EA vs FIFA; EA wins, everybody loses

In 2023, EA and FIFA, after a decades long agreement, loudly parted
ways. No longer would FIFA be lending its name to EA's glorified
gambling sims, and no longer would EA benefit from having the official
recognition and broad access to official footie licenses. Both sides
vowed to keep making games; FIFA with its own branded titles by
partnering with another (unnamed) developer, and EA by renaming its
exiting franchise to FC{year}. So how'd that turn out?

Well, despite FIFA claiming it would continue to release games under
the same name, there's no sign of FIFA24 or FIFA25. Meanwhile, EA just
announced record revenue for its FC25 game; it ranked #1 on video game
sales charts for September 2024 and reached 'the highest launch month
dollar sales of any soccer game related to date'.*

So I think we can safely say that EA came out ahead from that
particular disagreement... and that the FIFA official brand lacks the
draw FIFA thinks it does.

Which is unfortunate, because I really was hoping the squabble would
sink _both_ brands. EA's FIFA games have always been at the forefront
of EA's pushy post-purchase monetizations, and everything I've read
about FC25 indicates its no different. Too, the series has rarely
innovated, with even the most positive reviews saying that, yeah, FC25
is pretty much the same as last year's game but with updated rosters
and a few incremental changes. Its a shame EA remains so dominant in
this market because I'd really like to see a shake-up in footie games.
Meanwhile, anything that does harm to the squalid FIFA organization
makes me smile.

Well, I guess 50% isn't too bad.






* quote from here:
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/ea-sports-fc-25-launch-breaks-revenue-record-for-soccer-games-us-monthly-charts