Immersed in The Journey, fans will live their story on and off the pitch as Premier League prospect, Alex Hunter who is looking to make his mark. Fans will visit new football worlds, meet new characters full of depth, and navigate emotional highs and lows of their unique story arc through decisions off the pitch, their performance on it, and character interactions throughout the 2016/17 season while playing for any of the 20 Premier League clubs.

From a paternal lineage of pro footballers, Alex Hunter starts building his personal legacy in FIFA 17.

EA Sports has signed a three-year global partnership with Manchester United, making ManU FIFA 17's Official Football Video Games Partner.

Manchester United also takes centre stage in EA Sports’ promotion of FIFA 17 The Journey, a narrative-driven mode available only on the latest generation of consoles, where players live their Premier League story through Alex Hunter, a young apprentice who gets his shot at the big time.

Throughout the partnership, EA Sports will gain access to United players for a unique FIFA tournament during the season, and gaming pods will be set up in the stadium as well as the Aon Training Complex.

The main focus of United’s work with EA Sports will be online, as this partnership will allow fans to gain unique access to Manchester United through FIFA 17. Fans will be able to access exciting content, including interactive experiences, social campaigns, wallpapers and FIFA 17 covers they can download from manutd.com, providing new and innovative ways for supporters to get closer to the Club.

Manchester United Group Managing Director Richard Arnold comments: “The ability to bring sports fans together is in EA Sports’ DNA. By having these innovators on board with our family of global partners, we’re pledging to our 659 million followers that they can look forward to great content and concepts over the coming seasons. That much is evident in the exciting content released today and the trailer for FIFA 17 The Journey, drawing on our unrivalled record of giving youth a chance. This announcement will no doubt excite many of our younger fans, and indeed some of our players, who will have grown up with the franchise and other EA Sports phenomena.“

EA Sports Vice President of Marketing Jamie McKinlay added: “We are very excited to be joining Manchester United as a global partner. It’s a great opportunity for us to create even more authentic experiences for our players and bring fans of one of the most storied clubs in the world closer to the team and its star-studded line-up.”

Complete innovation in gameplay transforms the way players think and move, physically interact with opponents, and execute in attack, putting fans in control of every moment on the pitch. Thousands of new animations and a focus on technology enable FIFA 17 to deliver true-to-life action, balanced gameplay, and excitement in attack. Four pillars of gameplay combine to put complete control in fans' hands by introducing new game mechanics.

• Set Piece Rewrite - New penalties, free kicks, corners, and throw-ins bring creativity and variety in every dead ball situation.
• Physical Play Overhaul - U.S. Patent-Pending Pushback Technology changes the way players physically interact in every situation and introduces a new shielding system that gives fans more control when in possession or battling to win the ball.
• Active Intelligence System - A brand new intelligence system gives players the ability to better define and classify space to make smarter decisions off the ball. Players will utilize several New Run Types like fake, direct, and stunted runs to stay even more active off the ball.
• New Attacking Techniques - New options in attack give fans more ways to create chances and finish in front of goal. Send teammates in with a Threaded Through Passand put exciting goals away with a Driven Finish or Downward Header.