The first day for the E3 2016 conference has been exciting. One of the most interesting updates from EA this year was about FIFA 17.

The bestselling soccer video game franchise is set to have a unique story mode in the next release.

Unlike the other FIFA series, the new FIFA 17 will offer the option for players to control their characters on and off the pitch. This will enable the users to facilitate the character’s career in the game.

Though this feature looks promising, this simulation is a little bit risky. According to BBC, this similar mode has already been implemented in rival 2K Games’ NBA 2K16 version. Upon the implementation of the story mode, most gaming critics have spread out the word about the negative impact of the feature.

In The Verge‘s review of NBA 2K16 review, they noted that this “ruined” NBA 2K16’s game mode.

“At its best, it captures the essential silliness of achieving individual, virtual greatness and marries that silliness to a potent, finely tuned power fantasy. When all of your work and skill development culminates in a windmill yammed on some unsuspecting center’s head — or a trip to the Hall of Fame — there are few things more rewarding. I love this goofy part of an otherwise serious game, and that’s why it hurts me to tell you that 2K and Spike Lee have come together to ruin its newest version.”

With the new story mode version, the main Career mode was transformed into a feature film.

It is still unsure where EA would take the story mode for FIFA 17, however, they might be wary of the mistakes their competitors made last year.

So far, FIFA 16 has bagged the bestselling video game on both PlayStation and Xbox platforms last year. EA posted a $1.16 billion profit last year and this comprised mostly of FIFA 16 sales.

EA also reported a 32 percent rise in sales during 2016 and this has been an impressive number considering that their platform is being challenged by other game creators like BioWare and Steam.

Diving Deeper Into FIFA 17’s Story Mode

FIFA 17’s story mode will be called “The Journey.” This will follow and narrate the story of a footballer called Alex Hunter. Just like the NBA 2K16, users might not have the option to change the character’s name.

The trailer released during the event showed Alex’s family back story. The trailer also showed how he was first approached by an agent.

In the story mode, Alex Hunter was initially scouted to play for Manchester United, but EA said gamers can opt for different teams. They can also join other Premier League clubs.

One reason why EA is diving into deeper story-telling in FIFA 17 is because of its tight competition with Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer, which features a “more realistic experience” to gamers.

“The Fifa team struggles to find something new to do every year because it has already made a very good simulation. What they are trying to do here is offer some of the drama of sport and make it more of a human story. There’s huge potential for it not to work. The standard of video game writing is not very high in general. But it could be great to contextualise [sic] what you are doing if they handle it right.”

Even BBC’s North American technology reporter Dave Lee notes that “The Journey” “is a big gamble.”

So far, the gamers would just have to wait for FIFA 17 to be released to be able to weigh in on the matter.

[Photo by Sascha Steinbach/Getty Images]