FIFA 14 interview with EA's Dan Teodorescu

Many of the general details about FIFA 14 for mobiles will be very familiar to existing fans of the series - a huge number of leagues, teams and players will be included as standard, not to mention the return of the hugely popular Ultimate Team component of the game. This time around though, the iOS and Android versions of FIFA will be embracing touchscreen technology like never before, relegating the traditional, virtual button controls to the settings screen in favour of an elegant tap and swipe system.

After going hands-on with the game at a press event held at EA's UK headquarters in Guildford, Surrey, we spoke to executive producer Dan Teodorescu about these changes, and the increasingly convergent nature of mobile, console and PC gaming.

Is every feature from the console version of FIFA 14 going to make it into the mobile game in one form or another?

The goal that we have is to make each game the best game for the platform. There are some things that don't change, like authenticity. We added more teams this year, so we have more teams, 32 leagues, 600 teams, and thousands of players - that doesn't change.

In terms of features, we have to choose what is best for mobiles, and we also prioritize things that you would like for a personal experience, for an always connected experience. Things like live content.

When you're working out features for the next FIFA, presumably you're working in close proximity with the PC and console teams. Always online is such a big thing now and most people have one of these phones. It used to be a case of doing the best you could on mobile, but things have changed so much now. To what extent does mobile development feed into the rest of the development process?

The first thing we've done is EA Sports Club, which is our football social portal. Whatever you do, you have the same account. If you play on mobile you see what your friends are doing, and everything you do in the game is measured and transformed into experience points. You see that for all your friends, from wherever you play. So, this is the first thing that we've done, the first connection we have with everything - all the other players.

When we decide on what features are going to be included, more and more mobile is considered because of the sheer number of players involved. But the goal is not necessarily to copy the console and PC game. The HD game is the best experience of football you can have. This has to be the best football experience you can have for mobile.

Read the rest of the FIFA 14 interview at Modojo >