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Microsoft can easily become the market leader in Europe by buying EA/the FIFA IP.

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Homura

Homura

▲ Legend ▲
Member
Aug 20, 2019
6,112
One thing many people don't realize is that Europe loves sports games. FIFA is often the best selling game every year:
www.videogameschronicle.com

FIFA 20 was Europe’s best-selling boxed game in 2019 | VGC

EA’s football series tops the rankings for the third year running…
www.videogameschronicle.com www.videogameschronicle.com
twinfinite.net

FIFA 19 Was Europe's Best-Selling Video Game in 2018

FIFA 19 outsold every other title across Europe in 2018, with Red Dead Redemption 2 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 trailing behind. This report from GfK
twinfinite.net twinfinite.net
Most gamers in Europe therefore mainly buy new consoles for the new "casual" games like GTA, Fifa, COD...
If Microsoft (Sony doesn't have enough money) buys Electronic Arts or just the FIFA IP they can easily become the market leader in Europe.
 
vestan

vestan

#REFANTAZIO SWEEP
Member
Dec 28, 2017
24,673
I've been thinking this to myself too. It'll never happen because of contracts and licensing but if Microsoft managed to make FIFA exclusive to their ecosystem then it'd honestly be a wrap for Europe and the Middle East. Back in the seventh gen, the FIFA games were very closely aligned with the 360 here in the UK.

Even with the free online on PS3, none of my mates bothered because everyone was on the 360. A move like this would give people a reason to look at picking up a Series S at the minimum.
 
Jonnax

Jonnax

Member
Oct 26, 2017
4,930
And why would FIFA allow Microsoft to only release on Xbox?

They would lose their licence if they tried it.
 
TP-DK

TP-DK

Member
Oct 28, 2017
2,052
Denmark
Im pretty sure they would still be required to release it on all platforms, so it wouldnt really change much if anything.
 
BoxManLocke

BoxManLocke

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,158
France
Um yeah... they could also buy every IP in existence and become masters of the universe, but it's still not a very interesting thing to discuss
 
Plinkerton

Plinkerton

Member
Nov 4, 2017
6,061
1. That would be obscenely expensive. Like probably multiple times Bethesda.

2. I think its extremely unlikely that FIFA would allow their licence to be restricted to any one platform, let alone one with the smallest market share.

EDIT: EA's market cap is apparently $38 billion, so there's your answer.
 

Deleted member 49611

Nov 14, 2018
5,052
no chance would MS be able to make FIFA exclusive to xbox. it's not up to EA but FIFA.
 
Redcrayon

Redcrayon

Patient hunter
On Break
Oct 27, 2017
12,713
UK
Having the top-selling game doesn't automatically make you the market leader, especially your plan is to gain a popular multiplat license and then sell it on less platforms. If they did gain the license, they'd likely have to put it everywhere anyway due to contractual obligations with FIFA. FIFA doesn't care about platform wars. They just want all the money, they don't care about MS market dominance if they miss out on PS sales.
 
Cornbread78

Cornbread78

Member
Oct 25, 2017
9,850
Northeast USA
They can buy the FIFA IP from EA, the CoD IP from Acti, GoW from Sony, Mario from Ninty and fucking booom.




I mean, MS can buy whatever they want really....
 
Belthazar90

Belthazar90

Banned
Jun 3, 2019
4,316
You do know that EA doesn't own the FIFA IP for games, right? Any new arrangement that would change distribution of the games on multiple platforms would most likely void the licensing contract and even result in a hefty fine.
 

Deleted member 5189

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
347
Fifa got released on Ouya and Wii U.

They kinda have to release atleast a shitty version on almost every platform.

Quick, everyone release their own console and we make EA bancrupt, by releasing a shit ton of shitty Fifa games.
 

t26

Avenger
Oct 27, 2017
4,567
They just need to buy EA, 2K, and Activation and they would become the market leader in the entire world.
 

Legend J 858

Member
Oct 25, 2018
577
tenor.gif
 
DarkVaber32

DarkVaber32

Member
Nov 15, 2018
1,202
Idk why you want people to have less choice. A lot of people play those kind of games on PlayStation, the same games exist on Xbox. They could create their own football IP and make it exclusive, like Horizon, that makes people actually consider getting into the Xbox ecosystem. Potentially buying up another third party publisher and trying to force the huge playerbase of it to switch to Xbox? Nah, a lot of people will be pissed.
 
Night Hunter

Night Hunter

Member
Dec 5, 2017
2,802
What's with the "most gamers in Europe only play GTA, FIFA and COD" take?

Maybe I misread the implication, but newsflash, most gamers everywhere only play a few big franchises a year, not only us filthy europeans.
 
Alien Bob

Alien Bob

Member
Nov 25, 2017
2,478
Why think so small? Imagine how many video game consoles they could sell if they just bought the European Union outright?
 

Deleted member 49611

Nov 14, 2018
5,052
if MS bought EA they'd still need to pay FIFA for the license and they'd still need to release the games on Playstation/PC/Switch/mobile.
 
Redcrayon

Redcrayon

Patient hunter
On Break
Oct 27, 2017
12,713
UK
The framing of the OP here isn't going to lead to productive discussion, the license agreement for FIFA is renegotiated between EA and FIFA every few years. It isn't for sale, buying EA would not acquire it long-term, and the terms of the agreement are almost certainly contractual multiplat development to FIFA's benefit (see: poor quality rebranded ports on some platforms), not just whatever the license holder feels would be best for them.
www.google.co.uk

EA & FIFA - Licensing Agreement Extended Until 2022

The partnership between EA SPORTS and FIFA has been extended until 2022.
www.google.co.uk www.google.co.uk
 
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