Alex Hunter will reportedly make long-awaited return in EA FC 27's open-world mode
Alex Hunter, the fictional character from FIFA's The Journey series, will be part of the much-anticipated ‘The Grounds’ open-world mode on EA FC 27, according to reports online.
It has been almost a decade since EA Sports introduced The Journey to their FIFA franchise – a mode that followed Hunter in his journey from Clapham Common under-11's to the Premier League and beyond.
After a penalty shootout on a muddy pitch in south west London, the story jumped ahead seven years to an “exit trial” at the National Football Academy.
Here, Alex and his best friend Gareth Walker, who would later become his bitter rival, would compete to impress Premier League scouts. The story progressed to FIFA 19, where the three-part series came to an abrupt end.
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But now, eight years after he last appeared on our screens, Hunter will make a long-awaited return to EA's flagship game, according to several reputable accounts on X, including Donk and Fut Sheriff.
The latter wrote: "Major breaking: Alex Hunter is back in FC 27. He will be part of 'The Grounds', EA FC 27 open world."
As mentioned above, Hunter is set to be included in 'The Grounds', an open-world multiplayer mode that will allow you to roam an entire city and visit barbershops, clothes shops and gyms, as per WhatsGaming.
Speculation suggests you will also be able to run street games to build and level up your player’s reputation.
READ MORE: What happened to the cast of FIFA's 'The Journey' mode in real life
EA has already announced plans to include open-world gameplay in future versions of EA FC
Cam Weber, the EA president, has previously given an insight into what to expect from a virtual open-world playground that has featured in titles such as NBA 2K.
“Our teams are hard at work on a couple of new projects,” Weber explained at a summit in 2024.
“They are building unique, new experiences; virtual open world playground space, where you, your friends and the fan community can come together to experience avatar-based collective play – both competitive and casual.
“These new experiences will have creativity, connection, self-expression and emergent gameplay at the forefront. Now we are talking about two distinctly different experiences for FC [25] and our American football franchises.
“And while we’re not ready to share more just yet, we are incredibly excited to release these new experiences into our ecosystems in the years ahead.”
Weber did not elaborate on the finer details, but the mode will reportedly feature online districts modelled on some of the biggest footballing nations, including France, Argentina and the UK, according to Esports News.
Jack Kenmare