After the name change, physical sales of EA Sports FC 24 took a big hit in the UK. The game sold 30% less.
Electronic Arts’ long-running FIFA series has dropped its original name and rebranded as EA Sports FC 24 following a payment dispute with the governing body. This rebranding was supposed to bring big changes to the formula, but aside from changes like Evolutions in Ultimate Team, those big changes didn’t really happen.
Some fans were voicing their displeasure, and these were backed up by the reporting of EA Sports FC 24’s first physical sales figures in the UK. While this doesn’t mean overall sales are down, it does provide some insight into the current state of the game.
EA Sports FC 24’s Sales Are Lower Compared to FIFA 23
The sales information first appeared in a series of tweets by GamesIndustry.biz’s Chris Dring. VGC reported by. In his tweets, Dring stated that although EA Sports FC 24 was the second best-selling game of the year behind The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, physical sales were down 30% compared to FIFA 23. There may be several reasons for this situation. As Dring noted, Electronic Arts expected the series to experience a slight sales decline this year with its rebranding. After all, it has long been known as FIFA and some fans may not have been aware of the change.
It’s also possible that digital sales will make up a larger share of sales this year. It’s impossible to say without exact figures, but sales have been increasingly moving digital in recent years, so the shift is likely to play a role.
You May Be Interested In: EA Sports FC 24 Review
Finally, EA Sports FC 24 is receiving middling reviews, so there may be players who won’t purchase the game due to bad word of mouth. It’s most likely a mix of all three, along with a few other factors. It’s also worth noting that this only applies in the UK.
On the other hand, the Nintendo Switch version of the game is doing better than last year in physical sales. Previously, the Switch version was a simple squad update for FIFA 18. Finally, the EA team has introduced a new version of the game to Switch owners, making the game a much more attractive package on the platform.
EA Sports FC 24 is available on PlayStation, Switch, Xbox and PC platforms.