If there’s one thing synonymous with the world’s premier footballing game, the soundtrack provides an exciting backdrop. Over the years, artists have featured their songs on a wide variety of legendary EA Sports releases, including NFL Madden, but certain songs on FIFA put you in a time machine and send you back to simpler days.
Unlike many games, FIFA is a dynasty that has grown from strength to strength, established market dominance, and continued to expand in the face of stiff competition. Over time, it has overtaken any competitor and now stands alone as the quintessential footballing game on the market. The music on FIFA is something that is used as an effective marketing tool to keep themselves at the top of their industry.
How FIFA Stays Ahead Compared to Other Industries
FIFA has had to take a gamble on different types of designs over the years. As a result, they’ve had to adapt and adjust their business model to stay ahead. They are using disruptive innovations in the gaming industry, such as online gaming, to their advantage.
This is precisely the strategy many other industries have started to use, such as the casino industry. By utilizing the latest technology and internet connectivity, casino companies have moved ahead of their rivals by introducing these innovations and identifying new ones, such as cryptocurrency gambling like Bitcoin blackjack. The two industries overlap in more ways than one, and eSports is another new sector of the gambling industry which is starting to see more success too.
However, many analysts believe cryptocurrency casinos are the latest revenue stream for these enormous companies – but both have benefitted from a partnership that allows them to collectively bring more publicity to eSports, gambling, and FIFA.
Our Top 5 Song Picks
Some of the songs on our list go back a long time. So maybe we’re showing our age and nostalgia bias with some selections, but we’re trying to be as fair as possible, and we appreciate music is subjective, too – so let’s dive in.
#5 – Moby – Bodyrock – FIFA 2001
As one of the defining musicians of the early 2000s, EA Sports having Moby as the central theme for their 2001 release was a fantastic advertising campaign. It allowed the game to gain more notoriety within gaming circles, and it allowed Moby to introduce himself to an audience that may not have otherwise listened to his ambient brand of electronic music.
Looking back on it now, FIFA has traveled a long way visually, and the gameplay has developed leaps and bounds. The promotional video that came with this video felt like the most significant footballing video game moment ever at the time – maybe it was. Still, I think the days of hearing Moby’s music at a FIFA game is a nostalgic memory of yesteryear and confined to the history books.
#4 – Kasabian – Fast Fuse – FIFA 09
Kasabian’s energetic, fuzzy, blurring guitar sound is a prominent feature of several FIFA games. At the same time, Fast Fuse was one of the more notable tracks from their well-received 2009 album West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum. It might not have had the same impact as Club Foot did on Pro Evolution Soccer 5, probably the most outstanding football gaming intro of all time – but it still holds a firm place in the overall list.
#3 – Robbie Williams – It’s Only Us – FIFA 2000
Arguably the most prominent solo artist in the world at the time, Robbie Williams allowing EA Sports to use his track was a massive scalp for the budding game design company. The primary condition of this agreement involved his dear Port Vale being included as a playable team.
It may not fall into the category of the most listened-to FIFA songs. Still, for Millennials, this evokes a wave of nostalgia when footballing games were becoming big news.
#2 – Foals – The Runner – FIFA 2020
Fast forward two decades, and another band that features heavily on the landmark footballing video game, Foals, brings a new wave of nostalgia for a Gen Z crowd and introduces themselves to an audience that may not otherwise go out of their way to listen to the Oxford-based band.
#1 – The Caesars – Jerk It Out – FIFA 2004
We’ve included many songs that defined their gaming eras and have stood the test of time. Some of the newer songs on FIFA haven’t cemented their legacies in the same way, not yet anyway. The greatest example of a song that has stood the test of time and immediately sends you back to the sports gaming world it emerged from is Jerk It Out by Caesars.
Although some more prominent bands and artists are featured in this list, you don’t solely associate their music with a specific game or advert. Regarding this classic by Caesars, you’re immediately transported back to a simpler time with cherished memories.