With over 460 million matches played just last year alone, FIFA Football has earned the title of the best-selling sports video game according to Guinness World Records. Not restricted to just game consoles, users can play FIFA Football on their PC, Nintendo Switch, or mobile devices. But aside from this convenience, what makes this the best-selling video game in the world? 

Subject Matter 

People love football. There are many different sports played all over the world, but none is more popular than soccer with over five billion fans worldwide. Sometimes known as the “beautiful game,” soccer is a global game and evokes a passion unlike any other.

Game Development

It was not anticipated that the original FIFA International Soccer game would be that popular when it was introduced in 1993 by the American gaming company EA Sports. The game was initially released for the US market, where soccer is not particularly popular and there wasn’t much money allocated for production. Despite this, the game was well received, and the company went on to produce FIFA 96, in which 3,000 actual player names were inserted to replace fake names and a 3D game engine was used instead of the polygonal view. This release achieved remarkable success and paved the way for yearly upgrades and releases, – keeping die-hard fans on tenterhooks.

Unbelievable Graphics

Since its inception, the game has advanced significantly, getting better with each new release. The realism of FIFA 23’s graphics is out of this world; hyper-motion gameplay technology and expertly honed dribbling and striking raise the bar for gaming experiences to entirely new heights. In this release, there is 3D geometry in the goals. The net now behaves realistically when the ball makes contact with it, taking into account the force of the impact and its travel through the net.   

Lack of competition

For the last decade, Pro Evolution Soccer has been FIFA’s closest competitor but EA has always had the edge when it comes to graphics. Over the last three decades, there have been other companies that have tried to compete with EA FIFA with little success. The ’90s saw Sensible Soccer, Nintendo’s Super Mario Strikers, and Actua Soccer. The early noughts saw the likes of David Beckham Soccer and Virtua Pro Football try to compete.

Growth of eSports

FIFA is at the forefront of removing barriers to fusing video games and conventional sports. FIFA Football is the most played game in eSports contests. There are numerous competitions that gamers can compete in such as the eNational Cup, which brings together the top players from different nations to compete and win big prizes. Tens of thousands of fans are tuning in to a broadcast of the eChampions League, and people are even placing bets on the outcome of the games. These high-profile tournaments are contributing to the quickly expanding industry of eSport.

It is Easy to Play

Football is an easy game to understand, and this makes the FIFA video game also relatively easy to play. There is a learning curve but there are lots of tutorials available on the internet to assist. Although there is a lot more to the game than just kicking a ball in your opponent’s goal, additional rules such as offsides and penalties can always be learned once you understand the basics.

Suitable for All Age Groups

Football is a game that draws in a diverse audience, and FIFA games are appropriate for players of all ages. The majority of parents have little to no concerns about their children playing FIFA. The game has a PEGI 3 and an E for Everyone rating for its age. In order to use EA’s online service, players must be at least 13 years old.

Conclusion

FIFA is without a doubt the most popular video game of all time but what does the future hold for it? It was announced earlier this year that FIFA 23 is the last game in the franchise. After 30 years, EA and FIFA’s partnership is set to come to an end. The game will be rebranded as EA Sports FC. While the name and branding will change, EA has assured their fans that the gameplay and layout will stay the same. We will just have to wait and see.