EA SPORTS details FC 27 FUT changes for Evolutions, SBCs and Champions

EA SPORTS has published new EA SPORTS FC 27 Ultimate Team developer notes, laying out planned changes to reward balance, squad variety, Streamlined SBCs, Champions rewards and Evolutions. The studio also confirmed a live Discord Q&A for 13 November at 9:00am PCT.

The post builds on earlier launch-period notes and says the team has been following player discussion closely since release. This update focuses on how Ultimate Team is performing in practice and where EA expects to make adjustments in future updates.

EA wants squad upgrades to feel more lasting

One of FC 27’s main goals was to make earned Player Items stick around longer in Ultimate Team, and EA says the early signs are positive. The studio says players are keeping Items in their squads for longer before replacing them, and that Campaign Player Items are more likely to make it into squads when they are packed.

EA wants to build on that trend, but it also says players want better ways to chase some of the most desirable items, especially those tied to new Campaigns. Starting last Friday with UEFA Road to the Knockouts and continuing through upcoming Campaigns, the studio plans to adjust access to select Player Items while keeping campaign content “special and impactful.”

The developer says meaningful upgrades should still feel like milestones. At the same time, it believes certain Items can be made more accessible at launch, and says finding that balance will depend on player feedback and engagement data.

Evolutions and squad variety are still being tuned

EA also revisited Evolutions, saying the feature was meant to give players several viable ways to build a squad alongside the Transfer Market and SBCs. The studio says Evolutions were especially popular during parts of FC 26, and praises the creativity and squad variety they helped create.

That flexibility has also made Evolutions harder to balance against other FUT rewards. For FC 27, EA says it wants them to feel more rewarding while still keeping the other squad-building routes attractive.

The same thinking applies to squad diversity. EA says some Player Item types are becoming too popular, which is leading to squads that look more alike than it wants. Its response is being split across several areas:

• making Evolutions a more meaningful part of squad building
• improving access to a wider range of Campaign Player Items
• testing gameplay changes that help different player types and playstyles perform better

EA says it will keep looking for ways to make a broader spread of Player Items feel like realistic Starting XI options.

Streamlined SBCs, item duplicates and Champions rewards

Another part of the notes covers Streamlined SBCs. EA says the format was introduced in FC 27 to make Squad Building Challenges smoother, with fewer individual Challenges, simpler requirements and faster, more intuitive player submission.

The studio directly addresses feedback about removing individual Challenge reward packs. Those packs are no longer part of the Streamlined format, but EA says their value is still reflected when it sets SBC Item Score requirements. It says tuning now takes into account estimated Transfer Market value, whether the reward is tradeable or untradeable, and the total cost of obtaining the items needed to reach the required score.

EA says it has also adjusted its approach in FC 27 to account for the missing reward packs, with the aim of delivering comparable overall value between the old and new SBC formats. It does not currently plan to restore individual Challenge rewards, but says it will keep listening to feedback on SBC pricing and the Streamlined setup.

The notes also address packs and Player Picks that contain both holographic and standard versions of the same Player Item, including FUT Champions TOTW Player Picks in the Champions Token Store. EA says it is exploring changes that would give it more flexibility over when those versions can appear together.

Champions rewards are being reviewed as well. EA says one FC 27 change has been an increase in the FUT Coins earned through Champions matches, so rewards build over the weekend instead of arriving only at the end. The studio also says it is studying how players use the new Champions Token system, including which rewards they select from the Token Store and how they value them.

“We want Champions to be an engaging, rewarding part of Ultimate Team that recognizes the time and effort you invest.”

Questions for the FUT Developer Team can be submitted through the Official EA SPORTS FC Discord server’s dedicated FUT Q&A channel ahead of the live session on 13 November at 9:00am PCT.