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FIFA Esports: A Sneak-Peek in the History of The Game and Esports

EA Sports has played a pivotal role in writing the history of FIFA eSports. The same way, professionals writers write an essay to have your current assignments covered.

Whether you are a player yourself or just a fan of esports, knowing the story of FIFA eSports is important. In this article, we will take a look back at the history of the FIFA video game series and its journey to the competitive eSports scene.

Games in the Series

The first game in the series was released back in 1993-1994 and the original name of the game is FIFA International Soccer, although it’s also known as FIFA ‘94 or EA Soccer. The game was released for Mega Drive/Genesis, Sega CD, and many other popular gaming platforms at the time. The game was designed in celebration of the 1994 FIFA World Cup, and its release began the era of FIFA video games.

After the huge success of the first game, EA Sports started releasing renewed versions of the game every year. By this time, there are already over 30 titles in the FIFA series, and FIFA 23 will be the last one in the series following the split between EA and FIFA.

Early Years of FIFA Esports

Despite the huge popularity of the first FIFA games, the respective eSports division wasn’t created immediately.

At first, the FIFA eSports scene was just a small community of passionate players who wanted to make the most out of their favorite game and started competing in small LAN events against each other. FIFA 2001 was the first version (for the PC) that could be played online, which was revolutionary and practically kicked off the FIFA eSports scene we know today.

Although the first games weren’t as technologically and graphically advanced as the most recent releases, it was a breakthrough in the field of video gaming.

Players from all across the world enjoyed playing them and competing with other players. You can check out some of the FIFA retro games to get the idea yourself. Just use essayservice.com to write my essay and help you take care of your homework and spend your free time giving it a try.

As the community of players kept growing, the FIFA eSports scene started to take shape. In fact, in 2004, the first official global tournament called the FIFA Interactive World Cup (FIWC) was created. The tournament was single-player and offered a cash prize to the winner.

While today’s participants hail from every corner of the globe, just a few thousands players from nine different countries competed for the inaugural FIWC crown.

The Development and Rise of FIFA Esports

For many years, FIFA eSports was characterized by small, local tournaments and wasn’t gaining huge popularity until the 2010s. This was the time when the FIFA Interactive World Cup was turned into an annual event. From this point, tournaments featured more players, the offered cash prizes increased significantly, and the online qualifiers for tournaments were held all across the world.

Finally, in 2016, EA Sports took FIFA eSports to the next level by announcing the launch of the FIFA Global Series. The series consisted of several consequent tournaments that took place throughout the year and culminated in the FIFAe World Cup.

The Biggest Event in the Global Esports

After many years of improvement and development, the FIFAe World Cup became the biggest digital FIFA event and remains one to this day. In 2018, the total prize fund for this event increased to $400,000. The event was now actively broadcasted online and on TV.

Another notable point of growth took place in 2020. Just like many other branches of sports, entertainment, and business, FIFA eSports was significantly affected by the outbreak of Covid-19. Due to the global lockdown, EA Sports was forced to cancel a number of its offline events planned for that year.

However, the company took a step forward and turned this misfortune into a new opportunity. EA Sports adapted the FIFAe World Cup to be held fully online for the first time in the tournament’s history. During the same year, the prize for first place in the competition amounted to $250,000.

After 2021, the growth of FIFA Esports was occurring even faster. Now, this division of virtual sports is a real global phenomenon. Being held every year, this event attracts players from all across the world. It broadcasts online and on TV and drives millions of viewers. Moreover, the cash prize keeps increasing too.

The Bottom Line

FIFA eSports has come a long way since its inception in 2004. The game has grown in popularity, and it has become one of the most popular eSports titles in the world. With the introduction of new game modes and features, and with the continued investment from EA, the eSports scene is poised to continue to grow and attract more players and fans.

We can’t wait to see what else the future holds for the game with the release of the new EA Sports FC franchise. So if you are a fan, be sure to stick around. Or, maybe, even try to become a competitive player yourself.

 

About Christian Silvestri

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Content Writer for FIFA Infinity. Passionate about football, FIFA and AC Milan!