Soccer Fan - Online Multiplayer Football news & patch notes

Hello everyone!

I recently finished implementing full gamepad support for Soccer Fan – Online Multiplayer Football.

When I started, I thought it would be a small task:

• Move the player using the left stick

• Assign passing, shooting and tackling to controller buttons

• Navigate menus using the D-pad

• Press the South button to select the highlighted option

It quickly became one of the most difficult systems I have worked on for the game.

Gameplay controls were only the beginning

Analog movement needed dead zones, camera-relative movement, smooth direction changes and support for actions that behave differently depending on whether the player has possession of the ball.

After plenty of testing, gameplay finally felt responsive.

Then the real problems started inside the menus.

The highlighted button was not always activated

At one point, the controller could visibly highlight the Play button, but pressing Select would open Settings or activate Back instead.

The problem was that multiple systems had different ideas about which UI element was selected:

• My custom gamepad navigation system

• Unity’s EventSystem

• An older UI navigation script

Even worse, more than one system was listening for the same Submit button. A single controller press could trigger two different actions.

Finding the cause

I added detailed logs showing:

• The visibly highlighted button

• My navigation system’s current target

• Unity’s selected object

• The object that actually received the Submit action

• The currently active UI panel or popup

The logs finally revealed that the highlighted button and Unity’s selected button were sometimes completely different.

The solution

I gave my custom navigation system full ownership of gamepad Submit while a menu is active.

It now:

I Added Live Commentary to My Football Game! ⚽ Soccer Fan New Update Big new update for Soccer Fan - Online Multiplayer Football! I’ve added dynamic football commentary to the game, making every pass, shot, save, tackle, and goal feel more alive on the pitch. With World Cup 2026 fever heating up and the semi-final hype around France vs Spain and England vs Argentina, this is the perfect time to bring more broadcast-style energy into the game. Watch the new commentary update in action and tell me what kind of commentary lines you want next — goal screams, funny reactions, player names, or dramatic last-minute moments? Wishlist Soccer Fan on Steam and support the development! ⚽🔥

The 2026 World Cup is coming – and Soccer Fan is your perfect casual multiplayer warm-up! ⚽

With the tournament kicking off on June 11 (Mexico vs South Africa in Mexico City and more exciting openers), there's no better time to get ready for some quick, fun football!

Jump into online multiplayer matches with friends or players from around the world. Play short, exciting games whenever you have time — perfect for jumping in between real World Cup matches!

What you can expect right now:

- Fast-paced casual 1vs1 action

- Easy controls for beginners + depth for competitive players

- Quick Match, Private Lobbies with friends, and Tournament Mode

- Smooth online play and global leaderboards

Why wishlist Soccer Fan today?

- Be ready when the World Cup hype hits

- Help us grow the community early

- Future updates will include special modes and events timed to the real tournament

The beautiful game is about to take over the world — make sure you have your own pitch ready!

👉 Wishlist now and join the fun!

Link:

Drop a comment below:

Which national team are you supporting this summer? 🇧🇷 🇦🇷 🇫🇷 🇬🇧 (or your favorite!)

We'll be sharing more gameplay, dev updates, and pre-tournament news in the coming weeks. Stay tuned! 🔥

#SoccerFan #CasualFootball #WorldCup2026Ready