Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo has received the world's first copy of FIFA 19, a week and a half before its official launch on September 28. The forward tweeted a picture of himself and his son, Cristiano Ronaldo Junior, posing with a PlayStation 4 copy of the game.
The copy arrived in a special edition with the tagline "champions rise", which ties into the game's new Champions League license. Ronaldo scored his first Serie A goals for Juventus over the weekend and can celebrate with games of Ultimate Team or FIFA 19's new Kick Off party modes.
Transfer impact on Journey Mode
While Ronaldo appears on the front cover in full Juventus kit, his £99million move to Italy raised concerns for publisher EA Sports. There were worries that the transfer could ruin Journey Mode, the story mode following Alex Hunter as he secures a dream move to Real Madrid to pursue the Champions League trophy alongside Luka Modric and Toni Kroos.
Previous entries of the Journey included voice acting from top football players, and EA Sports had close links to Ronaldo before his departure from Madrid.
Although CR7 completed his move a couple of months before FIFA 19's release, EA Sports stressed that his transfer never caused issues and Journey mode was left unhindered. EA Sports expanded the mode this year to let players follow three different players at once, deciding who to see succeed.
Early access and demo options
While the full release date remains September 28, dedicated fans can get early access on Thursday, September 20 by subscribing to Origin Access Premier.
Subscribers paying the £14.99-a-month fee can play 10 hours of full FIFA 19 gameplay before the full launch. Alternatively, a free demo is available on all consoles and PC to preview the new features.