FIFA has always been a popular game. In fact, it is one of football fans favourite and this means that people are ready to embrace new versions as soon as they are released. However, it looks like the sales for the physical version of the game dropped with approximately 25% over the years and this situation has been noticed even during the launch week.
What might have caused this? Well, one of the reasons could be that more and more fans are buying the game online. Considering this, EA announces that FIFA 19 could be the last time when we get to see a physical version of the game. Developers are ready to move towards a more popular model, the subscription one.
In fact, this idea has been ”on air” since last year. Back then, Andrew Willson, EA’s CEO, declared in an interview that FIFA publishers are thinking about moving from the classical idea of releasing a new version annually towards releasing an update and the possibility to subscribe online.
FIFA 20 could be available in a digital-only format
According to the latest information, FIFA 19 will be released in physical shape, but since 2020 we could see a totally different approach. FIFA 20 could be the first game from the franchise ever released in full digital format.
Developers say that this change is necessary, because technology has evolved and people tend to go online for almost everything: music, television, videos, games and others. In case they decide to move every new FIFA version online, EA could release an update every year.
On the other hand, some players are not happy with this change, because they already reported some issues within the game. If FIFA will only be available online, a lot of gamers won’t be able to play anymore. So far, EA hasn’t made any final decision yet, but they will let us know as soon as they do.
Ernestina Saenz Salcido is a reporter for News Lair. She mostly writes on her free time about gadgets and tech news. When she’s not working she takes care of her 2 daughters.