EA Sports is embarking on a huge re-branding exercise, with 2023 being the first year it will release a football game without the FIFA imprimatur. The new-look EA Sports FC branding has been omnipresent at football matches and in coverage for a while now. However, with EA ready to show off the game, fans are finally getting a glimpse of what to expect. This is a very bad face, and it seems to be very embarrassing.

The cover for EA Sports FC 24 Ultimate Edition has been revealed. It features 30 football greats from the present and past, and wow, does this thing take it hard on the uncanny valley effect? Male and female players are represented from various leagues and national teams. The idea is clearly to show that, hey, this may have an entirely different look, but we've got all the stars of the game here.

At first glance, it might appear okay, particularly as the focal point is Erling Haaland in the middle. EA seems to have done a decent job with his face. But look at the others a little closer, and you'll soon see how odd this all is. Pirlo (top right) looks absolutely shocked; Beckham appears like his Madam Tussauds waxwork; Bukayo Saka resembles nothing like himself; and the closer you glance at each face, the worse it all gets.

Some fans focused on the absence of Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, and Cristiano Ronaldo, but it's the player likenesses that really got the ball rolling, with comparisons to older generation consoles like PS2, older versions of Pro Evolution Soccer and FIFA, and EA's own The Sims series.

"They've managed to accurately portray the faces of two dead guys, but they've got living footballers. It's who they've got access to facial scans of, that look like AI art," noted one fan. Oh well, it'll still sell millions of copies. The most frequent comparison Saka gets is to CJ in San Andreas. If the Ultimate Edition actually ships with this cover, I'd be amazed.

The full list of players on the cover is:

• Sam Kerr

• Leah Williamson

• Alex Scott

• David Beckham

• Alexia Putellas

• Marta

• Vinicius Jr

• Federico Chiesa

• Jude Bellingham

• Trinity Rodman

• Leicy Santos

• Zinedine Zidane

• Alex Popp

• Son Heung-Min

• Erling Haaland

• Youssoufa Moukoko

• Selma Bacha

• Virgil van Dijk

• Marcus Rashford

• Johan Cruyff

• Didier Drogba

• Bukayo Saka

• Ronaldinho

• Victor Omishen

• Juan Roman Riquelme

• Enzo Ferdnandez

• Alexander Isak

Finally, the cover reveal took all the attention for obvious reasons, but EA also released a pre-rendered teaser with an irritating voiceover. This is real "pass the sick bag" stuff about how 22 people kicking a ball around is a legendary human endeavor, but it does show that one of EA Sports FC's big things is that mix-and-match of players old and upcoming. EA will show the game on July 13.

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Kofi Dekye Acquaye

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