EA hopes you'll buy FIFA and FIFA Street

By Wesley Yin-Poole Published 22 August, 2011

Explains how both games link together.

EA hopes football fans will buy both FIFA and FIFA Street.

FIFA Street, due out early next year on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, launches a number of months after FIFA 12, due out in September. FIFA 13, which EA has already confirmed will support Kinect and Move, will no doubt launch in September 2012.

"There are people who are looking for authentic football that's fast paced with more flair and a little bit more pizzazz," new EA Sports president Andrew Wilson told Eurogamer. "They may or may not play FIFA already, but that's just the game and experience they're looking for. We'll get to those gamers.

"But then there's a FIFA gamer out there who says, listen, I love the strategy of 11 11 football. I love the build up. I love having to build from the midfield right through in order to score. But I'd also like something quicker and higher scoring. So I think we're going to get both."

FIFA Street, announced during EA's Gamescom press conference last week, is a reboot of sorts. EA Canada is using the main FIFA engine to create the game, which focuses on authenticity and realism in a street setting. This will be the first time the FIFA team has built a Street spin-off.

Despite this, Wilson did admit that some FIFA fans simply won't be interested in FIFA Street.

"I don't think we'll get all FIFA gamers, because there's a core FIFA gamer that likes it just the way it is. But we'll get some who are looking for something different."

FIFA Street uses EA Sports Football Club, EA Sports' persistent profile platform.

"Even if you only go and dabble in FIFA Street for a while it's going to benefit you in FIFA as well," Wilson explained.

EA Sports Football Club, which launches with FIFA 12, connects gamers with real world football and connects play across multiple titles.

"You might be level seven in FIFA. You go and play FIFA Street and you progress that and end up at level eight. By the time you get back into FIFA, there are new things available to you as a result of that ongoing progress you have in that world.

"It's the start in FIFA 12. It's us moving to deliver FIFA as a service. It's just the beginning. It'll be more robust every week we come out. It will change, advance and evolve. Ultimately you end up with a very cool persistent 365 day a year service around football."

Picture of Wesley.

About Wesley Yin-Poole

Wesley is Eurogamer's news editor. He likes news, interviews, and more news. He also likes Street Fighter more than anyone can get him to shut up about it.

Read more articles from Wesley by visiting the Wesley Yin-Poole archive page.

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Comments (31) Latest comment 9 months ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • kassmageant #1 9 months ago

    that headline made me laugh - it's good to know that these are the goals of that publisher, so i will not confuse them any longer with these many publishers that don't wish we're gonna buy their games : ))

  • JahB #2 9 months ago

    No thanks. There are too many games coming out for me to buy two fully priced footy games.

  • CrispyXUK64 #3 9 months ago

    lol

  • wayneh #4 9 months ago

    EA should release street as a budget title rather than a fully blown retail release that way a lot of Fifa and more casual gamers would pick it up.

  • Puppaz #5 9 months ago

    and I hope EA will give me a load of cash just for being pretty.

  • Shikasama #6 9 months ago

    Then EA have obviously been shooting up again.

  • HL706 #7 9 months ago

    After FIFA 11 you'll be luck if I buy one football game from you! Sort the lag, quitters and broken play modes and we'll talk. If you really want to sweeten the deal you could rip off the master league while you're at it.

    Oh and;

    "It's us moving to deliver FIFA as a service."

    No, I don't like services thanks.

  • EugenesLair #8 9 months ago

    Thanks, but I think it's already enough of "a service" asking for full price every f*****g year.

  • Inmediasress #9 9 months ago

    And I hope EA goes bankrupt.
    See we all have dreams.

  • bad09 #10 9 months ago

    [/i]"It's us moving to deliver FIFA as a service"[/i]

    Oh will the people in this industry touting this "service" crap please go jump off a bridge and die. I have money, I buy a video game, I play said video game that's it. I don't want your shit services I just want to buy a product and play it without you butting into my gaming experience constantly.

  • roz123 #11 9 months ago

    Its trying to make football more like basketball and I don't think football fans want that at all. I find highscoring games of that ilk extremely tedious, its so easy to score that it takes all the fun out of scoring. I am sure some people will enjoy it but if I wanted to mix up the football formula a little I would make something that is extremely violent
    Edited by roz123 at 22/08/11 @ 09:22

  • arcam #12 9 months ago

    "It's the start in FIFA 12. It's us moving to deliver FIFA as a service. It's just the beginning. It'll be more robust every week we come out. It will change, advance and evolve. Ultimately you end up with a very cool persistent 365 day a year service around football."

    The conclusion makes sense to me - it would seem much better for something like FIFA to have a constantly evolving game rather than an annual release with a new gimmick each time. Really I'm not convinced however that EA would be willing to give up the once-a-year, £40 release that has served them so well.

    Perhaps if this works they will slowly start transitioning to a subscription service.

  • Master09 #13 9 months ago

    I hate EA's online pass system though I buy new games.

  • jablonski #14 9 months ago

    I remember when there used to be a 6-aside indoor version of FIFA that you play play in one of the 90's FIFA games.

    Fifa street should really be included in FIFA 12, not as a standalone.

  • ricpamiwor #15 9 months ago

    @arcam
    Exactly what I was thinking, we could pay £39.99 a year like people do for Xbox gold and get a constantly updated FIFA game rather than the devs pushing themselves to meet yearly deadlines. This would be awesome and allow for some really cool features that we see in MMOs but applied to a sports title.

  • spiritsnake #16 9 months ago

    @roz123
    something like shaolin soccer you mean?? that was a movie id love to see being made into a game.

  • ZizouFC #17 9 months ago

    I'd get both if I had the cash.

  • layleeloo #18 9 months ago

    No thanks. After buying Fifa on 360 for the last few years, I will not be buying Fifa again on an HD console. And I will stick to Fifa street on my PS2 thanks.

  • layleeloo #19 9 months ago

    @HL706 "After FIFA 11 you'll be luck if I buy one football game from you! Sort the lag, quitters and broken play modes and we'll talk. If you really want to sweeten the deal you could rip off the master league while you're at it."

    I take it your a PES man then. But SERIOUSLY come on - Lag? I bought PES 11 before Fifa 11 and had to sell it due to 60% lag. I bought Fifa back and as per usual, perfection and no lag as per Fifa 10. However, a few weeks ago I bought PES 11 back in the hope that lag had been sorted and thankfully, it is a lot better and only has about 10% lag now so come on, lets not have a lag debate about Fifa because the only people I know who complain about lag in Fifa are people on boards like this, and its usually fans of the opposition ;)

  • layleeloo #20 9 months ago

    @master09 - "I hate EA's online pass system though I buy new games."

    Isn't that a redundant, contradictory statement then…..?

  • HL706 #21 9 months ago

    @layleeloo

    I've not bought a PES game since 6 because it's been dross. FIFA 08/09 were the pinnacle of the current generations football games. FIFA 10 was pretty good and the lag issues, imo, were nowhere near as bad as FIFA 11. In 10, if I was having a few issues it could affect my enjoyment of the game - but in FIFA 11 I can get button lag up to 6 or 7 seconds behind the visuals. That, my friend, is pathetic and I absolutely refuse to buy FIFA 12 until I have 100% confirmation that this issue has been resolved.

    I'll likely pick it up in the Christmas sales anyway as the servers will probably be gubbed for the first 2 months anyway!

  • homerbert #22 9 months ago

    I probably will buy them both. In about 18 months, when they cost less than a fiver each.

    Also, using the main engine and focusing on realism for the new Street game seems a bit self defeating.

  • metalangel #23 9 months ago

    Business in hoping you buy all its products non-shocker!

  • DrizztP #24 9 months ago

    Sigh I remember the days indoor football was an extra in Fifa 98

  • dennett316 #25 9 months ago

    @Jablonsky
    You said EXACTLY what I wanted say, and that was in the PS1 era. Nowadays there's no excuse for Fifa Street not to be either included in the main game, or as an XBLA title that costs at most 800 points in a worst case scenario.

  • The_Bloody_Kettle #26 9 months ago

    HL706-
    That's probably your Internet. Or you're unlucky with who you play against. Mine has been pretty good really. But I used Uni Internet. Super fast!

  • metamorphic #27 9 months ago

    Meh, Street never really interested me.
    Edited by metamorphic at 22/08/11 @ 13:15

  • Ali360 #28 9 months ago

    EA's hopes can Kiss my @$$.

  • dirtysteve #29 9 months ago

    Once again I must place FIFA in the same 'game-slag' category as COD. (TBH we all know FIFA is even more of a chav magnet)

  • Totza #30 9 months ago

    There is absolutely no way im buying FIFA Street lmao it will be filled with bugs just like FIFA 12 :)

  • danathjo #31 9 months ago

    Pop it up on psn/xbla for tenner during the off season and I'm sure many would bite