1. Developers Hid From EA Management To Stop FIFA Being Cancelled
The very first FIFA title wasn't one that Electronic Arts thought would be a big success for the company. When it was released at the tail end of 1993, it shocked everyone by becoming one of the biggest-selling games of the entire year, even outselling the official FIFA World Cup 1994 game produced by U.S Gold. Throughout the development process, it became clear to the small core team working on the game that top level management were considering canning it altogether. In fact, FIFA International Soccer was considered for cancellation more than once, but somehow escaped each time. One of the main reasons for this was that developers decided to duck and dive, hiding from management in the hope that they would forget. Nowadays, FIFA is one of EA's biggest franchises, but things weren't always that way. Imagine FIFA International Soccer had been cancelled, one of gaming's longest running institutions would probably not be around as people know it today. There would likely be football games, but would they even come close to the success that FIFA has experienced? Probably not. What other startling facts about FIFA's development do you know? What do you make of the ones listed here? Let your voice be heard down in the comments section below!
