Alright, so picture this: it’s 1993, and EA decides to partner up with FIFA. They’re aiming to cook up something big for the Sega Genesis, and boom—FIFA International Soccer is born. Now, you’d think they had some big expectations, right? But even those were blown outta the water when over half a million copies zipped off the shelves in just a month. The game wasn’t just a flash in the pan; it set the stage for the whole FIFA franchise. Seriously, this thing took off like a rocket.
Fast forward a bit, and FIFA is like the king of the soccer game world. It’s EA’s golden child, selling over 325 million copies by 2021. I mean, could EA have imagined it’d get that big when they first sat down with FIFA? Probably not. Then bam—in 2022, outta nowhere, EA says, “No more FIFA name on our games.” Cue the dramatic exits and lots of head-scratching.
But the world doesn’t stop spinning, right? EA’s still kickin’ it with soccer games, just under a different banner. But the FIFA name—it’s kinda hanging there, like an old pair of sneakers someone might still fix up and wear. Enter Sloclap and their game, Rematch. A match made in heaven? Maybe, maybe not.
Okay, let’s talk about Rematch a sec. This game is one of the few non-EA creations making waves in the soccer game scene. It’s like back in the Sega days, when the field wasn’t so crowded. Not much stands toe-to-toe with EA except Konami’s PES series, which… let’s be honest, has been having a rough patch with their latest, eFootball. But Rematch, man, it’s out there doing its thing. A French dev called Sloclap decided to pivot from martial arts brawlers to soccer. Wild, right? But hey, it kinda worked! Just launched, and it’s already got millions of players.
Quick detour: Available on Xbox Game Pass. So, yeah, plenty of people played it without buying it outright. Just something that popped in my head.
Anyway, here’s a thought. If Rematch is already sucking in players, why not add a dash of FIFA branding to the mix? You know, FIFA-themed gear, jerseys, whatever. Gives the game a punch of nostalgia. Like, remember when people went nuts over collabs? Rematch could be doing the same thing. Hey, they already got a Puma-themed getup and even some pro player skins, so why not FIFA stuff too?
And yeah, folks might groan about paying extra for some FIFA-branded in-game gear. But let’s not kid ourselves—the FIFA name still means something, especially across Europe. Somebody might just pay for a cool jersey. I can see it now—a low-stakes way to let FIFA sneak back into the gaming scene. Not a full-scale return, but enough to float some boats. Rematch could totally bank on that nostalgia with a FIFA tie-up, just a thought crossing my mind, you know?
