Football governing body FIFA has announced licenses for a list of games themed around this years controversial World Cup in Qatar, which kicks off this month.
The move follows its break-up with long-standing FIFA game maker EA Sports – and after promises it would now use its name license elsewhere.
The list includes blockchain-based metaverse game Uplandme, for which it is launching “FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 in the Upland Metaverse”. Here, players will be able to collect “official FIFA World Cup digital assets, including legendary video highlights of the tournament” and purchase FIFA items for their Upland home.
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Next up is Phygtl, for which is FIFA is launching “FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 on Phygtl”. This will let users collectively “augment a golden-globe-football” and “own a limited fragment of it to attach and eternalise their handpicked FIFA World Cup pictures and video moments”. FIFA promises this will be a “digital representation of eternal fandom”.
Matchday Challenge: FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Edition is a “social prediction game based on football cards” where you can play against your friends.
Finally, theres “Altered State Machine – AI League: FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Edition”. This lets you watch 4-on-4 AI-controlled football matches and have “input at fun and tactical moments”. You can also collect and trade characters.
All of these projects have been “designed with Web 3.0 and the future of digital engagement in mind”, FIFA said today in a press releae.
“This is a hugely exciting group of partnerships that weve entered into as we embrace a new, digitally-native football fan and engage with them in the spaces that we know they are already active within,” FIFA chief business officer Romy Gai said.
“As we continue to build our gaming strategy long into future, its certain that web 3.0 will have an important role to play, and this marks the start of our journey.”
FIFA appeared to downplay the importance of EAs hugely-successful FIFA football game series back in May when it was announced the games publisher had ditched its long-running deal to rebrand as EA Sports FC.
Indeed, FIFA president Gianni Infantino insisted “the only authentic, real game that has the FIFA name will be the best one available for gamers and football fans.
“The FIFA name is the only global, original title,” Infantino continued. “FIFA 23, FIFA 24, FIFA 25 and FIFA 26, and so on – the constant is the FIFA name and it will remain forever and remain THE BEST.”