Football heroes: Colombian style energizes latest FIFA video game
Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, and Kylian Mbappe portrayed as superheroes evading tackles using incredible acrobatic feats defying gravity: three years following its removal from the globe’s top-selling soccer video game, FIFA returns with FIFA Rivals.
During an interview with AFP in Bogota, Bacon Games’ 3D designer Juan Duque shared his thoughts.
(Copyright: Raul ARBOLEDA / AFP)
The realistic charm of the once-popular FIFA games from days gone by has faded away.
A YouTube teaser showcased a new cartoony mobile game where players sport unusually broad chests and shapes resembling flames, wielding orbs that leave trails of light as they move.
Created by the U.S.-based gaming company Mythical Games together with Colombia’s Bacon Games, this project forms part of FIFA’s efforts to reclaim a significant position within the multibillion-dollar video game market as the global regulator of soccer.
For almost thirty years, FIFA has been the leading force in the market for PlayStation and Xbox video games.
However, in 2022, FIFA, the global soccer authority, terminated its agreement with EA Sports, the game’s developer in the U.S., due to disagreements regarding licensing costs.
Three years later, FIFA aims to win back gaming fans with a surefire formula: a free game for mobile users.
On their website, Mythical Games offers “the excitement of quick-action, mobile arcade-style soccer featuring genuine FIFA gameplay.”
Jairo Nieto, executive director of Bogota-based Bacon Games said FIFA Rivals was in search of “its own identity.”
“We don’t want to be a simulation game, (…) but we also don’t want to be on the other end of the spectrum of more fantasy games,” he said.
Inspired by NFL Rivals, an American football game for smartphones also developed by Mythical Games, it is slated for release in the summer.
Nieto mentioned that it might be downloadable prior to the start of the FIFA Club World Cup, scheduled for June 14 in the United States.
– Dream-like footwork –
Between 1993 and 2022, EA Sports and FIFA dominated the world of video game soccer, with their series selling a minimum of 235 million copies.
When their collaboration came to an end, The New York Times noted that together they had accumulated over $20 billion (17.7 billion euros) in sales.
Following the conclusion of their collaboration, EA rebranded its product as EA Sports FC and proceeded to provide lifelike games featuring characters strikingly reminiscent of their real-world equivalents.
Juan Duque, who oversees the player animations for the FIFA Rivals game, states that the game merges “two really neat elements: actual athletes and genuine competitions, yet the maneuvers have an almost fantastical quality to them.”
This achievement represents a significant step forward for Colombia, which is host to numerous top-tier Latin American gaming companies yet remains relatively small when stacked against powerhouses like the United States, Japan, China, or South Korea.
Interestingly enough, another soccer title from French developer Sloclap is set to launch in June as well.
“Rematch” is available for PCs, Xbox Series consoles, and PlayStation 5.
In contrast to FIFA Rivals, though, gamers take charge of only one player during swift-moving five-on-five games.
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