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FIFA '16 to add women's teams for the first time, Canada one of the 12 featured

Canadian captain Christine Sinclair and the rest of the women's national team will be featured in FIFA '16 this fall.

Being featured in a video game is a huge step for a sport, and that's even more significant when the game in question is in EA Sports' FIFA franchise, which accounts for millions of dollars in sales every year and is the world's top-selling sports game. Last year's FIFA '15 sold over 13.38 million units between its September release and January 31. EA Sports announced Thursday that women's soccer will be represented for the first time in the newest edition, FIFA '16, which is set to be released this September.  The game will feature 12 women's national teams, including the Canadian team. Canadian Soccer Association general secretary Peter Montopoli said in a release that this is a big moment for the team and for women's soccer in general.

"To have our Canadian Women’s National Team featured is a testament to the growth of the women’s game and the connection this team has created with our country and fans worldwide,” Montopoli said. "With the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015 less than 10 days away, fans will have a chance to experience the best of what women’s soccer has to offer before taking to the game and recreating it in their own living rooms!”

It's appropriate that Canada was one of the teams included, as the FIFA series is largely developed at EA Canada's studios in Burnaby, B.C., and Canadian players (along with some American players) visited the studio to contribute new motion-capture animations. Here's a photo of Canadian forward Jonelle Filigno participating in one of those motion-capture sessions:

Jonelle Filigno takes part in a motion-capture session for FIFA '16.
Jonelle Filigno takes part in a motion-capture session for FIFA '16.

And here's a look at some of the other Canadian players who took part in those motion-capture sessions, forward Adriana Leon, keeper Stephanie Labbé, defender Marie-Eve Nault and and keeper Erin McLeod:

Canadian players Adriana Leon, Stephanie Labbe, Marie-Eve Nault and Erin McLeod took part in motion-capture sessions for the new FIFA '16.
Canadian players Adriana Leon, Stephanie Labbe, Marie-Eve Nault and Erin McLeod took part in motion-capture sessions for the new FIFA '16.

Some of those motion-capture sessions involved full bodysuits for more accurate rendering of the players' movements, too, as can be seen from this photo of Americans Alex Morgan and Sydney Leroux:

Americans Alex Morgan and Sydney Leroux took part in the FIFA '16 motion-capture sessions.
Americans Alex Morgan and Sydney Leroux took part in the FIFA '16 motion-capture sessions.

 

It's terrific to see women's soccer featured in a game with the global popularity of the FIFA series, and this may turn out to be significant for the sport. Forbes' Kurt Badenhausen wrote last year that the FIFA game's success has played a huge role in soccer's rising popularity in the U.S.:

But one overlooked factor that has spurred interest in soccer among Americans is the incredible popularity of Electronic Arts’ FIFA video game, which is the best-selling sports video game in the world and has sold more than 100 million copies since it launched in 1993. Credit Suisse forecasts unit sales of 11.3 million worldwide of FIFA 15 for the 12 months ending in March 2015. Sales of FIFA 16 are expected to hit 12.1 million. The game is the biggest annual release for $3.6 billion-in-sales Electronic Arts.

Youth soccer has been popular in the U.S. for decades, but FIFA exposes kids to the international game. Total unit sales of the series in the U.S. topped five million over the past two years, according to market research firm NPD. It still trails Madden NFL and NBA 2K among sports games in North America, but it is closing the gap quickly. Unit sales jumped 35% between 2010 and 2012 in the U.S. when they reached 2.6 million.

Most kids have been exposed to professional football or basketball on TV before they ever play one of those sports’ video games. But FIFA creates soccer fans of the pro game. Gamers play FIFA and they begin to recognize the stars and identify the teams. They then seek out these players and clubs on TV or videos on the Internet. After watching a game, FIFA owners and their friends will go back to their Xbox to simulate what they just watched. ...

“FIFA is a way for people to learn about the sport on the international stage,” says NPD gaming analyst Liam Callahan.

A 2012 ESPN Sports Poll found that soccer was the second most popular sport for those ages 12-24. FIFA video games were cited as a driving factor for the sport’s popularity among the younger generation in the study.

Of course, women's soccer will only be a small part of FIFA '16, and many who buy the game may never even try playing with the women's national teams. Thus, don't expect women's soccer to be fully embraced by everyone who plays FIFA. Even if only a small fraction of FIFA purchasers become more interested in the women's game thanks to this change, though, the numbers of FIFA copies sold would still make this a huge step that could dramatically boost the popularity of women's soccer.

It's promising that EA did this right, too, including 12 of the top teams (Canada, the U.S., Germany, France, Sweden, England, Brazil,  Australia, Spain, China, Italy and Mexico) and getting numerous motion captures of top players (both at their Burnaby studio and with a mobile headscanning unit that went to top tournaments around the world); they've also made the women's teams available in a variety of modes, including quick match play, offline tournaments and online friendly games. That could be a big step forward for women's soccer, and Canada will be a substantial part of it.