You would be hard pressed to find a football fan aged under 40 who hasn’t given hours of their life over to the joys, and controller-throwing agony, of FIFA video games.
It has been almost three decades since the groundbreaking football game – now under new branding as EA Sports FC 24 - broke onto the scene.
But, as FourFourTwo discovered in the latest issue, things could have gone differently. In fact, the games may have never come to be at all.
Here is an excerpt of our interview with Lee Price, the author of ‘FIFA Football: The Story Behind the Video Game Sensation’, who was asked by FFT about when the first Mega Drive release came out 30 years ago.
“It was kind of a little play with soccer in the US, as the World Cup was being held over there in 1994,” Price explains.
“But there was little resource and frankly limited interest, and the game was very close to not being finished on time.
“They thought, ‘Let’s get it out and forget about it’ and sleepwalked into a cultural phenomenon. It became so big, they had to make another one, then another one.
“In time, it overtook Madden and proved the title that, worldwide, everyone wanted to play. It wasn’t an accidental success, but it wasn’t a million miles off that.”
EA Sports FC 24, the successor to FIFA 23, is out on September 29, 2023.
More EA Sports FC 24 stories
With EA Sports FC 24 out, FFT has the complete guide to football's biggest game.
We have a guide to the best wonderkids, the best free agents and the best bargains available to sign in Career Mode. We also have lists of the fastest players in the game, the best passers, the best free-kick takers, the best tacklers, the best finishers – and of course, all 5-star weak foot players and all 5-star skill move players.
If you're a player of Ultimate Team, we have a full list of the 100+ stars available as Icon and Heroes cards.
Need help with attacking tips or defensive tips? We have a complete catalogue on how to do skill moves, including specific looks at stepovers, the heel-to-ball roll, the Elastico, an explosive fake shot and 'the bridge' .
