EA CEO Reacts To Rematch's Big Launch And Avoiding Arrogance With Its FC Series

A new soccer game hit the market this year with Sloclap's Rematch, and EA CEO Andrew Wilson welcomes new competition in the market. Wilson said during EA's latest earnings call that, "We love competition" after being asked if EA sees any "competitive pressure" with its FC series.

To be sure, Rematch and EA's FC series are not exactly true competitors given the size and scale of EA's franchise. But Rematch is nonetheless a new player in the soccer market that EA is paying attention to.

"We come to work every day to compete--that's been true for all of our games, especially our sports games, for the best part of 30 or 40 years," Wilson said, as reported by GamesRadar. "I think competition makes us better. We're always watching what the competition does. We're always evaluating where there are new needs being met for new players. We're always looking to work that into the offerings that we have for players."

Rematch is an arcade-style soccer game that doesn't feature real-life players or leagues. Wilson said "the magnitude of licenses" for EA's FC series helps set the franchise apart.

That being said, Wilson said EA won't "rest on our laurels" and will try to find new ways to win fans and keep them. "We never sit back with arrogance and pretend we don't have to be thoughtful about what's going on in the marketplace and what new players might want out of the next football experience that they want to play," he said.

Rematch launched in June on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S, and it reached 5 million players after a month. The next EA Sports FC game, meanwhile, launches in September.