the future. We have a huge amount of confidence in what we’re going to be able to bring to market later on this year.
“There are two things that are really important to us. And our players telling us are important to them.
“One is authenticity. So we have 19,000 players, we have 700 teams and 30 leagues in the game right now. That authenticity is paramount to an EA Sports experience and will continue to be in the future.
"The other thing that’s super important to us is innovation and our ability to be able to create new and engaging experiences that fans tell us that they’re expecting from us at EA.”
'EA Sports FC 24' is released on September 29 on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
