The Annual FC Madness

How Repackaging the Same Game Every Year Is a Marketing Gold Mine!

Ah, FIFA — wait, sorry — FC, the game that needs no introduction, because it’s essentially the same game as last year. But hey, they’ve updated the squads, added a few more pixels, and, of course, slapped a fresh price tag on it!

Every autumn, like clockwork, millions of fans rush to get their hands on the latest instalment, and EA Sports laughs all the way to the bank. This isn’t just a video game strategy; it’s a marketing gold mine. And it’s brilliant, or is it?

Let’s take a quick trip down memory lane: EA Sports has been dropping “new” releases of FIFA/FC every year since the days when dial-up internet was still a thing. And despite the games being nearly identical to their predecessors, the price tag keeps going up faster than a winger running after a stray pass.

But who cares, right? It’s all about that shiny cover, the updated rosters, and the thrill of thinking “This is the year I’ll win the Champions League with Southampton FC.”

Note:

This article features content from the Marketing Made Clear podcast. You can listen along to this episode on Spotify:

Team Sheet Updates: Marketing Genius or Just Laziness?

In the world of annual releases, FC has mastered the art of recycling. How do you justify charging £50-100 for the same game? Easy. Just update the player rosters! It’s not a game; it’s a glorified database update in a fancy package.

Imagine selling a car every year with the same engine and design, but advertising it as brand new because you’ve installed the latest music in a playlist.

Genius, right? That’s FC in a nutshell.

But here’s where the marketing genius kicks in: scarcity and FOMO. If you don’t buy the new FC, you’ll be stuck playing with outdated rosters. Your star player will have transferred, leaving your squad looking like yesterday’s news. Or even better, if your team gets promoted, they will be stuck in the wrong league (take the Mighty Saints this season in the Premier). And if you want to play online – everyone will be playing the new game. Not buying the new version is social suicide in the gaming world. And EA knows it.

Price Increase: Because Why Not?

Let’s talk about the price. You’d think after 20+ years of essentially the same gameplay, they’d throw us a bone and maybe even reduce the price. But no. Like a marketing juggernaut, EA keeps inching the price higher with each release, as if we won’t notice. And guess what? We don’t! Because they’ve somehow convinced us that updated kits and slightly shinier grass textures are worth an extra £10.

What’s even crazier is the “Ultimate Edition” trend. For a little extra cash (just another £30 to £40), you can get your hands on some digital collectibles and early access. Early access! As if waiting an extra 72 hours would have been unbearable. That’s like paying extra to get into a nightclub 10 minutes before everyone else, but it works. We all want to be the first to experience that new loading screen.

The Marketing Formula: Keep It Predictable, Keep Them Hooked

The brilliance of the FC/FIFA lies in the predictability. It’s like clockwork: a teaser trailer in the summer, a full reveal in August, and release in September, every single year. By sticking to this formula, they’ve conditioned players to eagerly anticipate the launch. It’s the marketing equivalent of releasing pumpkin spice lattes every autumn, there’s nothing new about it, but everyone loses their mind over it anyway.

Plus, EA nails the community hype.

Social media buzzes with speculation, leaks, and countdowns. They even tap into influencers and pro gamers to show off the game as if it’s going to revolutionise the genre. Spoiler alert: it won’t. But fans still flock to it, wallets open, ready to experience what they think will be a game-changing update (it won’t be).

TANGENT WARNING: Why Career Mode Players Are Upset with FC/FIFA: A Case of Neglect and the Ultimate Team Cash Cow

If you’ve been keeping up with the annual release of FC/FIFA, you’ll notice a growing sentiment among certain gamers: frustration with the lack of meaningful improvements to Career Mode. Year after year, this beloved mode seems to get left behind in the shadow of its flashier sibling, Ultimate Team. But why does EA Sports continue to neglect Career Mode, even though it has a passionate following?

The answer is simple, and, for many players, frustrating: money.

Career Mode’s Stagnation: A Frustration for the “Older” Generation

Career Mode has long been a favourite for a particular subset of players, often the older generation of gamers (like me) who grew up with FIFA and love the more strategic, immersive experience of managing a club, developing talent, and playing through seasons. It’s the classic single-player, offline mode that allows you to take charge of your favourite team and guide them to glory over multiple seasons.

But if you’re one of those Career Mode loyalists, you’ve probably noticed that the game’s updates have been… underwhelming. Sure, there might be a new cutscene or minor feature tweak, but in comparison to Ultimate Team’s constant new content, flashy promos, and microtransaction-driven excitement, Career Mode feels like it’s stuck in the past.

Why? Simply put, Career Mode doesn’t make EA Sports any more money after the initial purchase of the game. You pay for the game, start your managerial career, and that’s that. EA can’t continue to monetise your experience in the same way they can with Ultimate Team, and that’s where the imbalance begins.

The Ultimate Team Juggernaut: EA’s Cash Cow

Ultimate Team (UT) is the polar opposite of Career Mode. It’s an online, fast-paced, card-collecting mode that allows players to build their dream teams with a variety of limited edition players, collectibles and all sorts of other gubbins. It’s basically merged the football sticker collection concept with the game and facilitated a massive online group of competitions. More importantly for EA Sports, it’s designed to encourage (and, let’s be honest, tempt) players into spending real money on card packs to improve their squads. From buying packs for a chance at getting star players to participating in limited-time promotions, Ultimate Team is a never-ending cycle of spending and upgrading.

Ultimate Team is the real cash cow here, and the numbers prove it. In 2020 alone, EA made over $1.5 billion from Ultimate Team modes across all their sports games. That’s billion with a “B.” For EA, it’s clear where their priorities lie: in a mode that keeps generating revenue long after players have bought the game.

Why Career Mode Doesn’t Get the Same Attention

With Ultimate Team raking in profits, Career Mode simply doesn’t have the same financial incentives for EA Sports. Improving Career Mode, adding depth, and innovating in a way that satisfies the hardcore fan base costs time and resources. But once those fans have bought the game, there’s no additional revenue stream coming from Career Mode players. They’ve made their purchase, and that’s it.

This contrasts with Ultimate Team, where new players, card packs, and promotional content keep players engaged and spending money throughout the year. From a business perspective, it makes sense for EA to prioritise the mode that continues to bring in cash long after release.

Usually in this kind of scenario, this would be the perfect market condition for a new entrant; some form of competitor to FC/FIFA for a better Career Mode experience… but the barriers to entry, like developing the gameplay, licensing the player, club and league names and everything else that EA Sports are able to pay top dollar for, makes this a non-starter.

A Generational Divide: Old-School Gamers vs. the New Age of Online Play

There’s also an undeniable generational aspect to this divide. Career Mode appeals more to the traditional, older FIFA fans who have been around since the early days. These players are typically more interested in building and managing a team over the long haul, rather than chasing the instant gratification of Ultimate Team. For them, the lack of attention to Career Mode feels like a slap in the face.

But the newer generation of gamers, who grew up with online gaming and microtransactions, are often more engaged with Ultimate Team. It offers quick hits of excitement, the thrill of the “pack opening,” and a constant stream of fresh content. This demographic is where the money is, and EA knows it.

Can Career Mode Ever Compete with Ultimate Team?

In a perfect world, EA Sports would give Career Mode the same love and care they give to Ultimate Team. They could add new managerial features, improve player development systems, introduce dynamic narratives, and bring in a host of new, immersive experiences to make each season feel unique.

But, unfortunately for Career Mode fans, the reality is that without the ability to monetise it, EA Sports likely views Career Mode as an afterthought. It’s not that they don’t care about Career Mode players, it’s just that from a business perspective, investing heavily in a mode that doesn’t drive revenue like Ultimate Team does isn’t a top priority.

It’s All About the Money

At the end of the day, the frustration among Career Mode fans comes down to one thing: EA Sports has chosen to focus on what brings in the most cash. Ultimate Team is the golden goose, generating billions in revenue thanks to its micro-transaction model, while Career Mode, with its more traditional, single-player focus, doesn’t offer those same financial rewards.

Career Mode fans may love the deeper, more strategic aspects of the game, but until EA finds a way to monetise that mode in the same way as Ultimate Team, it’s likely to remain on the back burner, much to the dismay of its loyal players. The game may evolve each year, but in the eyes of the hardcore Career Mode community, it seems like they’ll be stuck waiting for the meaningful improvements they truly want.

In Conclusion: Genius or Madness?

So, is FC’s annual release a stroke of marketing genius or pure madness?

The answer is both. EA Sports has taken the concept of incremental updates and turned it into a billion-dollar annual event. While the changes may be minimal, the marketing machine is anything but. They’ve built a loyal fanbase that is conditioned to accept (and pay for) small changes every year.

The real takeaway here? Sometimes, you don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Just slap a new sticker on it, charge a little more, and convince people they need the new one. FC may be a masterclass in “the same but different,” but it’s also a masterclass in how to turn minimal effort into maximum profit.

In other words, it’s the dream of every marketer: “How can I sell the same thing, year after year, and get away with it?”EA Sports knows the answer — and boy, do they milk it!