From FIFA to EAFC, Was EA Always the King of Soccer Games?

Despite the fact that there is practically a monopoly when it comes to soccer-based games, FIFA, now known as EA Sports FC, is the undisputed king of this sport.

However, this wasn’t always the case, as another franchise consistently outperformed this Electronic Arts game. Other, much less popular series also tried to capture a portion of the soccer fan base.

However, they were unable to even come close to competing with these two titans of the sport. As soccer remains the most popular sport in the world, the game that best emulates it will always achieve a significant amount of sales.

Has Fifa Always Been the King of Soccer?

Having started in late 1993, this franchise has sold over 330 million copies to date. These sales are mostly in Europe, where football fans are most abundant. Each year, South and Central America, as well as parts of Asia, consistently show favorable reception.

However, despite its current absolute dominance and lack of competition, the saga known as EA Sports FC has experienced some challenging times.

One of the problems most sports games face when releasing an annual version is the challenge of making significant gameplay changes in such a short development cycle. Of course, avid players notice this lack of changes and get frustrated when they see no intention from the studio to redefine the game.

These kinds of missteps give other developers the opportunity to improve their game and gain ground. FIFA’s greatest rival at its peak was always the Pro Evolution Soccer series, now known as eFootball.

Other Franchises Tried, but Only One Survived

In most of Europe and other regions, FIFA was still very successful in the early 2000s, but gradually, what would become a classic rivalry started to emerge, one that has since faded.

Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer was steadily gaining popularity, attracting more players each year. This rivalry reached a point where, in 2008, the series outsold FIFA by nearly double, reaching over 9 million copies across all platforms. That year, FIFA didn’t even reach 5 million units sold.

This trend had been changing since 2002, when Pro Evolution Soccer was solidifying its brand for a more global audience, trying to include the sport’s most passionate fan bases.

Unfortunately, due to FIFA’s sheer popularity, Konami couldn’t maintain these numbers for long, and with each passing year, sales of the franchise declined. However, because of this fierce competition, what is now EA Sports FC had to improve significantly to win back the players who had switched to the other title.

There Are Certain Franchises That Have Been Overlooked and Never Garnered Attention

In terms of soccer, as with any popular sport, the licenses for teams and other details are very expensive to obtain. That’s why not all studios are willing to invest what’s required to create the most authentic experience possible.

Electronic Arts has always excelled in trying to make the sport as immersive as possible, offering players most of the licensed teams. The same was true with FIFA.

Other games, such as Red Card, This is Football, European Super League, and many others, tried to break into this race, but they failed due to the overwhelming dominance of the two largest titles.

There were also other football-focused games from a management perspective, such as the increasingly popular Football Manager franchise. Unfortunately, when a franchise becomes so popular and lacks competition, the development team may lose the drive to innovate.

No Competition, No Challenge

This is why, in recent releases of EA Sports FC, players have consistently complained that the studio doesn’t make the necessary changes and continues to reuse the same mechanics over and over.

Even the early players who experienced version 25 of the franchise assert that the changes are insignificant, and they’ve grown weary of the series’ lack of progress. This is why competition is always beneficial, especially in something as popular as football.

After EA lost the official FIFA license, the soccer organization confirmed that it is now working hard with another studio to develop a new soccer game to compete with Electronic Arts’ title.

Currently, the studio vying for this license remains undisclosed, but it appears imminent. Soccer fans are eagerly waiting to see who can challenge this soccer giant. This kind of title could finally make EA improve its game.

What do you think is the best football game? Let us know in the comments!