Why FIFA will struggle to compete with EA Sports FC after acrimonious split

Why FIFA will struggle to compete with EA Sports FC after acrimonious split
FIFA allegedly wanted to double the fee for using its name for the next decade to an eye-watering $2.5 billion. (FIFA.com)
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Updated 11 April 2023
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Why FIFA will struggle to compete with EA Sports FC after acrimonious split

Why FIFA will struggle to compete with EA Sports FC after acrimonious split
  • 30-year partnership has come to an end and left FIFA without a video game developer
  • The football community appears to be championing EA Sports FC without seeing a screenshot

In 2022, after 30 years of making FIFA games together, the world football governing body and video game developer and publisher EA Sports, announced they were splitting up. It was acrimonious.

The specific details about what caused the split will likely be kept under a non-disclosure agreement forever. However, according to a 2021 New York Times report citing insider knowledge, EA Sports allegedly wanted more rights as part of any new deal, and FIFA allegedly wanted to double the fee for using its name for the next decade to an eye-watering $2.5 billion. Despite these reported claims, one thing is sure, there is no going back for either party.

Since the breakup, both camps have had contrasting lines of communication. EA Sports immediately announced EA Sports FC, which will arrive in 2023. The likes of Liverpool FC and Real Madrid supported the reveal with posts featuring the hashtag #EASportsFC and an announcement that they would be in the new game.

On the other side, FIFA released a bombastic statement that suggests it will make the best football game around.

“I can assure you that the only authentic, real game that has the FIFA name will be the best one available for gamers and football fans,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said.

“The FIFA name is the only global, original title. FIFA 23, FIFA 24, FIFA 25 and FIFA 26, and so on — the constant is the FIFA name, and it will remain forever and remain THE BEST,” Infantino said.

There is no doubting Infantino’s enthusiasm — he capitalized “THE BEST” — but if he thinks FIFA can find a new developer and simply go head-to-head with EA Sports, he is delusional. The following are the reasons.

EA Sports is not just the former developer of the FIFA series, it is deeply entrenched in football and is one of those rare video games that has transcended the medium and made it into the mainstream. EA Sports is everywhere.

It is on television broadcasts of the English Premier League, the sleeves of matchday officials and partners with clubs and leagues such as Juventus and Serie A. FIFA may work with another video game’s studio, but it is unlikely to receive as much exposure.

This manifestation of marketing prowess has seen EA Sports’ FIFA completely outplay its nearest rival, Konami’s eFootball — formerly Pro Evolution Soccer or PES. What started as a closely contested battle in the early 2000s has turned into a period of unbelievable dominance for FIFA.

There was a time the Japanese-developed PES sold almost as many copies, with fans preferring better, more realistic gameplay than FIFA. But it is no longer a contest because EA Sports regularly outsells its opposition by around 10 to 1. Outside of eFootball, there are no other rivals except the upcoming free-to-play UFL from an unknown game studio. It might be brilliant, but people will only want to play the game that their mates, celebs and pro footballers are playing, and this will be EA Sports FC.

Like it or not, EA Sports is adept at creating monopolies in the games industry. The route to the top for FIFA, and its Madden NFL series, was to lock rivals out of official licenses while it tweaked and honed its game. These actions presented gamers with two options — play with the authentic teams, players, leagues and likenesses of EA Sports games, or get involved in a game where Manchester City are called Manchester B and play in a sponsor-less kit. It was a no-brainer.

FIFA will no doubt use the same tactics on EA Sports FC. For example, from now on, we do not expect to see an official women’s or men’s World Cup mode in an EA Sports game. But the world football governing body stands to lose the most following the separation as it has no jurisdiction over club competitions or players, which matters most to fans.

The realization that FIFA’s most significant contribution to the video game series was its name will sink in eventually. There is a chance it will happen when it tries to purchase or build a video games studio to make — in Infantino’s words “THE BEST FIFA” game — and cannot source the talent. Or the magnitude of what it is up against could appear when it tries to acquire licenses it desperately needs for authentic player likenesses, stadiums and more, and finds out EA has exclusive access to them.

FIFA could make an excellent game in the future, and healthy competition for EA Sports FC is needed to ensure the games evolve, but video game fans are more ruthless than football fans. They will not stick around through the highs and the lows waiting for their “team” to come good, they will jump ship to the superior one without a second thought. Without EA Sports’ relentless marketing machine, savvy license deals and a game engine that helps it sell tens of millions of copies annually, the chances of FIFA competing on an equal footing is as likely as San Marino winning the World Cup.


Saudi esports team Twisted Minds wins 1st place at Gamers8 Club Awards

Saudi esports team Twisted Minds wins 1st place at Gamers8 Club Awards
Updated 01 September 2023
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Saudi esports team Twisted Minds wins 1st place at Gamers8 Club Awards

Saudi esports team Twisted Minds wins 1st place at Gamers8 Club Awards
  • The team, founded in 2020, triumphed with 81.87 points and received cash award of $1.5 million
  • This year’s competition held under theme “The Land of Heroes” and showcased 13 tournaments

RIYADH: Saudi team Twisted Minds won first place at the Gamers8 Club Awards, winning a cash award of $1.5 million.

The team, which was founded in 2020, triumphed with 81.87 points and received their prize on the first day of the second Next World Forum.

Mohammed Jebreen, facilities and purchasing manager of Twisted Minds Esport, told Arab News: “We participated in last year’s tournament (but) we didn’t do so great — we played one game only.

“In this tournament, we participated as a team in every game of Gamers8.

“We won the first two games, being the first Saudi team to win Gamers8 and the first team in the world to win two Gamers8 trophies in the season.”

The Saudi club competed in Gamers8 with a pool of 179 teams from around the world.

The tournament began on July 6 and the esports club clinched top spot with 81.87 points, followed by Team BDS with 65 points. There was a tie for third place between Gaimin Gladiators and Team Vitality, both scoring 55 points.

Recognizing excellence in esports globally, Gamers8 presented competitions featuring more than 117 different nationalities.

This year’s competition was held under the theme “The Land of Heroes” and showcased 13 tournaments.

Gamers8 Club Awards was established by the Saudi Esports Federation in June 2023.

Saudi Arabia boasts one of the fastest-growing gaming sectors in the region, which helps to play a pivotal role in the Kingdom’s transformation.


2nd Next World Forum tackles challenges facing esport players, organizations

2nd Next World Forum tackles challenges facing esport players, organizations
Updated 31 August 2023
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2nd Next World Forum tackles challenges facing esport players, organizations

2nd Next World Forum tackles challenges facing esport players, organizations
  • Panels discussed wider relationship between Olympics, esports, how to improve it

RIYADH: The second Next World Forum has shed light on some of the most pressing issues facing organizations and players in the esports field, bringing together international experts for the event in Riyadh.

One of the panels discussed the wider relationship between the Olympics and esports in the presence of several specialists including Timo Krueger, national director of esports and gaming at Nielsen, Jan Paterson, managing director of NEOM’s sports sector, Hicham Chahine, CEO and founder of professional esports organization Ninjas in Pyjamas, and Matt Woods, CEO and co-founder of esports news and media company AFK.

The first Olympic Esports Week was held in Singapore this year with more than 100 athletes from around the world competing in 10 virtual sports. However, the International Olympic Committee and Olympic Esports Series came under fire from some quarters of the gaming industry for choosing games they claimed were not truly representative of the spirit of esports.

Panellists noted the need to give video games a chance in the Olympics realm by making them more aligned with Olympic sports.

Another panel discussion addressed the future of gaming and esport facilities, and included speakers Mike Milanov, chief operating officer of Team Liquid, Mossad Al-Dossary, FIFA esport player and co-founder and chairman of Team Falcons, Arnab Bhattacharya, strategy director at the Qiddiya project, and Joachim Haraldsen, adviser at Steinbukken.

The Qiddiya project aims to make the destination a global hub for gaming and esports with a year-round calendar of events.

Speaking at the panel, Bhattacharya said: “There are plans to have Gamers8 there for two months, but also there’s going to be a whole bunch of other events as well.

“We’re planning to have a whole bunch of gaming and esports hotels. There are plans for bootcamp facilities to train in Qiddiya. And lastly, we’re also thinking of having permanent headquarters, of course for the local teams, but also for international teams to set up their regional headquarters,” he added.

On esports training facilities, Milanov said that such resources had only recently started to take off in the West.

“Around 2016, 2017, a lot of teams were still in villas or gaming houses, they were practicing out of the living room or where they were living with their teammates. And we were one of the first organizations at Team Liquid to make that change,” he added.

He pointed out that Team Liquid wanted to professionalize the work environment and strike a balance between working and living.

“An esports training facility includes everything from your back-office staff, graphics designers, marketing team, social media, finance, accounting, and HR executives, and most importantly, state-of-the-art technology and screen rooms for the various esports.”

Milanov said: “We do a lot of focus on sports psychology, communication, mental health, and sleep. Also, things such as reaction speed, cognitive function, eye tracking. It’s actually quite amazing.”


193 Saudi athletes prepare to compete in 19 sports at Asian Games

Emblem of Hangzhou 2022. supplied
Emblem of Hangzhou 2022. supplied
Updated 29 August 2023
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193 Saudi athletes prepare to compete in 19 sports at Asian Games

Emblem of Hangzhou 2022. supplied

Riyadh: Teams from Saudi Arabia are preparing to take part in the 19th Asian Games 2022, due to get underway in the Chinese city of Hangzhou next month.

More than 12,000 male and female athletes representing 45 Asian countries are expected to participate in the sporting spectacular running from Sept. 23 to Oct. 8.

The Kingdom will be represented by 193 athletes competing in 19 events, namely football, basketball, handball, athletics, equestrian, archery, fencing, shooting, rowing, weightlifting, boxing, taekwondo, jujitsu, karate, kurash, table tennis, tennis, golf, and esports.

The Saudi teams have been attending training camps in preparation for the Asian Games at which sportspeople from the Kingdom have won a total of 61 medals — 25 gold, 13 silver, and 23 bronze — since Bangkok 1978.

The breakdown of medals is as follows: one bronze in New Delhi 1982, one silver in Seoul 1986, one bronze in Beijing 1990, one gold, three silver, and five bronze in Hiroshima 1994, seven gold, one silver, and one bronze in Busan 2002, eight gold, and six bronze in Doha 2006, five gold, three silver, and five bronze in Guangzhou 2010, three gold, three silver, and one bronze in Incheon 2014, and one gold, two silver, and three bronze in Jakarta 2018.


Rocket League set to close out Gamers8 at Boulevard Riyadh City

Rocket League set to close out Gamers8 at Boulevard Riyadh City
Updated 24 August 2023
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Rocket League set to close out Gamers8 at Boulevard Riyadh City

Rocket League set to close out Gamers8 at Boulevard Riyadh City
  • From Aug. 24-27, the Esports Arena will host 24 top teams as they battle it out for share of $2m prize pool

RIYADH: Gamers8: The Land of Heroes on Wednesday confirmed details of the highly-anticipated Rocket League tournament which will close the world’s biggest gaming and esports festival.

From Aug. 24 to 27, the best Rocket League teams will battle it out for a share of the $2 million prize pool — with the winners taking home $500,000.

Organized by the Saudi Esports Federation, the competition starts on Thursday as the 24 participating teams begin the group stages live from the Esports Arena at Boulevard Riyadh City.

Faisal bin Homran, chief esports officer at the Saudi Esports Federation, said: “Gamers8: The Land of Heroes has seen some of the greatest gaming action ever this summer, and Rocket League is the ideal tournament to conclude the biggest gaming and esports festival worldwide.

“A high-powered hybrid of arcade-style soccer and vehicular mayhem with easy-to-understand controls and fluid, physics-driven competition, Rocket League has rightly earned a spot as one of the favorite games across the globe. Expect hi-octane thrills and drama galore at Gamers8: The Land of Heroes.”

The participating Rocket League teams at Gamers8: The Land of Heroes are: FaZe Clan, FURIA Esports, Gen.G Mobil1 Racing, Karmine Corp, Team Liquid, Team BDS, Ninjas in Pyjamas, Team Secret, Ground Zero Gaming, Pioneers, Rule One, Team Falcons, Elevate, Gaimin Gladiators, Limitless, Twisted Minds, Version 1, KOI, G2 Esports, OpTic Gaming, Team Vitality, Monkeys, Oxygen Esports and suhh.


Prince Faisal elected to second term as president of Arab Esports Federation

Prince Faisal elected to second term as president of Arab Esports Federation
Updated 22 August 2023
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Prince Faisal elected to second term as president of Arab Esports Federation

Prince Faisal elected to second term as president of Arab Esports Federation

RIYADH: The general assembly of the Arab Esports Federation has elected Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan as president for a second term.

The election took place during the Kingdom’s hosting of the Afro-Arab Esports League from Aug. 18 to 20, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The assembly also elected Sheikh Sultan bin Khalifa Al-Nahyan as the first vice president, and Hussain AlKooheji, Sherif Abdel Baqi and Maher Sarouli as vice presidents.

Prince Faisal said: “Through this meeting, our objective is to advance our Arab nations to a prominent position within the esports sector, showcasing professionalism that serves as a global benchmark. We aspire for Arab players to excel on the international esports stage.”

Prince Faisal said that Arab countries have talented and dedicated players, leaders and officials.