Rematch, the latest title from Sifu studio Sloclap, has well and truly stolen the show this year when it comes to football games, but EA doesn't appear to be too worried about the competitor stealing its thunder when it comes to EA Sports FC.
Asked if Rematch might apply any "competitive pressure" as the EA Sports FC 26 release date approaches in EA's latest earnings conference call, EA CEO Andrew Wilson replies: "Like every great sports team, we love competition. We come to work every day to compete – that's been true for all of our games, especially our sports games, for the best part of 30 or 40 years."
Furthermore, he continues: "I think competition makes us better. We're always watching what the competition does. We're always evaluating where there are new needs being met for new players. We're always looking to work that into the offerings that we have for players."
When it comes to EA Sports FC, Wilson feels "very, very good about our competitive ability," as he points to "the magnitude of licenses that we have" as well as the modes and platforms on offer, locations in which the series is available, and "the business models" used. However, he adds: "We never rest on our laurels. We never sit back with arrogance and pretend we don't have to be thoughtful about what's going on in the marketplace and what new players might want out of the next football experience that they want to play."
Overall though, he believes "we have the greatest football creation team on the planet," and he's "encouraged not just by what they're building this year," but also "what they're building in years to come as we think about an upcoming World Cup and the many new social platform features that we've teased in past conversations."
Funnily enough, Rematch's creative director doesn't seem to see his own game as a major FIFA/EA Sports FC competitor, either, but that's because they're very different games in the first place. Speaking to GamesRadar+ recently, Pierre Tarno explained that Rematch is "seeing very solid retention," much of which is fueled by the fact that "players who enjoy the game don't have an alternative."
