FIFA, now known as EA Sports FC, is the best-selling sports video game series of all time. The game became famous for curating a diverse range of music and grew into an unexpected platform for emerging artists. This is how FIFA introduced indie music to sports fans.
The history behind FIFA
FIFA, now known as EA Sports FC, has been released annually since 1993. It is the world’s best-selling sports video game series ever. The first editions featured solely original instrumentals as background tracks. In 1998, FIFA introduced its first licensed soundtrack. The first licensed soundtrack featured the iconic “Song 2” by Blur.
Steve Schnur, president of music for Electronic Arts (the company behind the game), described “flying around like a madman, looking everywhere for the next great thing” in the early stages of the soundtrack development. But over the years, the tables have turned. Today, many artists and labels come to them and want to be featured in the game. Therefore, Schnur and his team mostly spend the time on listening to thousands of songs.
A platform for emerging artists
Over the years, the series has helpted introduce many emerging artists to a wider audience. Sam Fender, Jungle and Two Door Cinema Club all reached new listeners through the game’s global audience. Many artists have shared their gratitude towards FIFA over the years. In 2018 Sam Fender posted the following tweet while being featured with the song “Play god”
How FIFA introduced indie music to sports fans
For a large portion of FIFA’s player base the game became a gateway into alternative music. Genres and artists that might never have reached this audience through traditional channels suddenly did. Spanish bachata, belgian pop and grunge are just a few examples of the genres featured. It seems like an unexpected crossover at first, but has been shown to work perfectly.
It is the ideal crossover because the music demands nothing from the listener. The songs play passively in the background, removing the pressure to immediately enjoy or understand them. Over time, the songs start to feel familiar and become connected to memories of the game itself. For many players, FIFA became more than just a football game. It became the first place they heard their new favourite artists.
How FIFA chooses their songs
In an interview with the football magazine Goal, Schnur describes the detail to perfection in choosing the soundtrack. “This isn’t a random effort, … we’re not in the 11th hour going, “let’s just go find 20 or 30 songs”. We put a year into choosing the music.” Schnur continues while addressing the idea that they prefer artists from certain countries, “we go through thousands of bands. We never say, we need six bands from the UK and five from somewhere else. We assume everybody wants to embrace music from a global football culture”.
Schnur continues “we have always focused on people aged 12 to 24, because it is that time that music is so impactful to you … during this time, the music you listen to defines you”. Schnur talks about the close work together with colleague Cybele Pattus, who is music supervisor at EA, stating “Cybele and I wanted to always define the tone of what sport could sound like to the next generation”.
Conclusion
FIFA, now known as EA FC, has transformed the way sports fans listen to music, far beyond its traditional World Cup anthems. By showcasing emerging artists, Electronic Arts has helped many famous music acts get their breakthrough. The process behind choosing tracks is carefully planned and involves listening to thousands of artists from around the world.
Example of famous FIFA songs:
Blur – “Song 2” / FIFA 98
MGMT – “Kids” / FIFA 09
Two Door Cinema Club – “I Can Talk” / FIFA 11
The Naked and Famous – “Punching in a Dream” / FIFA 12
Jungle – “Busy Earnin’” / FIFA 15
Sam Fender – “Play God” / FIFA 19