GOALS has successfully launched; the free-to-play soccer experience is now on the market. There, however, it faces prominent competition, from which the newcomer aims to clearly distinguish itself.
It was like a full-scale attack: “The same game every year. Delayed input responses and way too much lag,” lamented a GOALS trailer in March. A clear jab at industry leader EA SPORTS FC and its annual releases, which rarely feature lasting innovations but often come with technical flaws.
Given this aggressive marketing campaign, it’s all the more remarkable that CEO Andreas Thorstensson, when asked about the direct comparison, strikes a more reserved tone than the marketing department might lead one to expect. “We’re not trying to build a better EA SPORTS FC or eFootball. We’re building a new kind of soccer experience,” emphasizes the Swede, though he does slip in a subtle dig: “Something we ourselves have long been missing.”
This is exactly where GOALS comes in and aims to pose a serious threat to the established players: it’s a return to the roots. “While others focus on realism, we focus on gameplay and fun,” says Thorstensson, outlining an approach shaped by his personal experiences: “My love for soccer games began 30 years ago. Back then, graphics weren’t very impressive yet, so the focus was on good gameplay.” An approach that has slowly been lost amid increasingly powerful hardware and ever-more-realistic games.
The former Counter-Strike pro wants to counter this trend. “Great graphics and realism are important—but not at the expense of gameplay,” he says, outlining his minimalist priorities, which are intended to become the game’s greatest strength: “Interestingly, this actually creates a ‘more authentic’ soccer experience.”
This feeling is to be driven by “our own sports game engine.” Thorstensson’s studio “developed it from the ground up” to prevent inaccuracies in the game. “That’s exactly the problem we want to solve,” says the head of the development studio, who sets a clear standard for his own gameplay: “The same input under the same conditions should always produce the same result.” This is a clear simplification compared to competitors, some of whose games seem over-animated.
No licenses? No problem!
But GOALS focuses on simplification not only mechanically but also in terms of licensing. Nothing in the game is authentically depicted; players will search in vain for well-known pros and clubs. This is a deliberate choice: “By consciously foregoing full licenses, a different kind of depth emerges in the experience,” says Thorstensson.
Specifically, he’s addressing the monotony of competitors’ games: “Although licensed games have huge rosters, very few players are actually used, and there are often many duplicates in matches.” This can’t happen in GOALS due to its generic avatars: “With unique players, we can create a deeper and, in a way, more authentic soccer experience.”
To ensure the players’ experience is as stable and reliable as possible, Thorstensson and his colleagues have made high-quality netcode a top priority. According to the GOALS CEO, this is “crucial”—not only for smooth online performance but for the entire game. After all, that’s exactly what EA SPORTS and others are lacking.
“Most sports games are played online today, but their technical foundation was never designed for that. Most soccer games were originally developed for local play,” explains Thorstensson. While this works well for offline co-op, “it doesn’t translate well to online competition.”
The result: “Input lag and inconsistent gameplay,” which causes frustration for players and the GOALS CEO alike: “I’ve been waiting for years for other games to improve this, but it never happened.” GOALS aims to address this: “This has never been a focus for sports games. We’re changing that.”