Sure thing, here’s a more personal and random take on the article!
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So back in 1993—I can’t believe how long ago that was—EA and FIFA decided to buddy up and create a new soccer game for the Sega Genesis. They called it FIFA International Soccer. And it was like, boom! Out of nowhere, more than 500,000 copies sold in just the first four weeks. Kind of nuts, right? EA figured the game would do well since it had the FIFA name slapped on it, but I guess it went beyond even their wildest dreams. Who knew?
This game kicked off (pun intended, I guess?) something pretty massive—the FIFA video game series. And wow, did it crush the competition. Seriously, it became EA’s top dog in sports games, with over 325 million copies sold worldwide by 2021. But then, plot twist! In 2022, EA called it quits on using the FIFA name for their games. So now, the ‘FIFA’ series? Pretty much history. But maybe, just maybe, FIFA could find a new life in unexpected places, like with some game called Sloclap’s Rematch. Who saw that coming?
Let’s talk about Rematch for a second. It’s one of the few non-EA soccer games to make a splash. These days, it’s like a desert out there for soccer games on consoles. Sure, there’s some stuff from Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer, now called eFootball. But let’s be honest, its reputation hasn’t exactly been stellar lately. Rematch, from Sloclap—yep, the same folks behind those martial arts games Absolver and Sifu—comes out of left field… or maybe right field? It’s a 5v5 arcade-style game, all colorful and quirky. It popped up on June 2025 and bam, over a million copies in days. By June 25th, we’re talking 3 million players. Kind of crazy, huh?
A heads up though, it’s on Xbox Game Pass, so not everyone playing it actually bought it. Still, impressive numbers that make you think.
Thinking of collaborations, wouldn’t it be wild if Sloclap added some FIFA-branded stuff to Rematch? Not saying they should rebrand Rematch or anything—just some FIFA-flavored cosmetics here and there. They’ve done similar things before, like tossing in some Puma gear and a skin that looks like Marc-André ter Stegen. Some folks might roll their eyes at FIFA logos in Rematch, but I bet they’d sell. Back in the day, EA’s FIFA games were all the rage partly because of that branding. People love it! Add some FIFA touches, and who knows? Rematch could get even bigger. No new FIFA games on the horizon, but a Rematch collaboration? That might just be the next best thing.
Anyway, just tossing some thoughts around. Let’s see what happens!