While FIFA initially had a more " arcade-style" approach, PES was more of a football simulation video game series with "faster-paced tactical play" and more varied emergent gameplay, which led to PES rivaling FIFA in sales during the 2000s. The rivalry between both franchises since the 1990s has been considered the "greatest rivalry" in the history of sports video games.
As the console market expanded, FIFA was challenged directly by other titles, most notably Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer ( PES) series. Derek Rae and Lee Dixon took over in FIFA 21.įIFA games have been met with some minor criticism such as improvements each game features over its predecessor. Martin Tyler was the default commentator for the FIFA series from 2006 to 2020, alongside Andy Gray between 20 and Alan Smith from 2011 to 2020. Motson first joined the franchise for FIFA 96 he and McCoist were replaced by Gray and Clive Tyldesley for FIFA 06 but later returned for FIFA Manager 08. John Motson was the first commentator for the FIFA series, and has worked alongside Ally McCoist, Andy Gray, Des Lynam, Mark Lawrenson and Chris Waddle. Months later, World Cup 98, was EA's first officially licensed tournament game. This version featured much improved graphics, a complete World Cup with qualifying rounds (including all national teams) and refined gameplay.
FIFA 97 improved on this with polygonal models for players and added an indoor soccer mode, but an early pinnacle was reached with FIFA: Road to World Cup 98. For the first time with real player names by obtaining the FIFPro license, the PlayStation, PC, 32X and Sega Saturn versions used EA's "Virtual Stadium" engine, with 2D sprite players moving around a real-time 3D stadium. While FIFA 95 did not add much other than the ability to play with club teams, FIFA 96 pushed the boundaries.
When the series began with FIFA International Soccer on the Sega Mega Drive in late 1993, it was notable for being the first to have an official license from FIFA, the world governing body of football. įootball video games such as Tehkan World Cup, Sensible Soccer, Kick Off and Match Day had been developed since the late 1980s, and were already competitive in the games market when EA Sports announced a football game as the next addition to their EA Sports label. Listed in Guinness World Records as the best-selling sports video game franchise in the world, the FIFA series has sold over 325 million copies as of 2021. As of 2011, the FIFA franchise has been localised into 18 languages and available in 51 countries.
Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Amiga, DOS, N-Gage, 32X, Mega-CD/Sega CD, Master System, Game Gear, Sega Saturn, GameCube, Gizmondo, PlayStation, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation Vita, Super NES, Nintendo 64, Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS, Wii, Wii U, Nintendo Switch, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, 3DO Interactive Multiplayer, Microsoft Windows, iOS, Java Platform, Micro Edition, Android, Xbox 360, Xbox, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Windows Phone, macOS, Zeebo, Stadia įIFA (also known as FIFA Soccer, FIFA Football or EA Sports FIFA) is a series of association football video games developed and released annually by Electronic Arts under the EA Sports label.