FIFA23: The Last FIFA Game We Ever Get?

EA’s FIFA sports game has risen over the years to take over the sports segment. According to a Dexerto article, EA disclosed that as of December 2021, over 9 million individuals had played FIFA 22.
According to the developer, the game has already attracted 9.1 million players. Furthermore, 7.6 million Ultimate Team squads were established, and around 460 million matches were played.

FIFA is undoubtedly one of the most popular sport simulation games available. In comparison to other sports simulators, the series has already sold over 325 million units since the first FIFA game. Other sports simulators, on the other hand, do not appear to have recorded sales on that level.
According to the statistics, Football Manager has just 34 million sales, whereas Pro Evolution Soccer has 111 million, NBA 2K has 118 million, and Madden NFL has 130 million.
It is safe to say that the game is a phenomenon today. However, like any other game, it has been a long journey to get here.

Games have come a long way to get to FIFA 23

Humanity has been playing games in one way or another for a really long time. Our ancient ancestors probably played hide and seek before they settled into civilizations, farmed and made board games.
Things didn’t change for long after that until we got screens, microchips, and the advent of handheld gaming. The early electronic games were by today’s standards, understandably, far inferior, but in their heyday, they created the early gaming community.
Today, you can join a Zelda quest with team members from every continent on the planet, spin up a browser, play blackjack online without registration, and earn in-game assets with real value in NFT-based games. It’s safe to say the world of gaming development and delivery has changed.
FIFA23 brings insane technologies that improve gameplay, including the much-hyped HyperMotion2 technology which enhances realism with real match data capture and cross-play, allowing players in different platforms to play with each other.
This drive to innovate and improve have driven FIFA to the forefront of sports games. So, how big is the game among its peers?

The evolution of the FIFA game

The first FIFA games were loaded with innovation. FIFA International Soccer, released in 1993, was the first soccer game to seem three-dimensional, as opposed to the flat, 2D appearance of rival games.
Graphic embellishments abound in FIFA 97, which features multi-dimensional players (rather than 2D sprites) and motion-captured performances by cover star David Ginola. This version also had live commentary from John Motson and Andy Gray, two well-known voices among English soccer fans.

Its sequel, FIFA: Road To World Cup 98, would include a “title song” (Blur’s Song 2), ushering in a practice of including artists into the series, which is now a goal for many bands. FIFA Football 2002 introduced the now-famous “power bars,” which define the strength of a shot (and subsequently pass) based on how long the user presses the button.
This widened the game’s skill curve, opening the door for later innovations like dribbling abilities and maneuvers. FIFA physics even featured in Scientific American for figuring out how air resistance works for maximized reality.

FIFA 09 introduced the multiplayer “Clubs” option, which allowed users to compete online with other users. This edition also had user-controlled goal celebrations, which became notorious among online players due to the wrath instilled by mocking, prolonged celebrations.

FIFA 19 may have been the final nail in the coffin for the FIFA license’s domination. EA Sports was able to get an exclusive license from the Union of European Football Associations, allowing it to introduce hugely successful contests including the Europa League, Super Cup, and Champions League

The fallout with the FIFA governing body

To millions of people across the world, FIFA is a one-word acronym for a video-game franchise that has grown to gargantuan levels, connecting the lives of players as disparate as Premier League stars and casual fans.
Even gamers with no other connection to the sport became acquainted with its players and squads through their virtual doppelgängers.
Because of its widespread use, the game has produced upwards of $20 billion in sales over the last two decades, making it a profitable relationship for both EA Sports and FIFA. The split, however, wasn’t too sudden; the writing had been on the wall for some time.

While it’s undeniable that the dispute stemmed in part from divergent financial expectations – FIFA was looking for at least twice the $150 million it currently receives yearly from EA Sports, its leading commercial partner – it also became clear very quickly that there were conflicting views on what should be covered by a new agreement.

FIFA wanted to make more money

According to FIFA, the desire for exclusivity would have constrained its alternatives in the digital space, where new platforms and games have developed that offer the possibility of promising prospective revenue streams.
The organization has so far signed a number of contracts for video games with soccer themes, some of which it intends to release this year.
However, such games won’t provide the same gameplay simulations that fans of the EA Sports edition have been accustomed to. Fans will have to wait until 2024 to get a FIFA game, given that the governing body plans to release a competing soccer simulation game at that time.
Now that the notoriously corrupt, Mafia-esque FIFA has parted with EA, what do fans of the game do now? Fortunately, all is not lost.

The future of EA’s game

EA has a clear path forward for where the game goes from here. First, fans will have to get used to a new name: EA SPORTS FC. The same fantastic experiences, settings, leagues, competitions, clubs, and players will all be there in EA SPORTS FC, according to a press release from EA.

There will be VOLTA Football, Ultimate Team, Career Mode, Pro Clubs, and other variants included with the main player vs player games. Its distinctive license portfolio, which includes more than 19,000 players, 700 teams, 100 stadiums, and 30 leagues, will still be included in EA SPORTS FC.
This includes unique deals with the MLS, Bundesliga, Serie A, LaLiga, Premier League, and more to come.
FIFA23 will be the last soccer simulation game with the FIFA name in the title, but the world of simulated football lives on!