FIFA (video game series)
FIFA, also known as FIFA Football or FIFA Soccer, is a series of association football video games, released annually by Electronic Arts under the EA Sports label. While there was no major competition when EA released the first titles in their American Football and Hockey series, football video games such as Sensible Soccer, Kick Off and Match Day had been developed since the late 1980s and already competitive in the games market when EA Sports announced a football game as the next addition to their EA Sports label.
When the series began in late 1993 it, was notable for being the first to have an official licence from FIFA, the world governing body of football. The latest installments in the series contain many exclusively-licenced leagues including league and teams from around the world, including the German Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga, English Premier League and Football League, Italian Serie A, Spanish La Liga, Portuguese Primeira Liga, French Ligue 1, Dutch Eredivisie, Brazilian Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, Mexican Liga MX, American Major League Soccer, South Korean K-League and Australian A-League, allowing the use of real leagues, clubs, and player names and likenesses within the games.
The main series has been complemented by additional installments based on single major tournaments, such as the FIFA World Cup, UEFA European Football Championship, and UEFA Champions League, as well as a series of football management titles.
Currently, Lionel Messi is the face of the franchise, appearing on front cover of every game being released in the series and in promotional campaigns and advertisements in the media.
As of 2011, the FIFA franchise has been localized into 18 languages and available in 51 countries. The series has sold more than 100 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling video game franchises. Also FIFA 12 holds the record for the "fastest selling sports game ever" with over 3.3 million games sold and over $186 million generated at retail in its first week of release.
The franchise's latest release is currently FIFA 13, released on 25 September 2012 in North America and 28 September 2012 in Europe for multiple gaming systems.
Read more about FIFA (video game series): History, Other Titles, Soundtracks
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