Evolution keeps FIFA ahead of the rest
The FIFA football video game series continues to sell year after year and is one of the most successful game franchises of all time.
In a time when technology is changing so fast and gamers are demanding better experiences and innovations it has stood the test of time, so why is FIFA so popular?
A video game about football was always going to be a winner at the start regardless of the quality, as the sport is played all around the world and like a religion in some countries. People would buy the game to see what it was all about and pretty soon it became obvious that FIFA can be addictive.
But from its beginnings in the 1990s it was clear that the product would need to improve to ensure it longevity, with better graphics and game play essential to stop consumers looking elsewhere. That is exactly what happened and the people at EA Sports had the clever idea of releasing a new version every year – like the start of a new football season. It has not been without its setbacks and it is questionable if some of the newer versions offered much by the way of improvement as, when one problem appeared to have been overcome another reared its head.
The public have stuck with FIFA, however, and the newest version, imaginatively titled FIFA 18, is widely recognised as the best in the series – and so it should be.
The players are now so lifelike and even take on the playing style of their real-life counterparts such to the extent that a few footballers have even complained to the makers that their image is not as it should be and stats are incorrect. Problems with player movement have been solved and it is now much more realistic than 20 years ago when it was quicker to reverse a lorry than try to make a player change direction.
Football fans are very loyal creatures and a huge selling point is that they can become their heroes, with teams from so many leagues around the world available.
Your real team may have been beaten on a Saturday afternoon but revenge could be close at hand when you get in from the match.
Online play is now available and another plus point in FIFA’s enduring popularity, with gamers now able to pit their wits against opponents from all around the world.
Having the sport’s governing body as the name of the game means that it always appears a safe bet and those new to the franchise will trust it, while a lack of real competition means that EA’s flagship game can stay top dog seemingly for as long as it wants to. Other sports games have come and gone but there has never been anything to rival FIFA and there seems no reason to suggest it is all going to end anytime soon.
Gamers want action, authenticity and a sense of purpose when they pick up the console and they get it in spades with FIFA.
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