As we enter the last full week of September, we have another packed week of new game releases to look forward to, although we're not likely to beat last week's lineup of games. This week's major release is a grand strategy game that might just rival the classic Civilization games. This is followed by a chill sandbox construction game set in an era of castles and cottage, a dystopian sci-fi horror looter shooter with a local co-op mode, a sequel to 2019 RPG title, a crafting survival game, but you're a duck, a sci-fi space game combined with a deck builder and finally, some football, of the global kind.

Ara: History Untold / This week's major release / Tuesday 24 September
Ara: History Untold is an evolution in historical grand strategy, featuring beloved classic PC strategy mechanics alongside innovative gameplay like a national crafting economy, true simultaneous turn resolution, a non-linear technology tree, and cloud-backed synchronous/asynchronous multiplayer - all with an expansive and vibrant presentation where you can zoom out from surveying the very edges of your empire all the way down to your citizens living their daily lives. In Ara, there are no pre-set paths to victory, leading to endless possibilities. Your choices will define the world you create, your experience, and your legacy. Steam link

Electronic Arts Inc. confirmed a series of new and exclusive multi-year marketing partnerships and in-game integrations with some of the biggest names in football. This includes exclusive marketing and licensing partnerships with two Italian giants, AS Roma and SSC Napoli, as well as exclusive marketing partnerships with Fenerbahçe SK, Galatasaray S.K., FK Bodø/Glimt and Argentinian league Liga Profesional de Fútbol (LPF), which contributes towards the 700+ clubs and 30+ leagues available in EA SPORTS FC 25.

These partnerships contribute towards an unrivaled level of authenticity in EA SPORTS FC 25, brought to life through a roster of players from the biggest clubs and leagues from around the world. Additionally, the new formats of the UEFA Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League will all feature exclusively in FC 25 Career and Tournament modes to bring a fresh game experience to players.

Today, in celebration of Women's History Month, EA SPORTS FC announced a new sponsorship deal with long-standing partners UEFA, to become title partners of their Women In Football Leadership Program (WFLP). Now in its tenth year, the WFLP is an annual week-long program, supported by the IMD Business School, aimed at advancing the careers of women capable of influencing the football industry, both today and in the future. The program has been running since 2014, benefitting over 240 women so far.

This year's program, in partnership with EA SPORTS FC, will take place in August at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, supporting over 30 women from across the football industry, with candidates selected based on their future potential in the world of football. Involving key-note speeches from existing leaders in the industry, a variety of group training sessions, as well as one-on-one-coaching, the WFLP is designed to improve leadership skills, encourage networking and build self-confidence in order for the participants to achieve their full potential.

As we're about to enter the last week of September, we have another somewhat slow week of new releases, that is unless you're a football fan, the kind with a round ball, not the oblong pig bladder kind. That said, if you're into trains, house building, hunting relics or ever wanted to know what it's like to jump between worlds, there might be something for you this week as well.

EA Sports FC 24 / This week's AAA title / Thursday 28 September
EA Sports FC 24 welcomes you to The World's Game: the most true-to-football experience ever with HyperMotionV, PlayStyles optimised by Opta, and an enhanced Frostbite. Join us in building the future of football on a foundation of innovation and authenticity with more than 19,000 fully licensed players, 700 teams, and 30 leagues.

EA SPORTS FC 24 welcomes you to The World's Game—the most true-to-football experience ever with HyperMotionV, PlayStyles optimised by Opta, and a revolutionised Frostbite Engine reinventing how 19,000+ authentic players move, play and look in every match. Pre-order EA SPORTS FC 24 Ultimate Edition by 22 August to get a UEFA Champions League or UEFA Women's Champions League Ultimate Team Hero Item on 27 November.

EA SPORTS FC 24 is a new era for The World's Game: 19,000+ fully licensed players, 700+ teams, and 30+ leagues playing together in the most authentic football experience ever created on PC. Develop club legends and improve your players with the brand new Ultimate Team Evolutions, and welcome women's footballers to the pitch alongside men as you craft your dream XI. Write your own story in Manager and Player Career, and join friends on the pitch with cross-play in Clubs and VOLTA FOOTBALL. EA SPORTS FC 24 is the next chapter in a more innovative future of football.

Welcome to a new era for The World's Game. Feel closer to the game with three cutting-edge technologies powering unparalleled realism in every match—HyperMotionV, PlayStyles optimised by Opta, and a revolutionised Frostbite Engine. HyperMotionV captures the game as it's truly played, using volumetric data from more than 180 professional men's and women's football matches to ensure player movements in-game accurately reflect real-world action on the pitch. PlayStyles dimensionalise athletes, making them more authentic by interpreting real-world player data from Opta and other sources into signature abilities which heighten the realism and individuality of each player. The revolutionised Frostbite Engine delivers The World's Game in lifelike detail, bringing a new level of immersion to each match.

Develop your own club legends in Ultimate Team by improving your players with the brand new Ultimate Team Evolutions, and welcome women's footballers to the pitch alongside men as you craft your dream XI. Get closer to the touchline with new modern management features in Manager Career or pave your own path to glory in Player Career. Plus, connect and compete with more friends than ever through cross-play in both Clubs and VOLTA FOOTBALL. Pre-purchase EA SPORTS FC 24 Ultimate Edition by 22 August to get an untradeable UEFA Champions League or UEFA Women's Champions League Ultimate Team Hero Item on 27 November.

Last May, Electronic Arts confirmed that its licensing deal with FIFA would be coming to an end by the summer of 2023. This week it has revealed the new branding for the EA Sport FC franchise, which is set to succeed the soon-to-be discontinued EA + FIFA series. Last year EA announced that it would be bringing its 30-year partnership with FIFA to a close. The computer game publishing giant could not agree on a new licensing deal with the association football/soccer governing body. EA Sports has unveiled the new logo and visual language that will feature atop their new flagship football game. It is widely rumored that FIFA are in the process of creating a new and distinct football games franchise with a yet to be revealed development partner.

The sports division has provided a breakdown of the design process: "The new brand takes its design inspiration from triangles, an ever-present shape in the sport and football culture that represents the game in multiple dimensions. From passing techniques to set-plays to formation design, triangles are a constant in the beautiful game. The shape is also woven into the DNA of EA Sports football experiences - from the isometric viewing angles of EA Sports' first football games and triangular polygons that make up every frame, to the chemistry triangles that exist in Ultimate Team or the iconic player indicator symbol that appears above athletes in every match."