EA Sports Crashes Into the Real World to Debut First Game in the Post-FIFA Era

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After splitting from FIFA, publisher EA Sports’ new soccer game is here.

EA Sports FC 24—the latest video game in the series previously branded under soccer’s global governing body—went on sale today. Accompanying the launch is a high octane campaign that brings the game’s drama into the real world.

Created by Wieden+Kennedy Portland, “Football Is Yours” showcases EA Sports’ new brand identity. Like that branding, the ad centers on the triangle, a shape that is ubiquitous throughout soccer.

The multichannel media company aims to capitalize on surging American interest in the sport.

The spot opens in a living room where two siblings are playing an FC 24 game between UEFA Champions League contenders Manchester City and Real Madrid. On their screen, a video game version of Brazilian star Vinicius Junior controls the ball, then passes it to a real-world version of Real Madrid player Jude Bellingham.

From there, the action spans city streets, backyards and suburban corners, before circling back to the original living room. Back in the game, the ball lands at the feet of Manchester City’s Erling Haaland. (EA Sports notes that “no 8-year-old goalies were harmed during the creation of this commercial.”)

Nick Ball directed the film through production company Twentyfour Seven. It will run globally on TV and social media, alongside out-of-home advertising.

A new chapter

For EA Sports, ending its three-decade licensing deal with FIFA last year presented a significant marketing challenge.

Though EA has more than 300 licensed partners, its name has been less familiar to soccer fans, while FIFA is synonymous with the sport.

In April, EA unveiled its new brand identity and logo, created by London-based agency Uncommon Creative Studio. The branding revolves around the triangle, the most common pattern in soccer.

Since then the publisher has been busy marketing its new identity, including hosting an FC Clubhouse in Amsterdam that featured five-foot-tall installation of the logo.

Earlier this year, David Jackson, vp of brand at EA Sports FC, told Adweek that the brand’s goal was to step out of FIFA’s shadow by evolving from “a video game product powered by global soccer to a global soccer platform powered by multiple video games.”

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EA Sports Crashes Into the Real World to Debut First Game in the Post-FIFA Era

A new chapter

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