He FIFA from EA Sports has established itself in recent years as the best soccer game on the market. The latest installment in the saga attracted more than 10 million users in its first week of release.
Without a doubt, the FIFA is one of the most popular sports simulators in the world. The saga accumulates more than 325 million units sold since the appearance of the first FIFAfar ahead of other sports video games: for example, the football manager barely accumulates 34 million sales, the Pro Evolution Soccerwith which he competed for years, stayed at 111 million, and the NBA 2K and the Madden NFL they accumulate 118 and 130 million copies sold, respectively.
The game has become a phenomenon. However, the path to achieve this has been a long one.
The game has evolved a lot until reaching the FIFA23
Mankind has been playing games in one form or another for its entire existence. Most likely, our ancestors already played hide-and-seek long before they created civilizations and practiced agriculture.
Board games were the stars for a long time, until screens and microchips transformed the gaming world. Although the first video games were very basic, their popularity spread like wildfire.
As of today, you can participate in a Zelda mission with people from the other corner of the planet, play blackjack online without registration or win assets with real value in NFT-based games. Without a doubt, the world of the game has changed a lot since its origins.
He FIFA23 It includes features that greatly improve the gaming experience, such as HyperMotion2 technology, with a motion capture system that makes the game more realistic and with the possibility of facing players from different platforms.
This commitment to innovation and continuous improvement is what has led to the FIFA to the top of sports games.
The evolution of FIFA
The first games of FIFA They were very innovative. He FIFA International Soccer, published in 1993, was the first soccer game with a three-dimensional appearance. He FIFA 97 It brought some brutal graphic improvements, with multidimensional players and with a movement capture system that had David Ginola as the protagonist. Its sequel, the FIFA: Road To World Cup 98included for the first time an official song (song 2, from Blur), something that he would repeat successfully in the following installments of the game. With this title also came the comments in Spanish by Paco González and the narrations by Manolo Lama.
He FIFA Football 2002 introduced the famous “power bars”, which define the strength of a shot (and later a pass) based on how long the button is held down. This feature widened the game’s skill curve and opened the door for new innovations such as dribbling and skill moves. Magazine Scientific American echoed the occult physics in the FIFAwhich even takes into account the air resistance that the ball must withstand after a shot.
He FIFA 09 introduced the multiplayer option that allowed users to compete against each other online. This edition also included player-controlled goal celebrations, an option that became popular due to the anger of users who, in addition to conceding a goal, had to endure the opponent’s dances.
He FIFA 19 was the consecration of the saga ahead of the competition: EA Sports obtained the exclusive license from UEFA and this allowed it to introduce competitions as important as the Champions Leaguethe europa league and the SuperCup.
Discrepancies with FIFA
For millions of people around the world, FIFA is the acronym for a video game saga that has grown exponentially and has connected players from totally different backgrounds. Even users who have never kicked a ball in their life know perfectly the best players and clubs in the world thanks to their virtual doubles.
Due to its popularity, the game has recorded over $20 billion in sales over the last two decades, which clearly explains the profitability of the relationship between EA Sports and FIFA.
However, the video game company and world soccer’s governing body have now locked in a battle for dominance of the pie. FIFA intended to double the 150 million a year it currently receives from EA Sports, its main business partner, and modify the scope of the new agreement.
FIFA wants more money
According to FIFA, the desire for exclusivity would have limited their alternatives in the digital world, where new platforms and games have been developed that offer the possibility of creating new revenue streams.
The organization has signed numerous contracts for the creation of soccer video games. However, these games will not offer the level of realism that the EA Sports saga has accustomed us to. Players will have to wait until 2024 to see the next installment of a FIFA game, as the world soccer governing body plans to release its new soccer sim by then.
What will fans of the saga do? FIFA Now that the relationship between EA Sports and FIFA has broken down? Luckily, all is not lost.
The future of the game from EA Sports
EA Sports is clear about the path it will follow now. First of all, fans will have to get used to the new name of the saga: EA SPORTS FC. According to a company statement, the new game will provide the same magical experience, since it will repeat the same configuration and have the same leagues, competitions, clubs and players.
EA SPORTS FC will include VOLTA Football, Ultimate Team, Career Mode, Pro Clubs and more, and will continue to feature a rich license portfolio, including over 19,000 players, 700 teams, 100 stadiums and 30 leagues (this includes unique deals with LaLiga, the Premier League, the Bundesliga, Serie A and the MLS, among others).
Although the FIFA23 It will be the last soccer simulator to include the name of FIFA in the title, the path of the best soccer simulator does not stop here.
