With the conflict in Ukraine still ongoing EA Sports has made the decision to remove the Russian national team and the Russian club teams fromFIFA 22. Update 1.22 which will apply Title Update 9 will also make changes to FIFA Ultimate Team, Career Mode, standard gameplay, and more.
EA Sports announced the update forFIFA 22on April 13 via the official EA Sports forum and the in-game menus on PC and went live on consoles on April 14. The update removes all Russian teams and stadiums from the game echoing the real-world actions of football’s governing bodies FIFA and UEFA in excluding Russian teams from competing in all European and International soccer tournaments.
RELATED:FIFA 22 Reveals New Gameplay Updates and Details
The move from EA Sportswill come as no surprise to fans asFIFA 22receives constant updates to echo real-world events in international and domestic soccer. With FIFA and UEFA making the decision to ban Russian teams back in February it was inevitable that the biggest sporting game franchise would follow suit.
The Russian Football Union (RFU) had appealed the FIFA and UEFA bans on its soccer teams but the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has upheld the ban. It could be possible for Russian teams to be restored inFIFA 22at a later date, but this will be dependent on the outcome of the continuing real-world conflict and the soccer governing bodies' decisions. EA has alsopulled all its titles from sale in Russiaand Belarus. Here are the full notes for update 1.22 and Title Update 9.
General, Audio, and Visual
A point of contention among some players is the removal of content that has been available since launch with no alternate content being offered to players in recompense. Players who have Russian players in their Ultimate Teams or use Russian team kits, for example, can still keep them, but their prices on the Transfer Market will be fixed, to prevent any profiteering from their scarcity.EA Sports has also removed Russian playersfrom its annually released ice hockey franchiseNHL 22.
FIFA 22is the latest installment in the soccer franchise and is one of the biggest sporting games in the world. Its continuing success is down to its online multiplayer modes that bring inmassive profits such asFIFA Ultimate Team, Seasons, and Pro Clubs. In FIFA Ultimate Team players assemble all-star teams comprising players from different nations and clubs, outfit them in different kits, and adorn their stadiums with crowd cards, banners, and other designs acquired via purchase or rewards. These items and players are acquired randomly in card packs. Any unwanted items can be sold to other players via an in-game transfer market.
FIFA 22is available now for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Stadia, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source:Fifa forums
