The 2018 FIFA World Cup is just over two weeks away from kicking off and now those anticipating the tournament can play it out in video game form. An update went out today in "FIFA 18" (on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, Nintendo Switch) that has added the World Cup.
Best of all? It's free.
Featured in the update are all 32 qualified nations plus United States, Austria, China, Czech Republic, Greece, Italy, Norway, Ireland, Romania, Scotland, Turkey, and Wales. All of the authentic stadiums are included along with the kits, presentation, crowds, banners, match ball, and trophy. The World Cup tournament can be played both offline and online and considerable tie-ins have been made with the card-collecting Ultimate Team mode.
This is a departure from the norm for publisher Electronic Arts, having in the past released standalone World Cup games every four years which have proven to be among their most popular sports titles. "2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa" in particular is not only fondly remembered as one of the best sports games of the Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 generation, but it even created a lot of new soccer gaming fans which in turn helped the "FIFA" series spike in growth to become the top selling video game in the world annually.
Having the World Cup content delivered digitally rather than as its own retail product reduces the opportunity to draw in new consumers but with over 10 million copies of "FIFA 18" sold the potential engagement is much higher than if it had been a separate game. That means more people have access to the World Cup content and the potential digital revenue generated through the game's big earner, Ultimate Team, is far greater for the company.
Bryan Wiedey posts sports gaming news and analysis daily at Pastapadre.com, is co-founder of the sports gaming site HitThePass.com, hosts the "Press Row Podcast" and can be reached on Twitter @Pastapadre.