“It’s complicated to define Fifa’s place in esports”, loose entry Paul Arrivé, specialist journalist at the Team. One thing is certain is that the soccer simulation game has been established for a long time in the virtual competitive scene.
In 2004 the international federation organized the FIFA Interactive World Cup, with the Electronic Arts game as support, making it the first Fifa World Cup. The annual competition took place until 2019 and has not had an edition since the health crisis. It is the Frenchman Bruce Grannec who remains to this day the most successful player, with two editions won (2009 and 2013), tied with the Spaniard Alfonso Ramos.
Esports underdeveloped on Fifa compared to other games
“A lot of people have their first contact with esports thanks to Fifa. A bridge is made between the term “esport”, video game competition on a sports game soanalyzes Paul Arrivé. While no, it’s much more developed on other games. » Despite an active community (Fifa 22 was the best-selling game of 2021, releasing in September), the football game pales in comparison to the behemoths of the competitive scene that are League of Legends, Rocket League or the rising star, Valuing. Fewer audiences, a messy competition system… “Today Fifa in esports is the equivalent of badminton or table tennis, despite all my respect for these sports”says the journalist l’Équipe.
Today, the competitive FIFA scene is far from filling rooms like League of Legends… © Photo: Archives
There are several reasons for the lower public interest in competitions on Fifa. The main problem for a football simulation is that it is based on a real sport. “Watching Fifa is very limited in terms of spectacle… Because football exists. On other games, we find things that we don’t see anywhere else. »
“Contrary to the values of esports”
The economic model of the game also presents a complication. EA Sports primarily derives its revenue from microtransactions inside. In « Ultimate Team »the most popular game mode, you can buy “packs”, which offer a chance to have the best players in the game. At each Fifa, those who have the means, such as professional players, find themselves very quickly with Mbappe, Neymar, Messi and company in their teams. “It’s contrary to the values of esports, where everyone is equal but the one with the best technique wins”deplores Paul Arrivé.
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But it is also thanks to this game mode that the competitive scene has experienced a real resurgence in recent years. Since 2017 and the arrival of « Fut Champions », an online competitive mode, which offers everyone the opportunity to test themselves against the best. One thinks in particular of the story of the young Dane, Anders Weatherin 2021, who chained 535 victories at the age of 15 and became a real star.
Despite this, Fifa will always keep its competitive scene strong, due to the fact that the game has no competition. « Pro Evolution Soccer », PES for the close friends, become today « eFootball », no longer weighs. On the 2018 opus, FC Barcelona defender Gerard Piqué even tried to invest to launch his own competition. A failure with the general public.
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EA Sport still cannot rest on its laurels, with growing discontent from professional players. “A lot of players have left because they feel the game is over-assisted and no longer competitive”, raises Paul Arrivé. If structures like Vitality keep professional players, some Ligue 1 clubs, which had sometimes recruited players, disappear from the competitive scene…
