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

Oh man, the early 90s. 1993 to be exact. So, EA and FIFA team up and bam, they drop this game called FIFA International Soccer for the good ol’ Sega Genesis. And guess what? It sells like hotcakes—more than 500k copies in four weeks. Crazy, right? EA kinda knew it’d be a hit ’cause, well, it’s the first game ever to flaunt the FIFA badge, but it blew their expectations out of the water.

Fast forward, and, wow, the FIFA games turn out to be EA’s golden goose. Seriously, like, over 325 million copies worldwide by 2021. But here’s the twist: in 2022, EA says, “No more FIFA license for us.” Poof, partnership gone. Sure, EA keeps kicking out soccer games, just under a new banner. The old FIFA games, though? Pretty much history. But FIFA’s name might pop up in another way—hello, Sloclap’s Rematch! Who knew?

Okay, so Rematch? It’s, like, one of those standout games not made by EA that’s actually making waves right now. It’s funny because back in the day, we had loads of soccer games, but lately? Slim pickings. Konami’s got its PES thing going, even rebranded as eFootball, but the fans? Not exactly thrilled, let’s say. Then there’s Rematch, the dark horse, outta nowhere by Sloclap. Remember Absolver and Sifu? Yeah, those guys.

This game isn’t like their usual kung fu fare. Nope, it’s a snazzy 5v5 arcade-style romp with a splash of vibrant art, seen from a third-person view. Barely out, and bam—over a million copies gone like that, and 3 million players by June 2025. Wild, huh? And yeah, it’s on Xbox Game Pass, so not everyone’s buying, but still.

Now, picture Sloclap diving into a FIFA collab. Could they do it? Never say never. You won’t see Rematch suddenly morph into a FIFA game, but tossing in some FIFA-blinged-out skins or whatever? Totally could work. I mean, they’ve already dropped Puma gear and a Marc-André ter Stegen skin, so why not?

People might grumble about paying for a FIFA-logo-ed Rematch swag, but who knows? Could sell like crazy. Remember, the EA FIFA games? Part of their magic was that big, bold FIFA logo. It’s like, soccer and FIFA just fit, especially in Europe. So maybe, just maybe, a FIFA tie-in could boost Rematch’s mojo. No full-blown FIFA games on the horizon, so a Rematch collab? Could very well be the next best thing.