Football fans may associate FIFA, the game’s governing body, with scandal. In 2015, an FBI investigation led to the arrest of several officers for corruption. For simple soccer lovers, the name reminds them of something else too: the world’s most popular sports online video game.
‘FIFA’ is a series of football-simulation sports produced by EA Sports, a division of Electronic Arts, an American agency. Its format is easy: gamers control groups, based on real-life ones and compete for victory. On September 30, EA Sports released “FIFA 23”. This launch is a special one as it marks a profitable collaboration between EA Sports and FIFA.
Since its release, “FIFA” video games have sold more than 325 million copies in a variety of formats. Every release is a highly anticipated event in the leisure calendar.
FIFA-A Subculture
In the last 30 years, “FIFA” has grown into a subculture and fitted itself into the game. Its followers have cheered the world’s finest footballers such as Lionel Messi, who practice the art of sports for hours. He not only applies tactics into the game but also enjoys it completely.
People watching individuals play the sport has developed a type of entertainment, many popular influencers on YouTube owe their success to the sport by commentating on people’s amusement around “FIFA”. This has brought in additional followers such that, in 2014, voting by ESPN identified that 34% of Americans started following soccer after enjoying FIFA at the house.
FIFA is EA Sports’ most profitable component, earning about $150 million yearly for supplying it’s identity to the video games. They have brought over $20 billion in profit since 2000. As FIFA earns more profit, Gianni Infantino, FIFA’s President, plans to supply followers with new video games created by various studios and any sport having the organization’s identity to be the “only authentic” and can “remain THE BEST”. While EA Sports plans to launch “EA Sports FC”, which claims to attract followers to the most highbred sport in the market. EA Sports plans to launch “EA Sports FC” next year.
The reason behind the breakup between FIFA and EA Sports is the deficiency of competition. FIFA’s current version has been disliked by followers for failing to enhance its experience. The in-game purchases of gamers have been criticized as many review “pay–to–win” mannequin bias.
Before “FIFA 23”, the 90-minute recorded matches with motion-capture fits, along with more than 6,000 animations that makes the sport extraordinary are not seen as an improvement for many players. The stark difference between the actual and fantasy might negatively impact FIFA and EA and the methods of their creation.
