FIFA getting better stats for players

The distance real life footballers jump and the speed they hit shots will be incorporated into future versions of EA's monster football game series FIFA under a new partnership with the Premier League.

EA Sports will sponsor the Premier League Player Performance Index, which will include new performance data such as time and distance measurements.

It'll track shot speed, the force of a ball as a keeper makes a key save, the height of a jump, the speed at which a penalty is struck and more, we're told.

The data will then be incorporated into future versions of FIFA, EA Sports said.

Weekly ratings of Premier League players will also be integrated into FIFA, although EA hasn't said exactly how.

"In the exclusive role as Official Sports Technology Partner of the Premier League, EA Sports will explore new ways to leverage actual match and performance data to deliver improved interactive football experiences that match the complexity, finesse and excitement of a real world football match," says the official blurb.

As part of the deal, EA Sports branding will be featured on all live on-screen broadcasts of Barclays Premier League fixtures. The Premier League and EA Sports will publish the EA Sports Team of the Week, which is based on ratings from the Player Performance Index after each round of the Barclays Premier League. That'll be integrated into EA Sports football games, too.

In return, broadcasters will get EA Sports graphics, animations and "interactive technology" combined with real-time, real world data feeds to use so pundits like Andy Gray and Jamie Redknapp can better show off their mind-bending analysis skills. Allegedly.

FIFA 11 is due out on all platforms on 1st October. Watch EGTV interrogate FIFA's main man David Rutter below.