Future FIFA Titles Will Not Come on Disks

Peter Moore, the president of the EA Sports division of publisher Electronic Arts, has said that his team has plans of making the crucial FIFA football simulation franchise less dependent on the yearly disk based launches, with a persistent online presence and other ways to engage fans.

Talking to MCV the game executive said that, “Personally I still think there'll be discs five years from now. But generally yes, of course, I think there will come a time when FIFA is less a disc that you wait for in late September/early October, and more something that we provide 365 days a year.”

He added, “We need to provide that persistent world, maybe sometimes powered by discs, maybe on social networks, or the cloud or whatever. That's the team's vision, that no matter where you are or what you're using, there's a FIFA experience to be had, it all links together, it lifts your level up and identifies your status.”

Moore also talked about payment options, suggesting that EA Sports might be prepared to have a majority of players not pay anything for the experience they get while others, who are interested in having more engagement will be ready to give the company money through a micro transaction system.

Apparently the first steps for FIFA in its road to eliminating its yearly disk based release can already be seen on Facebook in the form of FIFA Superstars, which will be expanded in the coming months.

What's interesting about the statements from Peter Moore is that they come after FIFA 11 has been hailed as being the fastest selling sports based video game and the most successful installment in the history of the franchise, suggesting that the disk based model is still very much alive and bringing in sales for the publishers.

It's likely that, for the foreseeable future, the disk versions and free to play game will coexist, offering different levels of gameplay and engagement.