FIFA FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...

has licensed

FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...

video games Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device to gener ...

since 1986, of which only a few were received positively by the critics, but given the popularity of the competition, they all did positively on the market, and the license is one of the most sought-after. Originally in the hands of

U.S. Gold U.S. Gold Limited was a British video game publisher based in Witton, Birmingham, England. The company was founded in 1984 by Anne and Geoff Brown in parallel to their distributor firm, CentreSoft, both of which became part of Woodward Brown Ho ...

Electronic Arts Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry and promoted the d ...

acquired it in 1997 and is the current holder.

''World Cup Carnival'' (Mexico '86)

''World Cup Carnival'', was released by

, for the

Commodore 64 The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 7–10, 1982, in Las Vegas). It has been listed in the Guinness ...

, the

ZX Spectrum The ZX Spectrum () is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit home computer that was developed by Sinclair Research. It was released in the United Kingdom on 23 April 1982, and became Britain's best-selling microcomputer. Referred to during development as t ...

and the

Amstrad CPC The Amstrad CPC (short for ''Colour Personal Computer'') is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Sin ...

. While the license was acquired with time to spare, internal problems plagued the project's development. As Mexico '86 was coming closer, U.S. Gold decided to acquire the rights of an older game, ''World Cup Football'' by Artic, re-fit it with the properly licensed items, and market it as a new title. However, this late effort was received with cynicism from all in the video game industry: gamers, retailers and reviewers alike.

''World Cup Soccer: Italia '90''

Virgin Mastertronic Virgin Interactive Entertainment (later renamed Avalon Interactive) was the video game publishing division of British conglomerate the Virgin Group. It developed and published games for major platforms and employed developers, including Westwoo ...

released the official home computer game of the 1990 World Cup. It was released on

Amiga Amiga is a family of personal computers introduced by Commodore in 1985. The original model is one of a number of mid-1980s computers with 16- or 32-bit processors, 256 KB or more of RAM, mouse-based GUIs, and significantly improved graphi ...

Atari ST The Atari ST is a line of personal computers from Atari Corporation and the successor to the Atari 8-bit family. The initial model, the Atari 520ST, had limited release in April–June 1985 and was widely available in July. It was the first pers ...

DOS DOS is shorthand for the MS-DOS and IBM PC DOS family of operating systems. DOS may also refer to: Computing * Data over signalling (DoS), multiplexing data onto a signalling channel * Denial-of-service attack (DoS), an attack on a communicatio ...

and

. Like the 1986 game, this was actually a reworked existing game ('' World Trophy Soccer''). The game is presented in a

bird's-eye view A bird's-eye view is an elevated view of an object or location from a very steep viewing angle, creating a perspective as if the observer were a bird in flight looking downwards. Bird's-eye views can be an aerial photograph, but also a draw ...

but when the player gets near the goal, it switches to a 3D view of the penalty area and the player must try to score before a defender arrives on screen. The player can only choose to play as England, Belgium, Italy or Spain. The teams do not have the correct coloured strips and the tournament is not the same as the actual World Cup. Virgin also released official console games in Europe as ''

World Cup Italia '90 ''World Cup Italia '90'' is a football video game by Sega for Mega Drive in 1990 and Master System in 1991. The Mega Drive version is the European release of ''World Championship Soccer''. The Master System version was released in Brazil as ''Su ...

'' for the

Sega Mega Drive The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master Syst ...

and

Master System The is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console manufactured by Sega. It was originally a remodeled export version of the Sega Mark III, the third iteration of the SG-1000 series of consoles, which was released in Japan in 1985 and ...

consoles. The Mega Drive version is a port of ''

World Championship Soccer ''World Championship Soccer'' (ワールドカップサッカー) is a soccer game running on Sega's Mega-Tech arcade cabinet system and was released as one of the first games for the Sega Genesis system in North America in September 1989. Th ...

''. The Master System version was another game, also released as ''Super Futebol II'' in Brazil. A number of unofficial games were also released including '' Italy 1990'' by previous license holders U.S. Gold.

''World Cup USA '94''

This game from U.S. Gold was ported to most active platforms of the day: DOS, Amiga,

Mega Drive The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master System. Sega released it in 1988 in Japan a ...

Genesis Genesis may refer to: Bible * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...

Sega CD The Sega CD, released as the in most regions outside North America and Brazil, is a CD-ROM accessory for the Sega Genesis produced by Sega as part of the fourth generation of video game consoles. It was released on December 12, 1991, in Japan, ...

SNES The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in Euro ...

and handhelds

Game Boy The is an 8-bit fourth generation handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on April 21, 1989, in North America later the same year, and in Europe in late 1990. It was designed by the same ...

and

Game Gear The is an 8-bit fourth generation handheld game console released by Sega on October 6, 1990, in Japan, in April 1991 throughout North America and Europe, and during 1992 in Australia. The Game Gear primarily competed with Nintendo's Game Boy, ...

. The Sega CD version included a CD soundtrack including two songs by the

Scorpions Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the order Scorpiones. They have eight legs, and are easily recognized by a pair of grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back and always end ...

and FMV views of 3D renders of the stadiums used in the competition.

''World Cup 98'' (France)

For the first time in a football game, accurate national team kits were introduced complete with kit manufacturer logos and official merchandise. The game built on the previously released '' FIFA: Road to World Cup 98'' engine, although it features some minor gameplay improvements such as in-game strategy changes and more tactically accurate player positioning. As in the ''FIFA series'', ''World Cup 98'' features a song in the menu: "

Tubthumping "Tubthumping" is a song released by British rock band Chumbawamba from their eighth studio album, ''Tubthumper'' (1997). It is the band's most successful single, peaking at number two on the UK Singles Chart. It topped the charts in Australia, ...

", by

Chumbawamba Chumbawamba () were a British rock band formed in 1982 and disbanded in 2012. They are best known for their 1997 single "Tubthumping", which was nominated for Best British Single at the 1998 Brit Awards. Other singles include "Amnesia", " Enou ...

. The game also features voice-overs by

Des Lynam Desmond Michael Lynam, (born 17 September 1942) is an Irish-born television and radio presenter. In a broadcasting career spanning more than forty years, he has hosted television coverage of many of the world's major sporting events, presentin ...

and

Gary Lineker Gary Winston Lineker (; born 30 November 1960) is an English former professional footballer and current sports broadcaster. He is regarded as having been one of the greatest English strikers. His media career began with the BBC, where he has p ...

in the team schedules. The World Cup classic mode is also an interesting feature, with classic black and white sepia-toned graphics and commentary by

Kenneth Wolstenholme Kenneth Wolstenholme, DFC & Bar (17 July 1920 – 25 March 2002) was an English football commentator for BBC television in the 1950s and 1960s. He is best remembered for his commentary during the 1966 FIFA World Cup Final; in the closing min ...

creating the feeling of watching an old World Cup game. The playable teams also included several nations that did not qualify for the finals, but were considered too important to exclude. It was released for

Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...

PlayStation is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a divisi ...

Nintendo 64 The (N64) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo. The successor to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, it was released on June 23, 1996, in Japan, on September 29, 1996, in North America, and on March 1, 1997, in Europe and Au ...

and

''Jikkyou World Soccer: World Cup France 98''

In Japan,

Konami , is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company, video game and entertainment company headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo, it also produces and distributes trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, pachinko machin ...

was granted the FIFA World Cup licence to produce the

video game '' Jikkyou World Soccer: World Cup France 98''. It was developed by Konami's Osaka based team, KCEO, and was only released in Japan. This was released in the rest of the world as ''International Superstar Soccer '98'', without the official FIFA World Cup licence, branding or real player names.

''World Soccer Jikkyou Winning Eleven 3: World Cup France '98''

In Japan,

was granted the FIFA World Cup licence to produce the

video game '' World Soccer Jikkyou Winning Eleven 3: World Cup France '98''. It was developed by Konami's Tokyo based team,

KCET KCET (channel 28) is a secondary PBS member television station in Los Angeles, California, United States. It is owned by the Public Media Group of Southern California alongside the market's primary PBS member, Huntington Beach–licensed KOCE-TV ...

, and was only released in Japan. This was released in the rest of the world as ''International Superstar Soccer Pro '98'', without the official FIFA World Cup licence, branding or real player names.

''World Cup '98 France: Road to Win''

In Japan,

Sega is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its international branches, Sega of America and Sega Europe, are headquartered in Irvine, California and London, r ...

was granted the FIFA World Cup licence to produce the

Saturn Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second-largest in the Solar System, after Jupiter. It is a gas giant with an average radius of about nine and a half times that of Earth. It has only one-eighth the average density of Earth; h ...

video game ''World Cup '98 France: Road to Win''.

''2002 FIFA World Cup'' (Korea/Japan)

An amalgamation between the game engines of

FIFA Football 2002 ''FIFA Football 2002'', commonly known as ''FIFA 2002'' and known in North America as ''FIFA Soccer 2002: Major League Soccer'', is a football simulation video game released in 2001, produced by Electronic Arts and released by EA Sports. FIFA 200 ...

and

FIFA Football 2003 ''FIFA Football 2003'', known as ''FIFA Soccer 2003'' in North America, and simply ''FIFA 2003'' is a football simulation video game produced by Electronic Arts and released by EA Sports. It was released in 2002. ''FIFA 2003'' is the tenth game ...

, the game still incorporates the power bar for shots and crosses but with a steeper

learning curve A learning curve is a graphical representation of the relationship between how Skill, proficient people are at a task and the amount of experience they have. Proficiency (measured on the vertical axis) usually increases with increased experience ...

and higher chances of being penalized by the match

referee A referee is an official, in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The official tasked with this job may be known by a variety of other titl ...

. The national team kits are accurate along with player likeness and the stadia of the

2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial Association football, football world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams organized by ...

. Unlike the previous games in the FIFA series, the game had an original soundtrack performed by the

Vancouver Symphony Orchestra The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (VSO) is a Canadian orchestra based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The VSO performs at the Orpheum, which has been the orchestra's permanent home since 1977. With an annual operating budget of $16 million, it is ...

. It was released for

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...

Nintendo GameCube The is a home video game console developed and released by Nintendo in Japan on September 14, 2001, in North America on November 18, 2001, and in PAL territories in 2002. It is the successor to the Nintendo 64 (1996), and predecessor of the Wii ...

, and

Xbox Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by the na ...

. The game was a launch title for

in Europe.

''2006 FIFA World Cup'' (Germany)

Created by EA Sports and was released during the last two weeks of April 2006. This game features not only the World Cup finals themselves, but the six regional qualification rounds. There are 127 national teams. You can also create a player and put in your favorite team. There are minor improvements in the game play over FIFA 06. The Global Challenge Mode includes 40 challenges based upon classic matches of the World Cup or qualification matches. Penalty Shoot-Out mode offers a more realistic experience.

''2010 FIFA World Cup'' (South Africa)

The included teams were confirmed by Electronic Arts on 17 February 2010. The game contains 199 of the 204 national teams that took part in the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification process. Electronic Arts stated that they have included every team that FIFA have permitted them to use, with some others not being allowed for "various reasons". The five teams that were in the draw for World Cup qualifying but are not included in the game are African teams Central African Republic, Eritrea, and São Tomé and Príncipe, and Asian teams Bhutan and Guam. All five withdrew from the qualifying stage before it began. Additionally, the game does not feature Brunei, Laos, Papua New Guinea, and the Philippines who did not participate in World Cup qualifying. The game includes all 10 venues used at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, as well as stadiums from each qualifying region and a range of "generic" stadiums.

''2014 FIFA World Cup'' (Brazil)

The game contains all of the 203 national teams that took part in the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification process. The national teams of Bhutan, Brunei, Guam, Mauritania and South Sudan, all of which did not participate in World Cup qualifying, and Mauritius, that withdrew before playing any match, are not featured in the game. The game includes all 12 venues used at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, as well as stadiums from each qualifying region and a range of "generic" stadiums. There's also an EA-licensed

collectible card game A collectible card game (CCG), also called a trading card game (TCG) among other names, is a type of card game that mixes strategy game, strategic deck building elements with features of trading cards, introduced with ''Magic: The Gathering'' in ...

for Android and

iOS iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also includes ...

: ''2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil World-class Soccer''. The game is released in Japan and mainland China only.

''FIFA 18'' DLC (Russia)

On 30 April 2018, EA announced a free

expansion Expansion may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''L'Expansion'', a French monthly business magazine * ''Expansion'' (album), by American jazz pianist Dave Burrell, released in 2004 * ''Expansions'' (McCoy Tyner album), 1970 * ''Expansio ...

for ''

FIFA 18 ''FIFA 18'' is a football simulation video game developed and published by Electronic Arts and released worldwide on 29 September 2017 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. It is the 25th ...

'' based on the

2018 FIFA World Cup The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national Association football, football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awa ...

, featuring all 32 participating teams (and the ones already featured in FIFA 18) and all 12 stadiums used at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. There is no regional qualifying rounds that lead up to the World Cup to be feature on this DLC like there was for the previous three World Cup games. This update was released on 29 May on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows and Nintendo Switch, with an update to mobile devices later, on 6 June. Coins transfer over from the actual Ultimate Team game and there is no transfer market, meaning all players have to be obtained from packs.

''FIFA 23'' DLC (Qatar)

FIFA 23 ''FIFA 23'' is a football video game published by Electronic Arts. It is the 30th installment in the ''FIFA'' series that is developed by EA Sports, and the final installment under the ''FIFA'' banner, and released worldwide on 30 September 2022 ...

'' features both men's and women's World Cup game modes, replicating the

2022 FIFA World Cup The 2022 FIFA World Cup is an international association football, football tournament contested by the men's national teams of FIFA's member associations. The 22nd FIFA World Cup is taking place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022 ...

and the

2023 FIFA Women's World Cup The 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup is scheduled to be the ninth edition of the FIFA Women's World Cup competition, the quadrennial international women's football championship contested by the women's national association football teams organised ...

. Once again this expansion does not feature a World Cup qualification mode that leads to the actual World Cup itself and only offers the tournament with the participating teams just like the previous 2018 DLC edition. Unlike the previous World Cup games, this mode doesn't include all tournament stadiums, as it includes only two out of eight stadiums.

References

External links

MobyGames MobyGames is a commercial website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes nearly 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms. The site is supported by banner ads and a small ...

links for: *
Italy 1990
' (US Gold)
World Cup Italia 90
' (Sega) *
World Cup USA '94
' *
World Cup 98
' *
2002 FIFA World Cup
' {{DEFAULTSORT:Fifa World Cup Video Games Electronic Arts franchises

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

''World Cup Carnival'' (Mexico '86)

''World Cup Soccer: Italia '90''

''World Cup USA '94''

''World Cup 98'' (France)

''Jikkyou World Soccer: World Cup France 98''

''World Soccer Jikkyou Winning Eleven 3: World Cup France '98''

''World Cup '98 France: Road to Win''

''2002 FIFA World Cup'' (Korea/Japan)

''2006 FIFA World Cup'' (Germany)

''2010 FIFA World Cup'' (South Africa)

''2014 FIFA World Cup'' (Brazil)

''FIFA 18'' DLC (Russia)

''FIFA 23'' DLC (Qatar)

See also

References

External links