There are not many games that have such a fiercely loyal player base as FIFA does. A lot of gamers are versatile, but it’s not that uncommon to find gamers who play just FIFA games and nothing else. This has contributed to EA SPORTS FIFA 23 being one of the most played games of 2023; however, will its successor (FC 24) follow the same path? Let’s see what the future has in store for this titan of the gaming industry.
Sales are going strong
FIFA players are fiercely loyal; they don’t wait for the game to go on sale and won’t skimp when it comes to various in-game purchases.
Now, a lot of critics argue that the game gets minimal changes with each new release and that a mod can cover the changes in team compositions and standings. At the same time, FIFA fans are always willing to pay full price, regardless of the perceived value. After all, in capitalism, everything is worth as much as someone is willing to pay for it.
Just keep in mind that FIFA is present on all platforms, including Nintendo Switch, which means a much larger player pool than games that are limited to just one.
Also, remember that FC 24 is just a third of a year old and that there are a lot of people who will still buy FC 24 before FC 25 releases in September.
eSports tournaments
FIFA is also one of the most incredible eSports. People just love watching football, regardless of whether it’s real or digital, which is why there are so many eSports tournaments out there, one of which is ongoing. We’re talking about the FC Pro 24 Open, which lasts until the beginning of February and has a prize pool of $500,000.
The tournament already has more than four million hours watched with almost half a month to go. More importantly, it’s not even the biggest eSports tournament of the year. Last year’s FIFAe Club World Cup 2023 had a million-dollar prize pool, and it was just one of three such tournaments of the year.
With so many people watching, there are a lot of those who are willing to get in on the action. After all, betting on eSports is a fast-growing industry. Still, you need to know who you’re betting with since not all platforms offer this option, and not all provide the same level of benefits.
According to industry veteran behind one such site, Jamie Clark, “balanced reviews of bookmaker websites and apps is what we’re all about at bettingsites.co.uk, with the team always striving to be honest in their appraisal. We’re not afraid to call a spade a spade. Being frank and honest about the big guns in the gambling industry is the best policy, as that’s what our readers want.” There are a lot of sites offering great odds and bonuses, but to maximize the value for their money, people are also looking for the best betting sign up offers.
Just remember that we’re talking about a cultural phenomenon more than anything else. For years now, millions of people around the world watched others play football. Now, they’re watching them play sports games. In the past, they used to bet on the outcomes of football games. From this point, betting on eSports is not that big of a leap.
The average number of players is again on the rise
The game reached its peak in October 2023, but then, it seemed like it hit the ceiling and the November player count looked just horrendous. Fortunately, in the first month of 2024 (and during the last month of 2023), the number is back at around 42,000 average players per day, although it hasn’t quite re-reached the heights of FIFA 23’s all-time highest player count of over 110,000 in January last year.
One of the possible reasons for this increase in the number of players was that, due to the holiday season, FC 24 was on sale several times in the past 30 days. Such increases in player base and unexpected peaks are always related to this financial factor.
Now, FIFA 18, the best-selling game of the series, sold a total of 26.4+ million units, while FC 24 had roughly 11.3 million players during the first week. This is more than a solid start.