Rumor: FIFA 17 is moving to Frostbite Engine

Multiple sources tell us that the FIFA, Madden, NHL, and NBA Live sports game will be transitioned to DICE’s Frostbite engine over the course of the next few years. Frostbite is currently being used to power the vast majority of EA’s larger game catalog, including the Battlefield, Star Wars: Battlefront, Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Need For Speed, and Mirror’s Edge franchises. The next major sports game to make the leap to the new technology is FIFA 17. While Madden NFL 17. NHL 17, and NBA Live 17 are still using the Ignite engine, each is expected to convert in the near future.

FIFA 17 isn't the first EA Sports game to use Frostbite tech; 2015’s Rory McIlroy PGA Tour was built on the platform as well by EA Tiburon. During its press blitz for PGA Tour, EA touted the engine’s prowess in creating outdoor environments and cutting load times between holes. The transition should also be aided by the fact that DICE already integrated the ANT animation system component of the Ignite engine into Frostbite during the development of Battlefield 3.