10 Mind-Blowing Facts About The Making Of FIFA

4. John Motson Revolutionised How EA Recorded Commentary

In 1997, legendary football commentator John Motson was signed up by EA Sports to deliver some contextual phrasing to FIFA 97. Alongside Andy Gray, he would provide commentary for matches. Meanwhile, Des Lynam would act as a presenter of sorts, introducing games to players. This was a bold new step, only becoming possible due to the enhanced power of consoles such as the Playstation. Initially, Motson was handed scripted lines by EA that were to be crudely recorded and sent off for inclusion in the game. As the years rolled on however, the veteran announcer decided to pitch his own ideas that might work. One of those was to actually have he and a co-commentator talk whilst matches played out in front of them. In Motson's mind, this would give the commentary a better feel. That's exactly what started happening, and is still pretty much the way Martin Tyler and Alan Smith do things today for the modern titles. Over time, commentary has started to feel more natural, but there's a chance things might not have changed for the better had Motson not offered his advice in the 90's.