FIFA 18 sales confirm that a lot of people like video games, and football, and videos games about football.
Electronic Arts has announced that popular football sim, EA Sports FIFA 18, has sold over 24 million copies in its 11 months on sale. This brings the series to over 260 million units sold since it began in the early 1990s.
The first game in the franchise, FIFA International Soccer, was released on console and home computer in 1993, with official club leagues making their debut in follow-up, FIFA Soccer 95.
In fact, the franchise is in rude health all round. FIFA Online 3 and FIFA Online 4 continue to perform well in Asia, with over 115 million players taking to the field in 15 billion online sessions.
Smart device game, FIFA Mobile has also surpassed 193 million global installs. (Although, personally, it was a game I played for all for 5 minutes before deleting.)
Aaron McHardy, Executive Producer for EA Sports FIFA said:
“For millions of players around the world the FIFA franchise has become more than just a game – it’s as big a part of their football DNA as the teams they love. It has been incredible seeing the passion from our fans at Gamescom, as thousands of players got their hands on FIFA 19 featuring the UEFA Champions League, with hundreds of thousands more seeing the next chapter of Alex Hunter’s journey. Football is a sport that can unite the world through play, and whether it be through console, mobile, competitive gaming or regional experiences like FIFA Online 4 in Asia, we are excited to find more and more ways to connect players to the world’s game.”
The success will no doubt continue with FIFA 19, which includes the UEFA Champions League license for the first time, as well official licences for the Premier League, Bundesliga, La Liga, and, at long last, Serie A.
FIFA 19 will be released on September 28, 2018 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC (via Origin).
