Fifa has been associated with video games for 30 years, just as it has with actual football. However, that is about to alter.
This week sees the release of EA Sports FC, the latest iteration of Electronic Arts’ (EA) football simulator.
Following a rumored dispute over the price of the license to use the Fifa brand, the games developer is walking out from under the shadow of the football governing body.
One analyst claims that the size of the rebranding effort was “unheard of” considering that the game has been the best-selling title in the UK since the 1990s.
Few businesses decide to get rid of their brand and emblem while they are industry leaders.
According to Ampere Analysis’s research, EA earned $513 million (£332 million) in net revenue from the Fifa video game series in 2010. By 2020, it was up to $2 billion (£1.6 billion).
EA is taking a significant risk by changing its name and giving up the brand familiarity that came with it. This could be the greatest rebranding effort in the history of the entertainment industry.
The choice presents considerable hurdles, according to Landor & Fitch’s chief creative director Graham Sykes.
“You are removing the watermark of authenticity from a flagship title, which is a big concern for fans,” he claims.
“You can see that work is being done as part of the rebrand to try to counteract that.”
I don’t think anything compares to this rebrand in particular, Sykes continues.
The decision is “unheard of for an entertainment franchise” given the extensive economic ecology that surrounds the game and the abundance of other relevant content being produced around it.
The way that players respond to the game when it is released will be crucial to its success, according to Sykes.
“How big their audience is speaks to how constant and prosperous they have been for 30 years, transcending technological developments like the creation of social media and the growth of the internet… If it succeeded, we’ll find out in the first week.
Given how much emphasis has been paid to the branding, it’s hardly unexpected that the game itself has received less press coverage than prior entries in the series.
After playing EA Sports FC 24 for a while, I can say that it moves considerably more slowly than its most recent predecessor, Fifa 23. However, rather than making significant, noticeable changes to gameplay itself, the majority of the important in-game adjustments are focused on graphics improvements and tactical possibilities.
The majority of reviews have been positive, with the title receiving a Metacritic score of 77 out of 100. GamesRadar+ called it “an encouraging new start for the EA Sports FC franchise” and stated it was “the most playable Fifa – oops! – in years.”
Others disagreed, saying that EA Sports FC 24 isn’t the significant departure we’d hoped for. Ultimate Team fans will probably be pleased, but the rest of the game seems to have been overlooked in the move away from the Fifa license.
Regardless of how the game plays, one of the series’ main selling points over its 30-year history has been its status as the one with the best access to football licenses, including player likenesses, authentic replica uniforms, and venues.
EA executives have emphasized that this still holds true despite the name change. In previous years, the licenses were sufficient to persuade millions of fans to purchase a copy of Fifa, even when the gameplay lagged behind the competition.
In an interview with the BBC in April, David Jackson of EA emphasized that despite the division from football’s governing organization, more than 19,000 footballers, 700 teams, and 30 leagues will still be represented in the game.
We need to keep demonstrating to the public that some aspects of the realism they have come to expect from a FIFA series will also be preserved.
The Ultimate Team game mode is another aspect of EA Sports FC that has not changed. Players can assemble a dream squad and compete against other players across the world by collecting players and other items in the Ultimate Squad.
More than $1 billion (£804 million) or more than 50% of the game’s total income, comes from this wildly successful mode. According to Ampere Analysis, its net revenue in 2010 was only $26 million (£17 million).
In-game purchases and loot boxes that let users purchase content packs are the main sources of that cash.
This emphasis has drawn more and more criticism in recent years, and some nations, including Belgium, have outlawed the usage of loot boxes in video games. In the UK, new regulations have been put in place under threat of future law in an effort to prevent people from falling into debt as a result of playing video games.
Cam Weber, the head of EA Sports, defended Fifa’s use of in-game purchases and loot boxes in an exclusive interview with the BBC, saying that their goal is “about creating experiences that give most players the ability to progress in the game in the way that they want to” when it comes to paying for content.
Parental controls are something we invest in, and we encourage parents to use them, adds Weber. Additionally, we offer previewable packs that users can open to see what is inside before deciding whether or not to invest money.
“In Ultimate Team, the vast majority of packs may be purchased using in-game currency earned through gameplay. We constantly strive to balance those experiences and provide players with as many options as possible.
“You have a choice in how you interact. You have the option of playing without spending money or in modes that don’t require it.
female athletes
The inclusion of female players for the first time in EA Sports FC 24’s Ultimate Team mode is one distinguishing change.
Former England and Arsenal striker Kelly Smith, who is the first female icon to appear in the title, has complimented that.
According to her, “The move just normalizes the women’s game for young people across the globe.” “It’s what we’ve needed for a while: women playing alongside men, young kids seeing women in the game. The women’s game now has the spotlight it rightfully deserves.
As EA tries this significant revamp, Graham Sykes has been impressed with what he’s seen thus far. However, the first week will be crucial for seeing how effectively the shift has been welcomed.
According to him, the goal of the executives is to “maintain a positive halo around the release, keep game sales moving in the right direction, and keep the die-hard players and fans on board.”
On September 29, EA Sports FC 24 will be available for purchase.
