Netflix's new FIFA game will be "easy to pick up, yet still have depth" – and has a big link to Konami's PES

We learned in December that there'll be a new FIFA game this year – to be released in time for the forthcoming World Cup this summer. And it was somewhat a surprise to find out that it will be published by Netflix.

Perhaps more surprising still was the choice of developer – Delphi Interactive, which has very little experience making full games, let alone a football title with such gravitas. However, it turns out that the company's chief technology officer has plenty of experience in the field.

Julien Merceron previously headed up Konami's Fox Engine development – the game engine behind the Pro Evolution Soccer and PES series until 2020. It was also used for Metal Gear Solid 5 (via VGC) but its implementation in building the publisher's famed footy titles is the important factor here.

Merceron therefore knows his onions when it comes to building a football game, and that will surely help with the new FIFA game. Not least because it's having to be created from scratch.

FIFA and Electronic Arts parted ways in 2022 after a run that lasted almost 30 years. EA Sports FC emerged in the wake of their split, while we've been waiting to see what the world football governing body would lend its name to next.

The new game itself is being developed by Delphi with help from Refactor Games – which is known for Football Simulator – an American football release currently in early access on Steam. The new FIFA has been described as "easy to pick up, yet still has depth," by its executive producer, Theodor Tang-Peronard.

We're not quite sure what that means, although it's clear that FIFA wants it to appeal to a wider audience that EA's most recent FIFA and subsequent FC games. "We’re reimagining FIFA in simulation for a much broader audience," added Tang-Peronard.

It'll be published by Netflix this summer for mobile and Smart TVs.