Referee decisions must be more realistic in the new version of the Fifa soccer game, says Santiago Jaramillo, Fifa Game Play Producer at Electronic Arts.

What special things has EA done to the referees in FIFA 12?
Jaramillo: “We continue to work on the referee decisions and improve the intelligence of foul calls, carding logic, etc. With the introduction of the Player Impact Engine, we had to re-write a lot of our referee code to adapt to the new technology. So, while there are no new features for the Ref this year, we have done a lot of work on it.”

Referee in Fifa 12 waiting for free kick to be taken in match between Real Madrid and Barcelona

How important is the referee is in the game?
Jaramillo: “Just like in real life, you can’t have a competitive game without one.”

What has been done in FIFA 12 to make sure that the decisions of the referee are better than last year?
Jaramillo: “I think the referee decisions in FIFA 11 were good most of the time. We have fixed some bugs and decisions will be more realistic given the new Player Impact Engine.”

Are some referees more severe than others?
Jaramillo: “Yes, we have different degrees of severity in terms of foul calls and carding. There are tons of referees in the game, each with his own name and degree of severity. They have also been assigned to different leagues so that we match the authenticity of referee severity across different territories. For example, most referees in England tend to be more lenient to tackles than those in Spain.”