EA Sports, the developers and publishers of the popular FIFA gaming franchise, have explained why Manchester United striker Mason Greenwood is yet to receive a realistic game face.
FIFA 21 was originally launched in October on Xbox One, PS4 and PC, with the next-gen, enhanced version of the game released on the Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and PlayStation 5 on December 3.
Although United have a long-term partnership in place with Konami, the developers and publishers of the Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) video game series, which allows Konami to use United’s player likenesses, club badge, club name, club kits, Old Trafford and more, EA Sports have a comprehensive licensing deal with the Premier League.
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This means that most of the United squad have extremely accurate face scans on FIFA gaming titles, with the club’s most popular players like Bruno Fernandes, Paul Pogba, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, Scott McTominay, and even youngsters such as Brandon Williams, all looking fantastic on FIFA 21.
(Image: EA SPORTS FIFA)
However, there is one prominent United player who is yet to receive a face scan: Greenwood.
The 19-year-old, who recently signed a new deal at Old Trafford, looks nothing like he does in real-life on the game, prompting ridicule.
Many fans thought that Greenwood’s face would be updated in-time for the release of the enhanced next-gen edition of FIFA 21, but that wasn’t the case.
You can check out Greenwood’s face on FIFA 21 next-gen below, which has been derided on social media over recent months.
However, after the MEN contacted EA Sports for comment over Greemwood’s in-game appearance, a spokesperson told us: “Due to the current global pandemic, unfortunately we haven’t been able to visit the training ground this year due to club restrictions on external party access.
“We were able to capture Brandon Williams’ head scan during a visit to Carrington in February 2020 but Mason was unavailable to attend this session.”
It had been speculated that the reason behind Greenwood’s lack of a face scan was due to the pandemic, and that has now been officially confirmed by EA Sports. So, it looks likely that fans will have to wait until the release of the next FIFA gaming title to see Greenwood get a realistic game face.
What do you make of Greenwood’s appearance in FIFA 21? Let us know in the comments below.
*FIFA 21 is out now on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC, with FIFA 21 next-gen also available now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.
Players who have purchased one of the new next-generation consoles including the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, and who have already previously purchased FIFA 21 on their older consoles, can now upgrade to FIFA 21 next-gen for free through Dual Entitlement.
Players can also carry over their progress and content in Ultimate Team and Volta Football in FIFA 21.*
