FIFA 23 has had the best start in the long-running series’ history, EA has announced. The game reached more than 10.3 million players in its first week, setting a record for the “longest launch period” in the history of the FIFA series. It is worth noting that FIFA 23 is the last entry in the series from EA to bear this name. The 2023 game will be called EA Sports FC due to the breakup of EA and FIFA.
2022 is a huge year for football, with the men’s and women’s World Cups taking place next year, so FIFA 23 is sure to get a whole lot bigger. FIFA 23 didn’t necessarily sell 10 million copies in its first week, as the game is also available through a free trial.
This year’s FIFA game also pushed further into wider popular culture with its crossover with fictional football team AFC Richmond. Manager Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis) appears in the game along with the roster of players from the Apple TV+ series.
Men’s and Women’s World Cups will be added to FIFA 23 for free at a later date. The men’s World Cup will be held in November in Qatar, while the women’s World Cup is scheduled for July 2023 in Australia and New Zealand.
EA and FIFA have ended their partnership on the video game series, but next year’s EA Sports FC will still have the same or similar lineup of players, teams and stadiums because EA has other licensing deals. FIFA was reportedly asking EA to pay $1 billion to use the FIFA name in its games, a fee it would have to pay every four years to continue their relationship.
As for FIFA, president Gianni Infantino confirmed that FIFA is, for the first time, working with a number of third-party studios and publishers to provide “more options” beyond aligning with a single company, EA, as it did in the past. .
“I can assure you that the only authentic, real game bearing the FIFA name will be the best available for football players and fans. 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 name of FIFA and it will remain forever and remain THE BEST,” Infantino said.
GameSpot’s FIFA 23 review scored the game a 7/10.
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