Sifu developer’s next game is absolutely not what you’re expecting

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REMATCH | Reveal Trailer The Game Awards This story is part of our coverage of The Game Awards 2024 Updated less than 1 minute ago Table of Contents A third-person soccer game Embracing multiplayer

Sloclap, the developers of the critically acclaimed action game Sifu, just announced its next title at The Game Awards 2024: Rematch. We had a chance to see Rematch in action ahead of its announcement, and it’s safe to say that this isn’t the follow-up toSifu that I was expecting. Instead, Rematch is a 5v5 multiplayer-only soccer game.

That might come as a shock at first, but upon seeing Rematch in action, I understood that some of Sloclap’s action game roots still show through here. Finding the middle ground between Rocket League and EA Sports FC, this is a flashy sports game where players control their soccer players from a third-person perspective and don’t have to worry about penalties as they bash into other players, bounce the soccer ball off walls, and more.

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I’m all for sports games that don’t fall into the typical simulation game conventions. As such, I could see myself heading onto the pitch with some friends when Rematch enters beta next year.

A third-person soccer game

Soccer games like EA Sports FC 25 typically play from a top-down view, follow league rules, and let players control different members of their team as they pass the ball between them. Rematch works differently, putting players in control of a single athlete from a third-person perspective the whole time they are on the pitch. Matches see two teams of five players face off in a frenetic soccer match where the game’s flow is never broken.

My early look at Rematch made it clear that the game isn’t going for realism. While its handcrafted animations are impressive and mimic the look and feel