[10] FIFA 12 introduced three major gameplay changes: the Impact Engine, Tactical Defending, and Precision Dribbling.

[12] The Impact Engine has been cited as a game-changer, making FIFA 12 less structured and synthetic than its predecessors,[12] and has been described by producer David Rutter as the biggest technological change to the series since the transition to the current generation of consoles.

[12] This is intended to be a more manual form of defending, requiring greater timing and precision[13] when compared to the defensive "press" system used in previous FIFA games.

As an example, players in possession near the touchline will understand their position, and keep tighter control of the ball to stop it running out of play.

Transfer targets will sometimes demand excessive wages if they think they can get away with it, and rival clubs will attempt to steal players away for a bargain price.

It will be possible to delay transfers until right up to the deadline in order to see how others pan out, and the club's Chief Executive will help with pointing out potential late signings.

All players will start in the tenth and lowest division, with promotion and relegation based on a target number of points won in each season.

This change is intended to counter the problem of being paired with opponents who choose one of a small number of five-star teams, a situation that often results in repetitive matches between the same few clubs.

[20] A new online service called EA Sports Football Club launches simultaneously with FIFA 12, and has been compared to a social network that tracks what players do in the game and awards XP.

Following numerous customer complaints, a new update was released by EA which fixed many of the issues, including the constant freezing.

[28] Smith replaces long-term FIFA contributor Andy Gray following the controversy surrounding him earlier in 2011[29] and his subsequent dismissal from the Sky Sports commentary team.

[29] FIFA 12 producer David Rutter described Smith as "one of the top-tier broadcasters on the UK football scene, [who will bring] a fresh, new perspective and insight ... working alongside the trusted and well-known voice of Martin Tyler".

[29] A second English commentary team will be included in the form of ITV's Clive Tyldesley and Andy Townsend, who will be used for tournament modes, though they can also be set as the default commentators.

FIFA 12 was the first in the series to be released in Arabic, with Essam El Shawaly and Abdullah Mubarak Al-Harby providing the commentary.

Most of them depict either Manchester United and England striker Wayne Rooney, or Real Madrid's Brazilian international Kaká,[31] along with one or two other players, often from the country in question.

[33] Rooney appears for the first time on the North American cover along with LA Galaxy forward Landon Donovan and Rafael Márquez of New York Red Bulls.

[36] Finally, in Spain Xabi Alonso and Gerard Piqué are featured, while in Poland Jakub Błaszczykowski alongside Kaká.

The cover players are also utilised in the FIFA 12 advertising campaigns, and other promotional and social media activities worldwide.

[31] EA spokesman Matt Bilbey claimed that the chosen players all "passionately play our game" and will be talking to fans about their own experiences with FIFA.

[31] As part of their promotion of FIFA 12, EA Sports have signed a deal with English Premier League club Manchester City that was described as "unprecedented in both its scale and scope within the computer game industry".

[37] The deal will involve content distributed through the digital channels of both the club and EA, including "match simulations" before the actual fixtures and "unique visuals of the City stars in action",[37] as well as a "virtual kit launch" held on 21 July 2011.