FIFA is known as one of the most popular sports gaming titles of all time. There is hardly any gamer on this planet that is not familiar with FIFA and its continuous titles that are released each year with improved mechanics and upgraded graphics. The game series has entire tournaments dedicated towards it and has an extensive fan following in the eSports industry.
But how did FIFA get here and achieve this popularity? Was it always like this? The answer is no, not really. The game that you know and love today was actually once a game that no one cared about. FIFA has dramatically risen in popularity, both as a game and as a business. There are several businesses and websites out there that help you boost your skills and league and if you want to learn about them you can read more here.
That being said, many people are still unaware of how FIFA came to rise in popularity and what were the deciding factors behind its immense amount of commercial success. In this guide, we will provide valuable insights and information behind FIFA’s monumental rise in popularity and discover exactly why FIFA stays and will continue to stay, at the top when it comes to the top popular gaming titles.
The start
FIFA 94, the first game of the series was released in 1993 (as is FIFA custom to release the year’s game before the year ends). By then football was considered to be one of the most widely played sports in the world. From the Americas to Europe, and even some parts of Asia and Australia, most of the countries in the world played and loved football.
Even with its popularity in consideration, FIFA didn’t do well when it was first released. The video game fad wasn’t that crazy back then and there were better gaming titles for football than FIFA at the time which were much easier to play. Combine that with the fact that EA was still a relatively unknown game developer at the time and the end result was that no one really knew a game like FIFA even existed.
However, that soon started to change as EA put more and more effort into the series. They started adding more teams and players, updated the game with better graphics, streamlined the game’s physics with a better game engine, and then overhauled it year after year into a better version of itself.
As years passed on, only FIFA and PES remained as the top relevant football sports game titles. Many people loved PES because their engine was much more modern and it was just a better overall experience while playing the game than FIFA. EA took heed of these issues and in 2005 released a game engine that practically changed how FIFA worked in its entirety.
2007. was the year where more and more people started taking note of FIFA. Their graphics were getting good, the matches were actually intense, and scoring goals in the game was the most memorable experience. This was around the same time where they started integrating multiplayer features into the game so that friends could actually PVP against each other instead of playing with bots.
Realism and immersiveness
FIFA’s biggest selling point has always been the realism it offers and the immersiveness that comes along with it. Every FIFA player who has played the game will tell you that when they play the game, it is like they are actually there in the stadium with thousands of people watching their every move. It’s surreal.
FIFA’s graphics and AI certainly help the immersiveness to become even more pronounced. With in-game players actually showing enthusiasm and joy with their expressions after every goal while looking so finely detailed that almost makes you feel like they are real – that right there is peak immersion.
This realism is why so many football fans around the world are attracted to the game, even if they aren’t hardcore gamers. It allows them to play as their favorite real-life football player in their favorite and favorite stadium. For many, FIFA has allowed the dreams of football players all around the world to come true.
Targeted audience
Another major aspect of FIFA’s rise has been the audience they target – the youth. Young people love playing video games as a hobby and many of them are also passionate about football. This makes them a perfect target audience for FIFA, an enjoyable video game that is centered around the sport.
If EA had instead targeted the game for an older or more mature audience, it wouldn’t have been as popular as it is today. Older people, while they do love football, have no interest in playing a virtual version of it and prefer the real deal. On the other hand, kids of all ages have access to gaming consoles which provides them an easy option of playing FIFA for long amounts of time.
Development
To ensure that the game still remains popular throughout the series, EA has done an excellent job on the game’s development. Actual footballers are called to the developer studio for the artists to create 3D models of their faces. The game’s body motion is recorded using top-end motion detection tools and software and through the help of professional acrobats and players to enact real football moves.
This is exactly why the game feels so surreal. Almost everything is made in exact reference to the real-world version of it – from player models to the seats in each stadium. Many players who haven’t played FIFA complain that it is the same game that is repeated each year. While it may be partly true, because EA doesn’t use a new engine and models in subsequent games, it is still mostly false because of excessive amounts of new features and aspects they add to the game.
The game is meticulously coded to be fair to each side and that is why it also has a huge eSports and competitive scene in the industry that continues to thrive to date.
Conclusion
There are several aspects why FIFA rise in popularity and we hope this guide was insightful for you to discover most of them. If it was, please consider following our website for regular updates as it will help us out immensely.
