How Cyber Football Helped FIFA to Earn Over a Half of the Annual Budget

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The International Football Federation (FIFA) received $158.9 million in video game revenue for 2020. At the same time, the total annual revenue of the organization was $266.5 million. Thanks to football simulators, FIFA did not have to change the financial plan, despite the problems caused by the quarantine. This is reflected in the report for 2020.

According to the report, $158.9 million was raised primarily from the use of the FIFA brand by video games. The amount turned out to be more than what the organization planned to get from licensing – FIFA was counting only on $112 million. However, coronavirus and quarantine increased people’s interest in games. For example, sales and in-app purchases of EA Sports have grown. Ultimate Team mode brought developers $1.49 billion, which was a record. According to Sony, FIFA 2021 became the leader among PlayStation 5 games in Europe and the United States.

What Is Cyberfootball?

Cyber ​​football is an eSports discipline based on the popular game, in which competitions and tournaments are held. Most often, tournaments are played on the basis of FIFA, a product of Electronic Arts (EA), in which players control virtual football players, created according to the characteristics of real ones. Cyber ​​football is not a team sport, in which one player controls a virtual team of football players. Unlike the Casino Brend readers, the virtual team players always approach the match in optimal shape, do not lose motivation, and do not experience any psychological difficulties.

Virtual teams completely copy real ones. Artificial intelligence transfers all the basic skills of football players and brings them into the game. In reality, Cristiano Ronaldo has good dribbling and a strong shot. The same qualities will be inherited by his virtual copy. Some player indicators may be overestimated or underestimated to maintain balance in the game, but key metrics remain unchanged.

How Do Cyber Football Players Compete?

To determine the best cyber football players, regional and international tournaments are regularly held. Sometimes, the competition is held by Electronic Arts. To get into their tournaments, you need to go through an online selection, and the matches themselves are held in LAN format at e-sports arenas in different cities (for example, Amsterdam or Manchester). EA provides solid prize money for a win. For example, for winning the eChampions League – an analog of the Champions League – in 2019, the winner received $100,000.

In cyber football, as in regular one, contracts are signed with players. Many professional clubs have already signed full-fledged contracts with cyber football players who represent their brand at international competitions. Moreover, professional leagues (for example, the Premier League) hold cyber football tournaments, where each club must delegate its player. For winning them, players are awarded prizes and trophies. The clubs are actively covering these tournaments on their social networks and are making cyber football a full-fledged part of their personal brand.