February 4 – EA Sports, developer of sports-sim games FC25 and College Football 25, is making a major move to enhance its football gaming realism by acquiring TRACAB Technologies – a leader in optical tracking and real-time data analysis.
The deal will see EA integrate TRACAB’s cutting-edge AI and machine-learning tech, further bridging the gap between virtual football and the real thing after a rude awakening in its financial reports last week.
EA shocked investors by downgrading its fiscal year 2025 forecast from projected mid-single-digit growth in live-service net bookings – a vital metric for the company’s health – to an unexpected decline of the same magnitude. That announcement sent EA’s stock plummeting nearly 17% on Thursday, marking its worst single-day fall since 2008. Friday brought more gloom with an additional dip of 1.7%, leaving shares at $116.56.
The culprit? Underwhelming performance from EA Sports FC 25, the second instalment of its post-FIFA football franchise. While initial reviews last September were favourable, gamers quickly discovered performance issues, prompting EA to release “the most significant mid-season gameplay overhaul in the company’s history” just last week. Wedbush analysts noted the sudden downturn “suggests the company was caught off guard by the shortfall and isn’t certain how to address it.”
Well, now they have. With TRACAB’s expertise in-player tracking and match analysis, EA Sports aims to refine in-game animations and movement, ensuring its football titles mirror the dynamics of elite competition “like never before”.
Beyond gaming, TRACAB is also expected to play a role in EA’s broader ambitions for the EA Sports App, which is being positioned as the ultimate interactive sports platform.
The acquisition is set to be finalised in EA’s first fiscal quarter of FY26.
“Data is at the centre of every meaningful advancement in the world of sports today, and as EA SPORTS leads the future of interactive sports experience through the use of more and more real-world data, TRACAB will bring more best-in-class capture and data technologies directly into our portfolio,” says Cam Weber, President of EA SPORTS.
“As we continue to evolve our EA SPORTS experiences into living, breathing simulations of sport, we expect TRACAB’s cutting-edge technology and expertise in live-event data combined with our game engine to also accelerate groundbreaking new features in the EA SPORTS App.”
Martin Brogren, GM of TRACAB Technologies, adds: “Joining EA SPORTS marks an exciting new chapter for TRACAB Technologies. Our mission has always been to push the boundaries of sports data and analysis, and with EA SPORTS’ vast resources and vision for innovation, we’re confident that we can create even more immersive and dynamic experiences for sports fans around the world.”
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