FIFA unveils its "Digital Football" initiative, aiming to create a gaming ecosystem with contributions from various publishers and developers
FIFA, the global authority on football, has introduced a new initiative titled Digital Football. This marks a strategic pivot towards collaborating with several developers and publishers after the organization ended its nearly three-decade-long collaboration with EA in 2022.
In this context, FIFA unveiled a new title, FIFA World Cup Launch Edition, which is being created by the new publisher and developer, Delphi Interactive. This game, promising an immersive FIFA World Cup simulation, will enable players to craft their own stories and will be released on Netflix during the summer.
The initiative represents a cohesive brand for various deals that FIFA has secured across the gaming sector since parting ways with EA. This endeavor, termed the "Digital Football Ecosystem," includes:
- The upcoming Netflix-exclusive game by Delphi Interactive, set for release this year
- A free-to-play mobile arcade experience titled FIFA Heroes, produced by EMBER studio
- The mobile game FIFA Rivals, launched in 2025 by Mythical Games
- Rebranding GameFam's Roblox game Super League Soccer to FIFA Super Soccer
- Addition of official FIFA events to Football Manager by Sports Interactive
- A collaboration with Konami’s eFootball for official FIFAe esports tournaments
- A partnership with Epic's Rocket League for the FIFAe competition
FIFA explains that this ecosystem categorizes games into four distinct genres: football action simulation (FIFA World Cup Launch Edition), football action non-simulation (FIFA Heroes), non-action simulation (Football Manager), and non-action non-simulation (FIFA Rivals). The organization aims to engage approximately 1.8 billion avid fans of the sport through this suite of offerings.
GamesIndustry.biz has learned that FIFA is actively pursuing additional agreements with various developers and publishers, aspiring to deliver a unified football gaming experience for every type of player around the world. While the announcement highlights collaboration with gaming creators, specifics remain undisclosed.