EA FC 24 is reportedly set to become the biggest ever launch of the series despite mixed reviews

The overall reception for EA FC 24 might have been mixed thus far, but it has had almost no impact on the game's growth and development. If EA's reports during the recent investors' meeting are believed, it has already surpassed the publishers' expectations. Moreover, the recent launch has managed to surpass the success of FIFA 23, which was the most significant release during this time last year.

The financials of EA FC 24 look very robust, and almost 15 million players have helped in the first month since launch. Moreover, FC Mobile has enabled EA Sports to expand further, ensuring massive success after rebranding the FIFA series to EA Sports FC. While there have been many criticisms regarding certain aspects of the video game, the financials and player count give a different image altogether.

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EA FC 24 has reaped the benefits of the league licenses

Losing the FIFA license could have had significant repercussions for EA Sports, as it meant that they could no longer use the brand with any of their product. However, it's a known fact that the greatest strength of EA Sports' football video game series has always been the league licenses. This seems to be the case, as all major leagues and their licensed clubs have allowed EA FC 24 to grow even more.

According to CEO Stuart Canfield, EA Sports has witnessed significant growth, pushed by both console and mobile versions.

"Net bookings [for the global football business] grew 41% year-over-year, driven by continued momentum of FIFA 23, including triple digit mobile net bookings growth, and strong demand for the release of EA Sports FC 24. Within the first four weeks after worldwide launch, over 14.5 million fans have played FC 24 on console and premium PC, including double-digit growth in new players. FC Mobile has established new franchise records, with over two million people installing the game on the first day, over five million in the first three days, and over 11 million in the first ten days."

To put some context, FIFA 23, the last entry with the "FIFA" brand in its name, had received 10 million players during the same time. While the mobile version is separate from the console version regarding accessibility and gameplay, it's undoubtedly earning plenty of revenue for the company.

As things stand, EA doesn't expect to witness any change in trends or future growth, even though it has created a new brand. What's undoubtedly attractive is that there has been plenty of negative criticism from the community over some of the steps taken by the publishers thus far.

Gameplay has always been a hot topic for discussion, and it continues to remain so. However, some recent decisions, like offering a TIFO for playing 90 Division Rivals games, haven't gone well with the community.

Similarly, the pack weight of EA FC 24 has been terrible, as players have hardly found anything significant. Unlike previous games, getting promo items appears to be a lot harder to achieve this time around. While there's no concrete proof, many players have routinely expressed the same frustration.

Unfortunately, this hasn't stopped the developers from releasing costlier packs in the EA FC 24 store that directly promote microtransactions. Once again, the much-criticized practices of EA Sports seem to be winning. It remains to be seen if these moves by the developers ultimately act as EA Sports chopping down their foot.