This article explores an interesting chapter in sports video game history, looking at a time when a console manufacturer almost entered a fiercely competitive market with a major football license.
Electronic Arts' series of football games, now continuing under a new brand name, has long been celebrated as one of the best-selling and most recognizable franchises in the industry. Over the years, several competitors attempted to capture a share of the market, yet many of these challengers eventually disappeared due to less engaging gameplay, subpar graphics, or the absence of authentic teams, venues, and player rosters.
An industry veteran from a prominent gaming console company, who served in a leadership role during the mid-1990s to 2000, recounted that the company was exceedingly close to securing a license from the top international football organization. Ultimately, the team decided against pursuing the license in order to maintain a reliable relationship with an established third party.
Instead, the company opted for an endorsement from an official football ratings body. This arrangement allowed their well-known football series titles to feature a selection of real athletes and stadiums, even though they did not have the full licensing rights of the leading football organization.
This narrative leaves us with a thought-provoking question: Could the decision to forgo the major license have altered the course of sports video game history?