F1 2021 is right around the corner, and the community is buzzing with excitement about the new game.
From a brand-new story mode to new tracks, there is plenty for the hype train to feed on. Since EA completed their takeover of Codemasters early this year, players have been curious about what impact it would have on the F1 franchise.
Following a recent release on EA's profits, it's safe to say that the Ultimate Team feature will be coming sooner rather than later.
Ultimate money maker
It's no surprise that Ultimate Team is a profitable mode for EA, but just how profitable it is left gamers speechless when the gaming giant unveiled it's fiscal year 2021 results.
EA generated $1.62 BILLION from Ultimate Team in FY21, up from 1.49 Billion in the previous fiscal year.
That number is absolutely staggering, and accounted for almost 30% of the company's net revenue in FY21.
The engine of that revenue was FIFA, but both NHL and Madden also have successful and lucrative Ultimate Team modes.
The popularity and profitablity of the mode has exploded in recent years, and is part of why EA could afford $1.2bn for Codemasters in the first place.
Ultimate Team in F1
The F1 franchise is the most highly-rated major sports franchise in gaming. Part of that is thanks to its incredibly engaging single player modes, which Codemasters has tweaked, grown, and improved seemingly with every release recently.
One of its downfalls though, is online. From maniac drivers to an iffy ranking system and some server issues, fans are more and more organising their own leagues and competitions rather than using the game's ranked mode.
There is a huge appetite for more online and multiplayer functionality, and Codemasters is now owned by EA... It's surely now just a matter of time until Ultimate Team comes into the F1 games.
It definitely won't be there for this year, but in F1 2022 and beyond? We would be surprised if work isn't being done now to map out what a racing Ultimate Team looks like.
From technical personnel to team bosses & #2 drivers there is plenty of popular faces players would want to pull from packs. Throw in +5% boosts to engine power or ERS deployment, more durable components or faster pitstops. EA has plenty of direction it could go.
We can't wait to see what happens.
F1 2021 release date
Codemasters' F1 2021 has an official release date of 16 July.
Players can start their F1 journey earlier though, as the Deluxe Edition offers three days early access.
The game will be available on Xbox One and PS4 as well as Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and PC.