EA SPORTS FC 24 is a new start after the FIFA split. However, the developer refrains from being present at gamescom 2023. What could be the reasons for the renunciation of this audience?
Former gamescom regular EA will not have a stand at the trade fair in Cologne in 2023 either – it will be the fourth year in a row. While the absence of the video game giant at the digital editions in 2020 and 2021 could still be explained by Corona and the general changeover, these approaches have now been dropped. At the same time, public attention is especially important at the moment. With EA SPORTS FC 24, the first in-house football simulation of the post-FIFA era will be released at the end of September.
The developer is obviously aware of its task to communicate this change. eSport 2023 has already been invited to three promotional events. Most recently, EA SPORTS spent a considerable amount of money to have more than 100 media representatives and content creators travel to Amsterdam for the Reveal event. The PR machinery is running at full speed – but gamescom is not a step in the plan.
gamescom probably no longer profitable for EA
This year, the publisher did not even officially announce in advance that it would not be represented in Cologne. The public was not informed, had to think their part after longer and longer missing confirmation. EA SPORTS seems to want to reach the current FIFA and planned future FC 24 players in another way. According to the forecast, gamescom 2023 will be “the biggest, most international and most diverse gamescom ever”.
Felix Falk – managing director of the German Games Industry Association (Verband der deutschen Games-Branche e.V.) – ventured this outlook to eSport on Thursday. According to him, gamescom is “alive and well” as “never before”. It should be noted, however, that EA SPORTS would probably not forego Cologne if its participation were profitable in its internal calculations. It can be assumed that the cancellations of the past years had little or no negative impact on sales figures.
The view into the future is therefore sobering for fans of gamescom and EA titles. A return of the developer to Cologne in the near future is unlikely. Incidentally, EA is not alone in this approach: Sony, 2K Games and THQ Nordic will also stay away from the trade fair in 2023. Only time will tell whether a general trend away from AAA providers and towards smaller studios will emerge. One or two gamers will have been disappointed.