EA FC 24 was UK’s best-selling sport in 2023

By Carolina Stanton On Jan 9, 2024

A computer-generated version of Erling Haaland, in Manchester City's sky blue home strip, leaps for the ball in the middle of a match in EA Sports FC 24. He's in mid-air, in a karate kick-style pose and has one leg stretching out his orange football boot to make contact with the ball. A bright green vapour trail emanates behind him, showing the path he's followed. Another player is nearby and looks desperate as he tries to intercept Haaland.

By Tom Richardson

BBC Newsbeat

EA FC 24 was the best-selling online game within the UK final 12 months, in response to new figures.

Previously generally known as Fifa, the Electronic Arts (EA) soccer sequence ditched the game’s governing physique’s title after nearly 30 years.

It prompted questions on whether or not gross sales would undergo.

But the Digital Entertainment and Retail Association (ERA) stated the most recent title bought 2.25m copies within the UK final 12 months.

It stated that was solely barely under Fifa 23, which bought 2.39m copies in 2022, and was launched near the winter males’s World Cup.

EA FC 24 obtained a “generally favourable” response on overview aggregator Metacritic, with a median rating of 73 out of 100.

It has a person rating of simply 2.3 out of 10 on the location, but it surely’s been urged that is all the way down to a review-bombing marketing campaign, with hundred of gamers leaving unfavorable remarks.

Experts beforehand instructed the BBC that Fifa’s success owed lots to the offers permitting it to make use of participant’s faces and correct reproduction kits.

And EA made a giant level of stressing that it had saved maintain of these for its rebranded title, making itself the one sport on the town when you needed to play as your footballing idol.

EA SPORTS FC 24 ULTIMATE EDITION COVER - FEATURED ATHLETES - Marta (BRA), Marcus Rashford (ENG), Rudi Völler (GER), Pelé (BRA), Zinedine Zidane (FRA), Bukayo Saka (ENG), Andrea Pirlo (ITA) 3rd row (L to R): Mia Hamm (USA), Johan Cruyff (NED), Alex Scott (ENG), Ronaldinho (BRA), Alexandra Popp (GER) Riquelme (ARG), Didier Drogba (CIV), Leicy Santos (COL) 2nd row (L to R): Jude Bellingham (ENG), David Beckham (ENG), Vinícius Jr. (BRA), Erling Haaland (NOR), Sam Kerr (AUS), Leah Williamson (ENG), Marquinhos (BRA), Youssoufa Moukoko (GER) Front row (L to R): Alexander Isak (SWE), Selma Bacha (FRA), Alexia Putellas (SPA), Virgil Van Dijk (NED), Son Heung-Min (KOR), Trinity Rodman (USA), Federico Chiesa (ITA), Enzo Fernández (ARG)

Elsewhere, ERA stated Hogwarts Legacy was the second-best promoting sport within the UK, adopted by Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

GamesIndustry.biz stated PS5 unique Spider-Man 2 was at quantity six, and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor was at seven.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was in ninth place, regardless of Nintendo conserving digital gross sales knowledge secret, and Diablo 4 was tenth.

According to ERA, gaming gross sales elevated by 2.9% in 2023, with digital purchases accounting for about 90% of income.

It stated bodily video games gross sales fell once more by 4.4%, taking in £495.0m of the £4.7bn complete.

CEO Kim Bayley stated gaming “continued to show its ability to connect with people” final 12 months, and regardless of the modest development the business “remains a leviathan”.