Any video game player worth his or her salt knows that no game is perfect. Every game comes with its set of glitches and bugs which the developers of the game try to resolve by sending updated patches.
It is no different for popular game developers and giants in the industry, EA Sports, and their most famous title FIFA.
First released in 1994, the FIFA game series has become the most well-known footballing video game on the planet, and EA Sports has released a new version almost every year, with perhaps the last of the line being FIFA 23 after EA Sports and governing body FIFA failed to reach an agreement for the renewal of licenses.
Every version of the legacy game has seen its fair share of bugs, and thousands of minutes worth of videos are available on YouTube just dedicated to the funny and frustrating clips of players coming across these glitches.
Ultimate Team, a format in FIFA which allows you to make your own team and play against others, has become one of the favourite modes in the game. This mode allows you to play not just with the current crop of players, but also legends that have long since retired.
These ‘icons’, as they are called, feature players like Johan Cruyff, Dennis Bergkamp, George Best and more. Legends indeed.
Another icon that was added to the game in this version was Didier Drogba, the lethal striker who made his name at Chelsea and for his country Ivory Coast.
The Ivorian was added as a ‘World Cup Icon’, a special tournament-themed promo to add hype to the title and the 2022 World Cup.
And it is this player that has been subject to a glitch in FIFA 23 Ultimate Mode, causing confusion and amusement among fans.
When selected to play for the team, Drogba’s character actually appears in the form of another legend of the game, Maldini.
And it’s not just appearances that have changed. The character plays like the Italian too, making shooting and dribbling difficult for players who select Drogba as their striker.
This is not restricted to just one console type either, with players across PS4, PS5, PC etc, reporting the problem.
The glitch has caused many to complain on EA forums, hoping for a quick patch to fix it. But the reply from the organization has actually surprised many.
As can be seen in the tweet above, EA Sports accept that the issue is complicated but also that they are not sure how to fix it.
The actual reply reads: It seems to be a more complicated issue that currently cannot be resolved. Usually those are not too complicated things, but it appears that this time it is a more significant problem than initially thought. I also don’t have all information, but it is definitive something the team is looking into and is being worked on. We don’t have any ETA on a potential fix for now, sorry.
This is indeed surprising and refreshingly transparent for an organization of this size. But it hasn’t stopped people from making light of the situation.
With no apparent fix around the corner, players are understandably irritated at the situation.
Well, I suppose they will have to get used to the situation. Drogdini, it looks like, is here to stay.
