Sales of the FIFA video game series rise by an average of 23% every year, so it stands to reason that events like the FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT) Championship will help boost the popularity of eSports. Yet it may come as a surprise to many that FIFA was not among the worldโs top five eSports in 2017.
Despite this, experts predict that eSports will enjoy a global audience of 600 million and revenues of ยฃ1 billion by 2020. With all of this in mind, what role will FIFA play in the future of eSports?
EA slow to catch on โ but theyโre getting there!
Compared to the likes of Dota 2 and League of Legends, games based on traditional sports like football donโt yet boast a massive viewership. This is largely because EA have always considered FIFA players, whether pro or not, as part of a wider community. The company feared that focusing on just the pros would be a disservice to the amateurs who make up the majority of the gameโs user base.
But after 1.2 million players took part in the FIFA eWorld Cup in 2016, it was becoming clear that eSports was more than just a passing fad.
If EA had any doubts about the profit potential of FIFA in the world of eSports, these illusions were shattered after more than 6 million FIFA 17 players took part in the FUT Champions Weekend Leagues during 2016 and 2017.
To add yet further to proof of FIFAโs mainstream potential, the 2017 FUT Championship was available to view, not just online via YouTube, Twitch and Facebook, but also on BT Sports.
Last October, EA responded by announcing that FIFA 18 Global Series on the Road would be part of the 2018 eWorld Cup. Now the gameโs makers are fully embracing eSports, FIFA has the potential, not only to be the biggest title among pro gamers, but also to fully cement eSportsโ journey towards the mainstream. The BBC and ESPNโs coverage of events only serves to highlight this trajectory.
Professional players
While the FIFA video-game series has always been wildly popular, its best players have been relatively unknown โ until now. The best FIFA 18 players are set to earn more than ever before. And some will surely make very good livings as professional players; a select few may even become millionaires within a few years.
This may seem far-fetched, but with the likes of Manchester City and Paris St Germain signing up gamers to represent them at tournaments, the time has come for ordinary people to become stars. This is only becoming possible because the money is there โ and the money exists because FIFA is a fast-growing title in the already hugely popular world of eSports. The FIFA video games enjoy huge popularity in their own right and many people love watching others play. These facts, combined with broadcast deals with the mainstream media, can only mean big things for eSports as a whole.
