Times are tough everywhere, but gaming has weathered the global economic downturn better than most industries. Electronic Arts (EA) announced that 1.7 million copies of EA SPORTS FIFA 10 were sold at European retail outlets in the first week. The game is the fastest selling sports game ever and EA’s biggest European launch in history.
FIFA 10 is powered by the first true 360 degree dribbling system and new Skilled Dribbling technology that gives players finer control of the ball and unprecedented responsiveness. FIFA 10 also features a completely overhauled Manager Mode with more than 50 major improvements, a new Practice Arena and Customizable Set Pieces. Plus, an all-new Virtual Pro, enables gamers to live out the fantasy of playing as a professional footballer, by using Game Face to put themselves in the game and then embarking on a career with more than 200 accomplishments to master across all games modes. Gamers can join an Online Team Play Club and play 10v10 against hundreds of thousands of Virtual Pros from around the world in the Pro Club Championship, with the top clubs battling it out to become Regional and World Champions.
“We were confident that FIFA 10 would be a hit, and this week fans across Europe have shown just how much they love this game,” said Peter Moore, president of EA SPORTS. FIFA 10 has launched to widespread critical acclaim. It is presently the highest rated sports videogame ever on PLAYSTATION 3 (PS3) and Xbox 360 with review scores of 92 and 91, respectively.
Additionally, FIFA, EA and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) have released details of the new season of the FIFA Interactive World Cup (FIWC), the world’s only official FIFA global football gaming competition. The FIWC is a season-long tournament mirroring the real world of football in which competitors from all around the globe participate by playing EA SPORTS FIFA 10 on the PS3.
This year marks the sixth FIWC season, which has just kicked off inside EA SPORTS FIFA 10. Players will be able to compete for their spot in the Grand Final at one of 10 FIWC Live Qualifier Events across the globe or by playing online. For the first time in the tournament’s history, the online competition of the FIWC via PlayStation Network will be split into two seasons. Season one started with the launch of FIFA 10 last Friday and concludes on December 18, 2009. The ten best players of season one from across the FIFA confederations will go through to the Grand Final, which will take place at Port Olympic in Barcelona on May 1, 2010. Players who didn’t make it during season one have another shot at their spot in the Grand Final in season two, which kicks off on January 4 and ends March 31, 2010. For the Middle East, registration for participating in the online leg of the FIWC 10 tournament has already started directly inside the retail version of FIFA 10 on PS3.
The competition is tough. More than 500,000 players vied for a spot in the Grand Final at last year’s FIFA Interactive World Cup. In the current season’s FIWC Grand Final, alongside the 2009 FIWC champion, Bruce Grannec from France, the 31 finalists will compete to be crowned FIFA Interactive World Champion of the Year, rewarded with an invitation to the FIFA World Player Gala along with a $20,000 cash prize. The runner up will receive $5,000, while the player coming third will be awarded $1,000. Full FIWC 2010 tournament information is at www.fifa.com/fiwc
While EA SPORTS FIFA 10 is a well established title, gaming publishers are finding that linking popular music or television shows with gaming can result in new profits. This is because video gaming is attracting a larger female audience. According to Gamer Segmentation 2009 a report from The NPD Group, female gamers are on the rise in 2009 compared to 2008, significantly among Console Gamers. Females increased by five percentage points among Console Gamers, from 23 percent in 2008 to 28 percent in 2009. Since the rise in console usage among Console Gamers can be mainly attributed to the Wii, which increased in usage by 19 percentage points from last year, this underscores the fact that female gamers have market clout.
Following on the success of Nintendo’s Wii Fit, other game creators are trying to tap into the appeal of health improvement through game play. THQ has just released The Biggest Loser interactive health and fitness video game for Nintendo. The game is based on the hit TV show, The Biggest Loser, which is now in its eighth season. A version of the show was produced in the Middle East, where it was called The Biggest Winner. Offering more than 90 exercises and featuring the expertise of trainer Bob Harper, this fitness game basically takes the successful formula of The Biggest Loser television show and applies it to the virtual world. Players are led through a wide range of workouts and given proper nutritional advice to help them safely change their lives through diet and exercise.
The game is set at The Biggest Loser ranch, where players can take The Biggest Loser challenge and compete in 4, 8 or 12 week programs against former contestants from the television show, or work out with a friend to form a support system to see who is really “The Biggest Loser.” Players will work out to a series of structured routines with special weekly challenges, weigh-ins and eliminations, or they can even create their own workout routines. Workouts include upper and lower body exercises, as well as core, cardio and yoga exercises. Progress is documented on a calendar that keeps track of in-game achievements, upcoming training and weigh-in dates. Players can also input exercise done while not playing the video game, such as going for a walk or a bike ride. See a demo of the game at www.biggestloserthegame.com
And for karaoke lovers everywhere, Disney is offering its third Sing It title: Pop Hits. This multi-platform karaoke-style video game features some of the biggest names and chart-topping songs in pop music, coupled with singing tips and vocal lessons. In the game players can match their talent with some of today’s best known performers, including Miley Cyrus, Jonas Brothers, Taylor Swift, Colbie Caillat, Demi Lovato, Duffy, Hannah Montana, Jesse McCartney, Coldplay and One Republic.
Featuring a variety of ways to play, Disney Sing It: Pop Hits lets players grab the microphone and take center stage in a single player mode, harmonize with friends and family in duet mode to earn higher scores, or compete with them head-to-head in multi-player modes. New features in the game include “Sing It Encore,” which allows players to play back performances, and “Run the Risk,” in which contestants try to outbid their opponents on predicted scores. See the game trailer at www.disneysingit.com
