FIFA 23 launched worldwide on Sept. 30, 2022. It has spent enough time on the open market to be judged financially. According to the numbers provided by EA, a FIFA game has never had a better launch.
We are closing in on 30 years of FIFA video games. You don’t release 30 parts of anything if it’s not successful to a certain extent. Whatever anyone may think of the FIFA series and EA, it is undeniable that FIFA is a successful product. As a matter of fact, it’s more successful today than it’s ever been.
EA provided the official sales numbers for FIFA 23 within its first week of release. According to the game’s publisher, FIFA 23 has been played by over 10.3 million players in its first seven days on the market. These stats are combined for all platforms, old-gen and current-gen, and beat any records set by previous installments in the series.
Nick Wlodyka, GM of EA SPORTS FC, commented on the record-setting occasion
“The response from our fans has been nothing short of incredible, and we’re thrilled that our community is playing with their favorite players and teams across FIFA 23 in record numbers,” he said. “With both the Men’s and Women’s World Cups, and exciting updates to our women’s club football content in game still yet to come, we’re just getting started on providing players with the most authentic and immersive experience yet.”
While we aren’t talking ludicrous GTA V levels of sales, this new record is enough evidence that FIFA is going as strong as ever. It should also reassure EA that the transition into the new era, where FIFA will be FIFA no more, could unravel rather smoothly.
There is a more grim angle to this story. FIFA 23 has had a lot of issues since its launch. There are overpowered gameplay mechanics that need fixing. There have been numerous mistakes with FUT items, packs, and rewards that meddle with the FUT Market. There were leaks before the official launch and leaks as recently as today when PS5 players were able to enter a painfully unfinished World Cup mode a month before it was supposed to be launched.
These sales figures are definitely a signal that FIFA is here to stay, but many will fear that they would also disincentivize EA to improve the product going forward.
