EA stated that FIFA 23 was shaping up to become the best-selling title in franchise history, with sales growing by up to 50% year-to-year in North America. FIFA 23 is the latest release in the popular soccer game series and could end the franchise on a high note.
Every year since 1993, EA has been releasing a new FIFA title for gamers to kick the ball with their favorite soccer players from all over the world. FIFA became a reference for soccer enthusiasts, outselling its competitors and holding the record for the best-selling sports game franchise in the world. The 30th installment in the series, FIFA 23, introduced new features such as the AcceleRATE system, Power Shots, and FUT Moments for players to further enjoy their soccer games.
During EA’s third quarter earnings conference call, CEO Andrew Wilson stated that FIFA 23 was “pacing to be the biggest title in franchise history,” with booking from the FIFA franchise growing by 4% in a year. This growth is even bigger in North America, where sales of FIFA 23 went up 50% year over year. FIFA 23 was among the best-selling games of the end of 2022 in the United States, with growing popularity worldwide.
Wilson noted that FIFA 23 “delivered record engagement in Q3,” meaning a lot of players accessed the game between its release in September 2022 and the end of the year. FIFA 23 scored a record-breaking launch with over 10.3 million copies sold within the first week of its release, while its predecessor FIFA 22 sold a total of 9.1 million copies in its first 10 days of availability.
Although FIFA 23 could become the best-selling title in franchise history, it will also be the last game bearing this name as the deal between EA and FIFA expired on December 31, 2022. EA will no longer be able to use the name of the governing body of world soccer for its future games and has renamed the franchise to EA Sports FC. Despite this name change, EA Sports FC will keep its best-known game mode such as Ultimate Team, VOLTA, and the Career Mode, alongside its partnership with premium soccer leagues like Bundesliga, La Liga, Premier League, and Ligue 1.
The success of FIFA 23 comes from various factors. While the franchise has always been popular among soccer enthusiasts, FIFA 23 brought more options for players to find their ideal way of enjoying the soccer game. EA even introduced AFC Richmond from the hit Apple TV show Ted Lasso to FIFA 23, alongside exclusive game modes to celebrate both the men's and women’s 2022 World Cup. As FIFA 23 is the last entry in the series bearing this name, it is also a farewell to a 30-year partnership between FIFA and EA before the franchise enters a new era.
FIFA 23 is available on Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: VGC
