EA’s FIFA Games Might Be Over, But Rematch Could Fill the Gap

Alright, folks, picture this. It’s 1993 and EA teams up with FIFA to drop a soccer game on the Sega Genesis. FIFA International Soccer was born, and bam—it blew up, selling over half a million copies in just four weeks. Seriously, who would’ve thought? Well, maybe EA did. After all, it was the first video game with the FIFA brand slapped on it. High hopes and all that, but this game went above and beyond—like, breaking-records kind of success.

So, this game kicked off the FIFA video game saga, which pretty much stomped out its rivals. It’s insane, really. I mean, the FIFA series turned into EA’s crown jewel of sports games—like their golden goose. By 2021, they’d sold a staggering 325 million copies worldwide. But then, plot twist! In 2022, EA and FIFA called it quits. Yeah, the partnership’s over. EA decided to ditch the FIFA name for their new soccer titles, and just like that, the FIFA series is kind of history. Or is it?

Hold up—enter Sloclap’s Rematch. Never expected that, huh?

Rematch kind of took center stage in the realm of non-EA soccer games. It’s one of the few around that’s really making waves. Remember the Sega Genesis days? Those consoles have faded away, much like options for soccer games these days. Pfft, especially anything not from EA. Sure, there’s Pro Evolution Soccer—and its new face, eFootball—but let’s face it, not everyone’s clapping over it. But Rematch? Now that’s a different story.

Sloclap, those folks known for Absolver and Sifu, surprised us with this colorful, third-person, 5v5 arcadey game. Pure chaos and it works. In just a smidge of time, it’s wooed soccer fans en masse, selling a million-plus copies in days—crazy, right? By June 25, 2025, they hit three million players. Zooming past expectations faster than… well, faster than I can comprehend.

And some are binging it on Xbox Game Pass, but I digress.

Imagine this: Sloclap buddies up with FIFA for some in-game flavor. Not saying Rematch should slap a FIFA label on itself, but how about some FIFA-themed gear? Sloclap’s already dabbling in collaborations, tossing in Puma sets and a skin that mirrors real-life goalie Marc-André ter Stegen. It’s a no-brainer.

Sure, some might roll their eyes at forking over cash for a FIFA-logoed Rematch cosmetic, but come on, it’d sell like hotcakes. FIFA’s name had weight, was pretty much synonymous with soccer in many places. The synergy of FIFA in Rematch could push it even further up the popularity ladder. Collaboration? Not perfect, but it’s that close-next-thing until FIFA games strike back, whenever that might be.

And, oh, Rematch isn’t just riding the coattail; it’s carving a path, and Sloclap’s at the wheel, hands on the throttle—or maybe whatever they call that in game dev. Anyway, that’s about it. Keep an eye on Rematch; it’s rolling out tournaments soon. Like, seriously, skip a blink and you might miss it.