until two years ago, there was no way to play female characters in FIFA, the world’s most popular gaming franchise. But EA Sports changed that with the introduction of FIFA 16. That’s because, for the first time ever, the studio revealed its flagship game would feature women soccer players. It was a great move toward diversifying the game’s plot, albeit a risky one considering its core demographic: young men. That doesn’t mean FIFA players aren’t open-minded. But in an industry with a reputation for being misogynistic, EA Sports made itself vulnerable to potential backlash. It turns out the company needn’t have worried: FIFA 16 quickly became one of the best-selling titles of the year.
EA Sports’ push to put more women in its sports games didn’t begin with FIFA 16. Back in 2011, the company announced that its then-upcoming hockey game NHL 12 was getting its first female playable character. This decision came after 14-year-old Lexi Peters penned a letter to EA asking why there weren’t any girls in NHL, and why her brother could make a character that looked like him but she couldn’t. “It is unfair to women and girl hockey players around the world, many of them who play and enjoy your game,” Peters wrote. “I have created a character of myself, except I have to be represented by a male and that’s not fun.”
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Fast forward to today and EA Sports has taken these inclusion efforts to a new level. In addition to the past two editions of FIFA, as well as the soon-to-be-released FIFA 18, the developer’s next move is to bring WNBA teams to its basketball franchise. Starting with NBA Live 18, which launches on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in September, official WNBA rosters will be represented in the game. That means you’ll be able to play with athletes like Allisha Gray, Brittney Griner, Maya Moore and the 2017 WNBA Draft’s first pick, Kelsey Plum.
Source: Engadget
