By Mark Baber
January 28 – FIFA has become the first gaming brand to top £1 billion in UK retail sales according to the latest figures from GFK Chart-Track.
FIFA 13, produced and marketing by EA Sports, was released in the UK in September 2012, and is also the highest grossing FIFA game in the franchise’s history, followed by its predecessor, FIFA 12, according to retail monitor GFK.
Over 1 million copies were sold in the first 24 hours in the UK. Globally, the game netted sales of over 4.5 million units in just five days and around 7.4 million copies in four weeks.
The £1 billion figure was reached through 40 FIFA games – with the two most recent releases accounting for just over £200 million.
Chart-Track doesn’t monitor premium downloadable content (DLC) sales, but it is estimated that FIFA achieved digital net revenue of more than $115 million in the first half of the fiscal year for the 2013 game, including FIFA Online 2 and FIFA World Class Soccer, which together contributed over $50 million.
Andrew Wilson, executive vice president of EA Sports said, “Every minute of every day millions of fans around the world are experiencing what the critics have already said – FIFA 13 is the biggest and best sports game we have ever created.”
FIFA 13 now includes 46 international teams, 30 football leagues and 69 stadia, including 26 real ones.
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