Electronic Arts, the video game developer behind titles such as Madden NFL and FIFA, is expanding its global FIFA esports series in 2019 and doubling its playoff capacity following strong demand last year.
The company has been upgrading and adding to the FIFA eWorld Cup over the past few years—until this year, the tournament was called the FIFA Interactive World Cup—amid soaring gaming interest and broader participation in esports from prominent European soccer players and clubs.
Competitive FIFA had a record year in 2018, with more than 20 million people from 60 nations playing worldwide, and average viewership climbing 80 percent over the prior season. The top 128 players in the world advanced to two playoff events, with 32 reaching August’s Grand Final. EA Sports said the rapid rise in popularity solidifies FIFA’s “status as a tier one competitive franchise.”
As EA builds upon “last season’s success and the significant growth in FIFA competitive gaming popularity,” the 2019 global series will be much expanded. It will feature four more FUT Champions Cup events—rising to six from just two in 2018—and partnerships with 15 real-world soccer leagues.
“The growth of competitive FIFA is both exponential and undeniable,” said Todd Sitrin, senior vice president and general manager of EA’s competitive gaming division. “This past season, we smashed all the previous viewership and engagement records for competitive FIFA, and we are excited to do the same again in the coming season.”
The game operator also announced a new structure for licensed qualifying competitions, which are marquee events offering qualifying spots led by notable third-party competitive gaming brands. The upcoming season will involve an anticipated 15 official football league partners, compared with just eight last season, including the Bundesliga, Eredivisie, La Liga, Ligue 1, MLS, and the Premier League.
This season also will include a brand-new competition, the FIFA eNations Cup, though EA Sports has yet to reveal details on the format and qualification for that series.
EA is attributing the success of the competition to sheer accessibility. If you know the rules of soccer, then you know the rules of FIFA. For this reason, the developer believes growth is fueled not just by the gamers, but also by spectators who already understand the game.
“Competitive FIFA captivates millions of fans around the world, and its unique connection to the world’s game presents new and innovative ways to uniquely connect football fans around the world,” said Luis Vicente, FIFA’s chief digital transformation and innovation officer.
EA will reveal a new points series for 2019 that it said will open “new pathways” for players aiming to qualify for the eWorld Cup. The point structure will award competitors for their cumulative performance across both online and live events. As such, 60 players this year, nearly double the number of the 2018 series, will advance to the playoffs.
“Building upon last season’s success, we wanted to give more players around the world the opportunity to compete,” said Brent Koning, the commissioner for FIFA Competitive Gaming. “Every detail of the competitive ecosystem is thoughtfully and strategically crafted to increase its engagement and entertainment for spectators, as well as accelerate our ultimate goal of making stars of all our players.”
SportTechie Takeaway
Competitive gaming is helping EA achieve top-line growth, boosted by the traditional sports teams, leagues, players, and fans diving into the esports world. In EA’s first fiscal quarter this year, the company reported adjusted revenue of $749 million, topping average analyst expectations of $742.4 million, according to Reuters. EA also forecast second-quarter adjusted revenue of $1.16 billion. EA attributed its revenue growth to the strength of new games, platforms and geographies, as well as the growth of competitive gaming tournaments, such as FIFA and Madden NFL.
Earlier this month, EA announced that it was teaming up with the English Premier League to form the ePremier League, a FIFA 19 esports tournament that will be available to all U.K.-based gamers and represent all 20 Premier League clubs.