Electronic Arts is buzzing with football business this quarter. The developer has rolled out its Team of the Season promo in EA Sports FC 24. The game is also bracing for its UEFA EURO 2024 debut on EA Sports FC 24 and EA Sports FC Mobile this summer.
The Premier League TOTS promo is anticipated to begin on April 26 at 1 p.m. ET, following the end of the TOTS Live promo. EA Sports FC 24’s annual Team of the Season promo introduces TOTS Live cards that upgrade based on real-world performances without the usual massive boosts.
Circulating leaks reveal potential players like Son, Van Dijk, and Haaland, sourced from reputable Twitter accounts FUT Sheriff and FifaTradingRomania. While the leaked list includes stars from Chelsea, Tottenham, Liverpool, and more, it’s expected to expand. At least six Arsenal players are rumored to be featured, excluding Kai Havertz, who was part of last week’s TOTS Live SBC.
EA typically holds back some players for future Objectives and SBCs and may include players from minor leagues to complete the team. It is also likely to release a new loading screen soon, teasing the promo’s start and potential players.
Meanwhile, UEFA EURO 2024 is also gearing up to make its debut on EA Sports FC 24 and EA Sports FC Mobile. The Europe’s premier national team tournament is set to invade our gaming consoles this summer.
UEFA EURO 2024 in-game action
Starting this June, fans can experience the passion and intensity of the UEFA EURO 2024 tournament right from their gaming consoles.
The game will be available for play well ahead of the real-world tournament kick-off on Friday, June 14. This inaugural event will kickstart an annual tournament programme, complete with qualification phases and a live final set for summer 2024.
There’s a sweetener for early birds: if you play before January 16, you might receive an exclusive, non-tradable Ultimate Team item featuring some of the tournament’s standout stars.
UEFA’s official eEURO Esports programme is set to make its debut with Europe’s best EA Sports FC players representing their UEFA national teams. We should be able to expect England’s Jack Grealish, France’s Ousmane Dembélé, Italy’s Federico Chiesa, and more featured player waiting in the game.
A legacy continues
The shift from FIFA to EA Sports FC comes after the end of EA’s partnership with FIFA for the game series in 2022. FIFA was reportedly seeking a hefty $1 billion to continue the association, a sum EA chose not to pay. Despite the rebranding, the game maintains its roster of players, teams, and stadiums, thanks to existing licensing agreements.
EA Sports FC was officially launched on 29 September 2023, with early access available from 22 September for Ultimate Edition owners and EA Play trial users. The game is now accessible across various platforms including PlayStation®5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch™.
According to a BBC report, EA Sports FC 24 was the UK’s top-selling game last year, selling 2.25 million copies, slightly less than FIFA 23’s 2.39 million in 2022. Despite a “generally favourable” Metacritic score of 73/100, it received a low user score of 2.3/10, potentially due to review-bombing.
Hogwarts Legacy and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 followed as the UK’s second and third best-selling games. PS5 exclusive Spider-Man 2 and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor ranked sixth and seventh, respectively. Despite keeping digital sales data secret, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom secured ninth place, while Diablo 4 rounded out the top ten.
ERA reported a 2.9% increase in gaming sales in 2023, with digital purchases contributing to 90% of revenue. Physical game sales saw a decline of 4.4%, generating £495.0 million out of a total of £4.7 billion. CEO Kim Bayley highlighted gaming’s enduring appeal, stating the industry “remains a leviathan.”
The success proves that the game manages to retain its market without FIFA. The Escapist predicted that a new installation of the game should be launched soon later this year. The game is expected to release EA Sports FC 25 on September 27, 2024, following the series’ traditional late September to early October release pattern.
Now with UEFA EURO 2024 joining the EA Sports FC family, both gaming and football fans have another reason to celebrate.
Find out more about UEFA EURO 2024 here: https://sportsbet.io/sports/soccer/international/european-championship/outrights