I find myself in a weird place for my in-progress review of EA Sports FC 27. On one hand, worthwhile strategic elements have finally been added that reflect real-world tactics in a concise, intuitive way. On the other hand, the promised improvements to behavior and pathing of computer-controlled players on the field still ring hollow, carrying over many of the same issues the series has had for over a decade. Couple this with the dreaded introduction of open-world elements via The Grounds, and the result is yet another instance of positive steps forward but negative steps backward.

Ever since NBA 2K14 introduced MyPark, which eventually evolved into The Neighborhood in NBA 2K18 and The City in NBA 2K21, I figured it was only a matter of time before EA brought a similar open world full of activities to its sports franchises. While The Grounds isn't without merit, it often feels like EA is trying to solve a problem that didn't really exist.

My first impression is that The Grounds doesn’t need to be an open-world environment to deliver what the playerbase wants out of a more communal online mode. I don’t need to run through a visually saturated, low-resolution city populated by lifeless NPCs just to find a game mode to start up when simple menus devoted to the same function can do the same thing in a more efficient manner. Sure, it works well as an active lobby for matchmaking and makes it easier to find other players and move between activities, but between the framerate drops and unnatural character animations, nothing immersed me in the hub in EA Sports FC 27 enough to justify its existence.

The issues above are only compounded by the myriad of unskippable cutscenes and NBA 2K15-level voice acting that make up The Grounds. The irony is that I was initially excited by the new hub world because it brings back one of my favorite FIFA characters from The Journey story mode: Alex Hunter, who first appeared in FIFA 17 and FIFA 18, once again voiced by Adetomiwa Edun. That enthusiasm disappeared quickly once Hunter began speaking, as his delivery feels noticeably more rigid and detached than it did during his original story.

Edun's performance nearly a decade ago was passionate and natural, whereas The Grounds' version of Hunter sounds like he would rather be anywhere else. Things get even more painful when Kylian Mbappe appears shortly afterward, delivering his lines with such a stiff, mechanical cadence that it was clear he read his lines directly from a script all in one take. I honestly found myself grateful that my created character doesn't speak to avoid adding more uncomfortable interactions. While I plan to explore more of the online portion of The Grounds this weekend, the hub itself has not made a particularly strong first impression.

When it comes to gameplay, EA Sports FC 27's expanded Tactics system is easily the best addition, wonderfully complementing the playstyles and roles introduced over the past few years. The new strategy system gives much more control over how teams behave in different phases of play, going beyond basic formations and instructions by explaining the purpose, strengths, and weaknesses of different tactical approaches. This becomes particularly useful when building around individual player attributes. As a Manchester United fan, I found that a deeper defensive approach worked especially well for Noussair Mazraoui, whose patient style lets him maintain his position and disrupt attacks without constantly stepping out of shape, while a short-passing buildup gives him chances to use his technical ability without abandoning that defensive structure.

That flexibility became even more apparent when I switched formations on the fly mid-match while playing against Crystal Palace – I found that they were leaving space along the wings, so I moved into a 4-2-2-2, letting Bruno Fernandes operate between the lines and thread passes to a striker such as Benjamin Sesko, creating opportunities for quick combinations and finishes through the middle. Alternatively, when I faced Manchester City, they controlled the wings more successfully. To counter this, I switched to a 4-2-3-1 wide formation, moving Fernandes more centrally so he dictates play and combines with holding midfielders such as Kobbie Mainoo through quick one-two passes.

"Ultimate Team players have had it bad enough for years, but now, not even the Career Mode players are safe from the Season Pass woes. If you can get past the microtransaction madness, there is a noticeably better soccer game here, and that is worth celebrating – but FC 26 is also EA at its most money-hungry yet, and it’s hard not to worry about where things will go from here." - Ricky Frech, September 26, 2025

Read the full EA Sports FC 26 review.

Separating tactical instructions for possession and defensive phases adds another useful layer, while Player Roles give individual players more specific responsibilities within a formation. Instead of simply placing someone in a position and expecting them to behave a certain way, I can now build their role around the specific contribution I want from them. For example, if I move into a 4-2-3-1 wide and place Benjamin Šeško on the right side, I can adjust his role depending on the circumstances. As an inside forward, he can cut inward to create shooting opportunities or provide another passing option for Fernandes, while a wider role allows him to stretch the defense and open space through the middle.

That same flexibility can be useful defensively, particularly when protecting a lead. If an opponent repeatedly targets his side of the pitch, giving Šeško more defensive responsibility lets him drop back and support the right back, providing another way to protect that flank without abandoning the attacking structure. What makes the system particularly valuable is that it teaches the strategy behind soccer formations without overwhelming players with unnecessary information. EA Sports FC 27 does a good job explaining why different shapes work, which players suit them, and how to adjust them against different opponents, making the tactical aspect for the sport approachable while still leaving experienced players plenty of room to experiment.

The biggest issue is that the tactical system can sometimes feel like it is working against the game's own computer-controlled behavior. Pathing and defensive logic can still break down on higher difficulties, allowing a carefully constructed gameplan to be undermined by an CPU defender refusing to challenge for a 50/50 ball or making an inexplicable movement. Passing will still occasionally produce similarly frustrating results when a ball aimed toward an open teammate on the right is instead sent toward a covered player in the middle.

Crossing and corner kicks have also improved noticeably, with both systems producing more convincing positioning battles and giving the player greater control over what happens inside the box. I scored several successful headers with Harry Maguire from corners during my time with the game, which stood out because I could count on one hand the number of corner routines and headed goals I had scored in previous EA Sports FC entries.

I'm going to explore Career Mode, Presentation, Online, and Ultimate Team, and dive deeper into how Tactics will affect both single-player and multiplayer modes, in the coming days before locking in my full scored review – stay tuned.

Developer Rebel Wolves' September success story, The Blood of Dawnwalker, cost just $40 million to make.

Information related to the Warsaw, Poland-based studio's behind-the-scenes activities comes from a new Bloomberg report. It included the news that Rebel Wolves managed to bring The Blood of Dawnwalker to life and find a solid audience with little more than the $40 million budget supplied by NetEase Inc.

Game designer Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, who previously served as one of the leading developers behind games like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Cyberpunk 2077, worked on early versions of Rebel Wolves' first game with a small team back in 2022. Tomaszkiewicz self-funded the project for that first year as the team hammered out its prototype in hopes of finding a partner, with NetEase later stepping in with the fund the game while acquiring 26% of the studio.

The $40 million figure comfortably lands The Blood of Dawnwalker in the AA space instead of the AAA realm where games often carry heftier price tags. For comparison, IO Interactive's 007 First Light reportedly carried a budget of more than $200 million. Sony's struggling Marathon game is said to have had a similar budget, with games like The Last of Us Part 2 and Horizon Forbidden West also reportedly in that range.

A relatively modest budget means the risk for Rebel Wolves, NetEase, and publisher Bandai Namco wasn't quite as great, but it doesn't seem to have had any impact on their game's achievements. Metacritic recorded that The Blood of Dawnwalker has received "Generally Favorable" reviews from both critics and users alike. IGN, for example, awarded it a 9/10, calling it "an impressive, bloody cocktail of interesting ideas and well-written characters, making it one of this year’s best open-world RPGs."

It's unclear just how successful The Blood of Dawnwalker has been since its launch for PC and consoles earlier this month, but a few clues have helped shed some light. Rebel Wolves told Bloomberg it is "extremely" happy with what it's seen so far, which includes reaching more than 1 million copies sold in just a few days. SteamDB has reported that player numbers for the single-player RPG are holding strong, too, with the game currently boasting a 24-hour peak of 24,495 concurrent users after hitting a peak of 78,188 shortly after launch.

Tomaszkiewicz told Bloomberg that his original goal was to keep Rebel Wolves from growing too much, but as ambitions grew, so did the team. The studio employed around 90 staff in 2024 but has since ballooned to encompass 160 members. Now, as they charge ahead on The Blood of Dawnwalker sequels and more, Tomaszkiewicz said they "don't want to overdo it."

"We decided that the size of the team we have right now is the most fitting for our needs," Tomaszkiewicz said. "It’s still letting me know everyone. I can speak with everyone every day. I still feel like a creator and not a manager, which is the place I want to be."

The Blood of Dawnwalker launched for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S September 3, 2026. As work on more projects happens behind closed doors, more updates for Rebel Wolves' debut title are on the way, too. New Game Plus, for example, was recently confirmed to be in the works.

Games Workshop has released a new trailer for Astartes II, the most anticipated Warhammer 40,000 animation ever.

For the uninitiated, the original Astartes was created by superfan Syama Pedersen, who was subsequently brought into the fold to make the official sequel. Astartes is widely accepted as the greatest Warhammer 40,000 animation ever made, official or unofficial, with only Amazon’s excellent Space Marine 2 animation for the Secret Level anthology series competing with it in quality terms. Indeed, Astartes was so good that it inspired Saber Interactive’s hugely successful Space Marine 2 in terms of the look and feel of the Space Marines themselves.

During Games Workshop’s ‘Big Autumn Preview’ event, fans were treated to a new look at Astartes II, which confirms the appearance of Deathwatch and Terminators. As the company notes in a post on Warhammer Community, fans of Space Hulk will no doubt find a lot familiar here.

ASTARTES 2 teaser
Coming December

We get to follow a Deathwatch unit investigating a Space Hulk! pic.twitter.com/DgveN5yz6K

Indeed, the Space Hulk vibes come through loud and clear. We see Space Marines stomp about a dark, shadowy interior which you just know will house horrible, nightmarish things in the shadows. But the first-person shot of a corridor lit only by spotlights is the clearest sign that the much-loved tabletop game, Space Hulk, was an influence.

Also in the post, Games Workshop confirmed that Astartes II will be “significantly longer” than its predecessor, which is music to fan ears. Understandably as a single-person fan project, Astartes is on the short side.

“We knew already that this was likely to feature Deathwatch and Terminators, from the unsubtle hints dropped at the end of the LAST trailer, and now we see them, they look like they mean business,” Games Workshop said. “The imposing line of storm bolter barrels and the crackle of a power fist, combined with the ominous surroundings, are certainly giving off some strong Space Hulk vibes.

“Somehow even more intimidating than the blank visage of the Terminator helms is that unhelmeted Space Marine veteran, who could certainly be described as ‘grizzled.’ And we think we clocked at least three different characters and Chapters of Space Marines in that trailer.”

In November last year, Games Workshop revealed animation work on a monitor screen via the promo video, below, that showed a squad of Terminators appearing to protect an unnamed human soldier. This was the Inquisition-led Deathwatch Terminator squad from the debut Astartes 2 teaser in incomplete form, but we know from their pauldron chapter symbols that they’re the same as before (Retributors, Mortifactors, Scythes of The Emperor, Sons of Medusa, and Angels Vermilion).

Last year’s teaser suggested an animation on a scale and quality never-before-seen from Warhammer 40,000, with melee combat, shooting, vehicle combat, and even spaceship battles all showcased. It showed a number of Space Marine chapters in battle across varied environments, and multiple enemy races, including Tyranids, Orks, and Tau.

But it turned out that nothing in the teaser is actually in the Astartes 2 animation itself. According to a post on the Warhammer Community website: “This teaser trailer is not actually clips from the new animation, instead showing a compilation of shots that represent the former lives of the characters that will appear in the show. There’s a pretty unsubtle hint at the end as to the nature of the final story... We’ll leave you to speculate and start putting the pieces together yourselves.”

Astartes II is due out this December on Warhammer+, Games Workshop’s streaming service.