GC'06: Next-Gen FIFA 07/Pro Evo 6 Xbox 360 Only??? News

Electronic Arts has today confirmed FIFA 07 on Xbox 360, with a release period for the title during Autumn 2006.

Whilst it was always expected to make an appearance on Xbox 360, the third time that a FIFA title has done so since the launch of the next-gen console in November 2005, what is more surprising is that EA's statement omits any mention of versions for PlayStation3 and Wii.

EA has announced that FIFA 07 on Xbox 360 will take advantage of a new game engine two years in the making, which will mean that every player AI will have its own 'football brain'. The game will also include a greater number of attributes, which along with traits and physical characteristics, will actually dictate the motion of individual players. Further advancements are also said to have been made with regards to ball physics, enabling the possibility for every type of goal to be scored.

"Get ready for the first real next-gen soccer experience. FIFA 07 on Xbox 360 will deliver athletes that move as fluidly, as realistically and as intuitively as athletes in real life," said Andrew Wilson, Producer for FIFA 07 at EA. "This engine is the most sophisticated sports technology we've ever produced -- it gives us the ability to transform soccer as it is played today but more importantly, it is a dynamic technology that promises to deliver new innovations for years to come."

"The FIFA Soccer 07 engine unlocks ultra realistic player motion and delivers complete responsiveness due to its ability to branch animations and the real-time calculation of real human biomechanics. Essentially our software engineers are writing human decision-making code," said Hugues Ricour, Producer for FIFA Soccer 07 on the Xbox 360.

"EA SPORTS is focused on gameplay and online innovations. We believe fans will feel the difference in FIFA 07 on Xbox 360 the first time they pick up the controller," said Clive Downie, VP, Marketing, EA Europe.

Backing up the suggestion that next-gen FIFA 07 will only be released on Xbox 360 in 2006, comes a statement from Microsoft commenting that "...with 'FIFA 07' from Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) and 'Pro Evolution Soccer 6' from Konami Digital Entertainment Inc., Xbox 360 will be the only place where gamers can enjoy next generation soccer this year."

So it looks like potential PlayStation3 owners might miss out on footballing action for the first twelve months of the system's life-cycle, with the top two franchises gunning for glory on Xbox 360...a massive coup in Europe for Microsoft.

We'll have more news shortly...