FIFA (video game series)

FIFA
FIFA logo
Genre(s)Sports (association football)
Simulation
Developer(s)Extended Play Productions (1993–1997)
EA Vancouver (1997–2022)
EA Romania (2016–2022)
Publisher(s)EA Sports
Platform(s)Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Amiga, DOS, N-Gage, 32X, Mega-CD/Sega CD, Master System, Game Gear, Sega Saturn, GameCube, Gizmondo, PlayStation, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation Vita, Super NES, Nintendo 64, Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS, Wii, Wii U, Nintendo Switch, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, 3DO Interactive Multiplayer, Microsoft Windows, iOS, Java Platform, Micro Edition, Android, Xperia Play, Xbox 360, Xbox, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Windows Phone, macOS, Zeebo, Stadia[1][2][3][4]
Original releaseAnnually, 1993–2022
First releaseFIFA International Soccer
15 December 1993
Latest releaseFIFA 23
30 September 2022

FIFA was a football video game franchise that was developed by EA Vancouver and EA Romania and published by EA Sports. As of 2011, the FIFA franchise has been localized into 18 languages and available in 51 countries. Listed in Guinness World Records as the best-selling sports video game franchise in the world, the FIFA series has sold over 325 million copies as of 2021.[5] On 10 May 2022, it was announced that EA and FIFA's partnership of 30 years would come to an end upon the termination of their licensing agreement, making FIFA 23 the last entry to the franchise under the FIFA name. As a successor to the FIFA series, EA launched the EA Sports FC franchise, with EA Sports FC 24 being the first installment under the new name.[6]

Football video games such as Tehkan World Cup, Sensible Soccer, Kick Off and Match Day had been developed since the late 1980s, and were already competitive in the games market when EA Sports announced a football game as the next addition to their EA Sports label. When the series began with FIFA International Soccer on the Sega Mega Drive in late 1993, it was notable for being the first to have an official license from FIFA, the world governing body of football. The main series has been complemented by additional installments based on single major tournaments, such as the FIFA World Cup, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA European Football Championship, as well as a series of football management titles. Since the 1990s, the franchise's main competitor has been Konami's eFootball series (formerly known as Pro Evolution Soccer, or PES).

The last release featured Kylian Mbappé, who appeared on the front cover of the series for the three consecutive years between FIFA 21 and FIFA 23, as the face of the franchise. Chelsea Women forward Sam Kerr appears alongside Mbappé on the ultimate edition, becoming the first female footballer in franchise history to do so. In EA Sports FC 24, the inaugural installment of the succeeding EA Sports FC franchise, Erling Haaland appeared on the covers of both the standard and ultimate editions.[7] Previous cover stars include Eden Hazard, who was the face of FIFA 20, as well as Cristiano Ronaldo, the cover star of FIFA 18 and FIFA 19. Lionel Messi appeared on four straight covers from FIFA 13 to FIFA 16. Wayne Rooney starred on seven covers of the series: every game from FIFA 06 to FIFA 12. Ronaldinho appeared alongside Rooney on four of these (FIFA 06 to FIFA 09), and he also appeared on the cover of FIFA Football 2004, FIFA Street and FIFA Street 3.[8] Since the release of FIFA Mobile in 2016, midfielder Kevin de Bruyne and forwards Marco Reus (who also appeared on the cover of FIFA 17), Hazard, Ronaldo, Neymar, Paulo Dybala, Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior have appeared on the cover.[9]

FIFA 12 holds the record for the "fastest selling sports game ever" with over 3.2 million games sold and over $186 million generated at retail in its first week of release.[10] The franchise's final release, FIFA 23, was released worldwide on 27 September 2022. It is available for multiple gaming systems, including the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, and Stadia.

  1. ^ Sharouda, Islem (29 April 2020). "Five EA Games are coming to Google Stadia". Gamereactor. Archived from the original on 2 August 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  2. ^ "Google's ambitious Stadia gaming service is finally getting 'Madden' and 'FIFA' this winter". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 24 May 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  3. ^ "Google Stadia gets PUBG, with Star Wars, Madden, and FIFA arriving later this year". 28 April 2020. Archived from the original on 28 April 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  4. ^ "EA bringing Madden, FIFA, and Star Wars games to Google Stadia". Polygon. 28 April 2020. Archived from the original on 4 June 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  5. ^ "Game Industry: EA extends UEFA exclusivity, working on multiple FIFA mobile games: "The FIFA franchise has now sold more than 35 units over its lifetime, with player count for FIFA 21 already tracking ahead of the record-breaking FIFA 20."". 2 February 2021. Archived from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  6. ^ Skrebels, Joe (10 May 2022). "FIFA to Officially Change Its Name to EA Sports FC". IGN. Archived from the original on 10 May 2022. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  7. ^ "Electronic Arts Sets out Vision for EA SPORTS FC™ and Reveals First Look at EA SPORTS FC™ 24 Gameplay". news.ea.com. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  8. ^ "Ronaldinho Becoming the Face of Soccer" Archived 18 November 2018 at the Wayback Machine. The New York Times. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  9. ^ "FIFA Mobile makes Hazard perfect player, adds Daily Objectives". The Star. Archived from the original on 17 July 2018. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  10. ^ Sinclair, Brendan (5 October 2011). "Publisher estimates football simulation's sell-through as "the most successful launch in EA Sports history," calls it the biggest launch of 2011 so far". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 7 October 2011. Retrieved 5 October 2011.