BOOM: FIFA 17 Was The Top-Selling Console Game in the World in 2016

During its third quarter earnings call yesterday, Electronic Arts announced that FIFA 17 was the top-selling console title in 2016 globally.

The football simulator topped the ranking for best-selling game in the world ahead of popular franchise Call of Duty, whose Infinite Warfare had the highest sales in the United States.

[caption id="attachment_518" align="alignnone" width="1024"]EA Sports FIFA 17 Trailer Image: EA Sports[/caption]

According to EA, FIFA’s fanbase had grown “significantly” thanks to the addition of a story mode The Journey, which was developed using the Frostbite engine – popularly known for powering the Battlefield franchise. The game mode alone was played by over 10 million users around the world.

“For the first time ever, we generated over $1 billion in operating cash flow in a quarter,” said EA chief financial officer Blake Jorgensen.

“This is a true testament to the innovation we built into Battlefield 1 and FIFA 17 and the continued strength of our digital live services.”

[caption id="attachment_1290" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Image: EA Sports[/caption]

During the call, EA also confirmed that FIFA 18 will see the continuation of The Journey, featuring new characters and storylines. The 2018 edition of the popular game is said to be “the most emotionally immersive and connected FIFA” EA has ever produced.

FIFA 17 is widely regarded as one of the best entries in the franchise, garnering to Metacritic score of 85. Besides the addition of game modes, the game included multiple improvements to its online services, with significantly smoother matches over the net.

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While you’re at it, watch us play a friendly match on FIFA 17 against THELIONCITYBOY while we find out more about his life and journey through his music career. 

7 Most Exciting Features in The All-New FIFA 17

EA Sports FIFA 17 Trailer

It’s that time of year again when non-gaming PlayStation owners enter a game shop for their annual purchase of FIFA 17.

Despite stiff competition from the Konami’s critically-acclaimed PES 2017 this year, FIFA 17 is poised to outsell its counterpart due to a combination of brand loyalty, outstanding marketing and added features to keep it fresh and exciting from the previous edition.

Here are the 7 top features that make FIFA 17 irresistible.

1) The Journey

One of the most hyped mode in FIFA 17, The Journey is an all-new “story mode” which sees players take on the role of Alex Hunter, an up and rising footballer, in his journey to soccer stardom.

Your journey begins at the youth academy of your Premier League club of choice. Players will make their way up their food chain through game time and interactions. It’s almost like an RPG within a footballing game, with decision-making mechanics such as responses to questions that will ultimately determine Alex’s temperament and relationship with the gaffer.

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2) Frostbite Engine

The impressive animations and cinematic scenes in The Journey is largely due to the incorporation of the Frostbite Engine, the powerhouse behind EA’s Battlefield series.

The engine adds depth that was missing in previous FIFA editions, particularly in the emotions and movement of the players and managers.

From a technical standpoint, Frostbite adds way more detail than previously possible, allowing more close-up shots of players.

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3) Low Driven Shots

Getting into the nitty-gritties of the gameplay, EA Sports is introducing the long-overdue low driven finish to the game. A low driven shot keeps the ball low with power when shooting.

The new feature is pretty natural to execute by double tapping the ‘shoot’ button. The power of the shot is determined by the first tap, so stronger shots will require players to hold the first tap longer and immediately tap again to pull it off.

4) Threaded Through Pass

Through passes in FIFA have often been a topic of controversy, with many players feeling that the move made it way to easy to score a goal in FIFA 14 and 15. FIFA 16 had nerfed the overpowered feature making it seem almost impossible to thread a pass through the defence, so thankfully EA listened and made some adjustments.

The ‘Threaded Through Pass’ feature now allows players to pass further into space, allowing quicker strikers to beat defenders in the process. The feature also allows for outside-foot passes and through balls in between defenders.

5) Pushback Tech

With the introduction of ‘Pushback Tech’, EA Sports have overhauled the physical battle within the game, adding more realism and dynamism to its gameplay.

This allows players to shield the ball from nearby opponents immediately when receiving the ball, allowing strikers to more effectively hold up the ball and act as target men.

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6) FUT Champions Mode

EA Sports struck gold with their FIFA Ultimate Team mode, keeping players engaged for a much longer term throughout the season than before. The developer has upped the ante by bringing in real-world activation to keep players motivated and engaged.

With FUT Champions mode, players can now compete for real-world prizes through a series of in-game Ultimate Team challenges. Players climb the ladder onto different leagues by winning tournaments in FUT and entering monthly leaderboards. Top players will have a chance to compete in real-life FIFA tournaments including the FIFA Ultimate Team Championship Series and the Interactive World Cup.

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7) Real Managers

While FIFA has included and improve on the accuracy of real-life players in game, team managers have always been neglected by the developer.

Well, not anymore. FIFA 17 are including real-life managers with somewhat accurate antics including the likes of Jurgen Klopp doing an over-the-top celebration. While the addition is mostly aesthetic, it adds towards the emotional element of the game, keeping players motivated to impress their managers just to see a big reaction from them in exciting moments of the game.

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FIFA 17: Best Moments From The Amazing New Trailer

EA Sports FIFA 17 Trailer

With FIFA 17 coming out in just over a month, EA Sports has been going full throttle on the game’s marketing, from unveiling features and recently dropping a brand new trailer.

While similar to trailers in the past, there’s something about this one that has my inner 7-year-old screaming for September 27 to arrive as soon as it can.

Perhaps its the addition of the Frostbite engine, known for powering the Battlefield games, which has added more lifelikeness to these idols we know and love.

Or maybe it’s the way iconic players and managers were behaving in-game, just as they do in real life.

In hope that it’s the latter, here are some of the highlights from the latest FIFA 17 trailer.

1) Pogba Dabbing

Who doesn’t love Pogba? His charisma shines through his style, personality and the plethora of adidas commercials he’s been involved in lately. This charisma is epitomised by his signature dab, clearly seen in moment’s flash early in the trailer.

2) Messi’s Hair

Messi's Hair - FIFA 17

Love it or hate it, Messi’s newly bleached hair is here to stay throughout your FIFA 17 career. While his resemblance looks slightly off in the trailer (he looks like the love child of Sergio Ramos and snowboarder Shaun White), there’s no mistaking Messi and his blonde mane. Still, could be worse… looking at you Brazilian Ronaldo.

3) Klopp’s Hop

If there’s any chance in hell that a Manchester United fan would ever consider going easy on Liverpool, it would be because of Klopp. The man reeks the kind of warmth that is only associated with a hot shower during winter, a Mother’s hug on a bad day or your favourite Beatles song.

4) Griezmann’s Hotline Bling

What a year it’s been for Antoine Griezmann. Despite the blow of losing in the EURO 2016 finals, finishing the tournament as top scorer is no easy feat. Two of those goals came against Germany where Griezmann showed off his dance moves, paying homage to Drake’s Hotline Bling.

5) Angry Vardy

Last season’s top scorer in the Premier League is a clinical finisher but is also known to have an outburst or two during games. Glad to see the fine folks at EA Sports didn’t let it slide.

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Watch the full trailer here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYjD78X1d9Q