FIFA announces FIFA Heroes, a 5v5 arcade football game that will be released in 2026

FIFA has returned with a new release announcement following its split with  Electronic Arts (EA). The football video game company announced FIFA Heroes, an arcade-style five-a-side football game expected to be released in 2026. The release will be rolled out across major platforms, including PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android.

The game is being developed in collaboration between Enver, Solace, and Enver Studios. The new release will incorporate multiverse squads of real football icons, official FIFA mascots, and even fictional characters from popular films and shows. Solace’s director, Kyle Joyce, revealed that Solace has worked closely with ENVER for a long time to create pioneering game development experiences that bring players together. 

Enver compares FIFA Heroes with FIFA Street

EA officially ended its partnership with FIFA for the FIFA series, which would no longer be titled ‘FIFA’. The long-held partnership ended after the FIFA organization reportedly requested a $1 billion licensing fee from EA.

EA allegedly acknowledged that the FIFA licence did not include rights for players, teams, or leagues and was therefore not worth keeping the permit for $1 billion. EA then called its annualized football series ‘EA Sports FC,’ creating new licensing deals with the professional football teams and leagues featured in the game. 

On the other hand, FIFA declared that it would develop its own football game, a mascot-forward mobile and console game called FIFA Heroes. Mascot-forward means that instead of featuring professional footballers, it would feature the mascots for international teams. Maple for Canada, Zayu for Mexico, and Clutch for the United States of America, representing the countries that will host the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

FIFA Heroes is a five-a-side game that doesn’t take the same simulation-forward approach as EA Sports FC but is depicted as something closer to Sloclap’s Rematch or other arcade-focused football games.

Christian Volk, FIFA’s director of gaming and esports, revealed that the title aims to connect a new generation of fans while sparking nostalgia for those who grew up with classic FIFA games. 

FIFA Heroes to feature 2026 FIFA World Cup mascots

The FIFA Heroes trailer showcased the 2026 FIFA World Cup mascots Maple the moose (Canada), Zayu (Mexico), and Clutch (United States) as playable characters with exceptional ratings in power and moves. Enver has promised that the game will feature dynamic physics, pitch-shattering power moves, PvE career milestones, and casual multiplayer matches, comparing it to FIFA Street.

Enver’s founder, Kyle Joyce, described the project as an attempt to capture football’s speed, drama, and rivalry in an accessible arcade package. FIFA Heroes will mark the organization’s first official game release since its split from EA. Whether fans embrace a mascot-powered, arcade alternative remains to be seen, but it’s clear that FIFA intends to re-establish its presence in gaming ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

The latest announcement follows the release of EA’s latest EA FC game, EAFC26. The game appears to be going down well among its fan base, retaining many of the elements of the series’ prior EAFC titles and the FIFA series. 

According to a Cryptopolitan report, Electronic Arts was in advanced talks to go private in a deal worth approximately $50 billion. A group of interested investors, including Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and Silver Lake, a private equity firm, is engaged in discussions with Electronic Arts. EA has agreed to a $55 billion takeover to go private.

Following today’s announcement, the video game publisher’s stock dropped 0.31% trading at $201.01 at publication.

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