On March 22, 2023, Big Ant Studios and the AFL held the launch event for the upcoming AFL 23 at Fortress in Melbourne. Several players were in attendance to help promote the game, including cover stars Christian Petracca and Darcy Vescio, as well as mainstream media who were there capturing the glitz and glamour of the red carpet. It wasn’t quite the Brownlow Medal, but it represents a seismic shift in marketing in comparison to the recent AFL games from Wicked Witch, which dropped without any real fanfare from the AFL.
But that’s evidently different this time around, and to use a sports phrase, the atmosphere inside the venue was electric, with the crowd buzzing to go hands-on with the latest video game adaptation of Australia’s most popular professional sport.
During the event, Big Ant CEO Ross Symons spoke about the game, the AFL’s involvement and how its budget is far greater than any other Australian sports game – a clear sign that the AFL’s governing body is actually invested (not just financially) in the project. Symons declared that the team at Big Ant are “AFL fans first, game developers second,” and it’s a sentiment that feels genuine as he tells the crowd they’re looking at bringing legends to the game with a smile as wide as the MCG’s wing.
But while players may have to wait for legends and a potential Ultimate Team-esque mode, the game will launch with a Management Mode that will allow gaming chair coaches to take their chosen club to glory, play the role of list manager (just don’t draft your son!), and CEO. Players will also be able to create clubs, players and stadiums that they can share with the AFL 23 community and play online with up to four players.
As for playing the game, it’s important to highlight that the build at the event was not the latest build, and the Big Ant representatives mentioned several times that they are still working on balancing and fine-tuning the gameplay mechanics and the player ratings. Any gameplay videos need to be watched with that in mind, especially mine below which is far from my best work.
We had the choice of playing as any of the AFL teams, and there was an impressive amount of guernseys to choose from, including retro ones. As a Blues fan, I couldn’t not wear the infamous M&M’s guernsey (a personal favourite of mine). Graphically and presentation-wise, this is easily the best looking AFL game we’ve had, with players looking incredibly lifelike. It’s not just the quality of visuals either, it’s the level of detail that Big Ant has put into it. One example of this was in the banners that players run through before a game, with the Collingwood banner featuring the famous “tonihgt” misspelling.
When the match got underway the skills on display were…questionable…mostly due to the struggles with the controls (look I did have a couple pre-game cordials). Ruck contests are won by flicking the right analog stick when the ball is at its highest point, and when the ball did hit the ground it was a very contested affair, with players being tackled almost instantly. Tackling does have a welcome new feature, with players having the ability to get rid of the ball once tackled, although the success rate in doing so was very low (this is one element Big Ant is working on).
At various stages I attempted to play “realistic football” by using overlapping handballs (or as close as I could get) or playing on, however frequently the man on the mark was able to quickly run me down and wrap me up. It raises the question about player speed, and at one point Marc Pittonet exploded from a centre bounce as if he was sprinting to the nearest porcelain throne after the morning coffee hit faster than a John Wick headshot. I’ve got no doubt that it’s an area that Big Ant is likely fine-tuning before launch.
General movement off the ball was impressive and the new goalkicking mechanics are also an improvement over previous games, with players having two steps to get right as well as accounting for wind and distance, which provides more chances of shanking the kick. There’s also a new d-pad system that allows players to choose their preferred type of kick, such as a drop punt or a banana.
This was all based on about 20 minutes of hands-on time, but even with such a small sample size, what I was playing felt better than any previous AFL video game.
As expected, the excitement around the launch of AFL 23 is at fever pitch, and it’s great to see the AFL actively involved in the game’s promotion. All AFL and video game fans should not only be excited about the game but the sport’s video game future. AFL 23 is not only the beginning of a rekindled relationship between Big Ant Studios and the AFL, it’s shaping up as a solid foundation for the future.
AFL 23 will release on April 13 on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC.
