How many people play Madden 23

Fifa 23 was released in September 2022 and has made history as the last collaboration between EA and Fifa. Aiming to close out the series with a bang, EA introduced their all-new HyperMotion 2 technology to give the game the most hyper-realistic visuals and animations, bringing new features, promos and mechanics for players to sink their teeth into. So, how have players responded? Join us here at Gamelevate as we run you through Fifa 23’s player count to see whether or not the Fifa franchise is being signed off as a success.

How Many Players Does Fifa 23 Have?

With this being the last entry to the Fifa series before it is rebranded as ‘EA Sports FC’, the build-up to Fifa 23 had a considerable amount of hype behind it. Coupled with the coverage around the new technologies in play this year, and the Men and Women’s World Cups being hosted in 2022, the game enjoyed a solid launch.

10.3 million players downloaded the game in the first week alone, beating the record set by Fifa 22. The PS5 has become the preferred console for Fifa players, with 41% of sales coming for the system, 30% going to the PS4, 17% to Xbox One and 6% to Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch.

Speaking about the strong sales out the gate, EA Sports FC SVP and GM Nick Wlodyka claimed:

“The response from our fans has been nothing short of incredible, and we’re thrilled that our community is playing with their favourite players and teams across FIFA 23 in record numbers.”

According to SteamCharts, Fifa 23 has been averaging 32,000 players at a time, with a peak player count of 64,033 through Steam alone. The game is currently in the top ten highest-selling games on Steam and is followed by over 66,000 players on the system.

There have been about 1.7 billion matches played on the game so far.

The performance of Fifa 23 on Twitch has also been impressive so far. To date, the game’s 24-hour peak viewership is just short of 65,000, with an all-time peak record of 487,472.

The Best In The Business

In 2021, it was reported the Fifa series had sold over 325 million units, making it the most successful video game sports franchise in the world. And whilst the likes of Madden and NBA 2K continue to be well-supported by EA, their sales of 130 and 118 million units put them firmly in Fifa’s shadow.

Based on the strong commercial performance of Fifa 23, don’t be surprised if that gap only continues to widen in the coming months.

But, what about the series’ chief rival? For years, Konami were the only serious challenger to Fifa with their Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) series, selling over 111 million units during its lifetime. Following their eFootball rebranding in 2021, Konami moved to a free-to-play model, though safe to say the reception has been less than warm since this move.

Is Fifa 23 Any Good?

Fifa 23 certainly talked a good game prior to launch, but has it delivered on the sweeping changes it promised?

In short, no. In a slightly longer answer, sort of.

One match in the game will certainly leave a veteran fan of the series feeling that something has changed, though it’s certainly not enough for them to feel like they’re in a completely revamped series. The player animations do feel a bit smoother, and EA have undoubtedly created a game that feels slower and one in which gradual build-up is prioritised over the sweaty tactics of old.

However, the biggest shakeups that made a difference were the introductions of different pace types, which have already begun to be nerfed after backlash from the player base.

What do you make of Fifa 23 overall? Let us know your thoughts, and keep up to date with all the latest goings on from the Fifa world at Gamelevate!

The summer game drought has ended with the traditional August release of Madden NFL, and 23 sure looks like EA Sports’ magic number. Madden NFL 23 debuted as the top-selling game in August in the U.S. for the 23rd consecutive year, reported The NPD Group in its monthly sales report today, proving that the juggernaut remains, well, a juggernaut.

Madden NFL 23 came out Aug. 19 for PlayStation and Xbox consoles and PC. It’s already the fifth best-selling game of the year, edging out MLB: The Show at No. 6 and trailing PlayStation exclusive Horizon: Forbidden West at No. 4. This means that Madden is already the best-selling sports game of the year, though EA does have FIFA 23 on the menu this fall.

No other game in NPD’s tracking has achieved Madden’s 23-year top-selling debut streak. Of course, few series have as many year entries as Madden does (it did debut in 1988, after all). Madden also benefits from releasing before the fall’s blockbuster games, like Call of Duty or God of War.

August sales numbers

NPD reports that video game consumer spend is down 5% year-over-year at $4.1 billion, but it is a bit better than August 2020’s $4.07 billion during the height of the pandemic in the U.S. Year-to-date, U.S. consumer spend is $34.6 billion, which is 9% lower year-over-year but 3% higher than the pandemic-year number of $33.5 billion in 2020.

The pandemic year numbers are important, as video game spending surged in 2020 and 2021. So while some observers have worried 2022 would be a disappointing sales year, thanks to the double-whammy of people turning to other entertainment options as pandemic precautions ease and a year without as many blockbuster hits (thanks to pandemic delays).

For August, MultiVersus remained in the top 10 at No. 5 thanks to the sales of Founders Editions. It debuted in the top spot in July, an unheard of achievement for free-to-play games. MLB: The Show 22 dropped from No. 6 to No. 9 for August, as some sports gamers move on to Madden and the NFL.

Gran Turismo 7 benefited from a Sony promotion, bumping a racing series long known for stunning visuals from 31st to 17th on the August best-selling chart.

For hardware, console sales grew 14% year-over-year thanks to a larger supply of PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S consoles, experiencing double-digit growth from the year before. The PlayStation 5 was the best-selling console in terms of both units sold and dollar sales. For the year, sales are down 4% at $2.9 billion compared to 2021, but an increased supply of PS5s could boost 2022 numbers of 2021 by December.

Madden NFL 23's debut makes it one of the best-selling games of 2023. The NPD Group

Mobile numbers drop again

Mobile gaming is experiencing a double-whammy of its own, as inflation and easing of pandemic conditions result in another double-digit decline, dropping 10% year-over-year, according to mobile research firm Sensor Tower (which tracks mobile for The NPD Group). This also comes after changes to privacy procedures have also hurt in-game sales. As in previous months, the decline is hurting Google Play sales more than the App Store.

“It's difficult to tell just from the overall figures what factor is having the greatest impact. I would say that all these challenges are having an effect on the industry, from the cost-of-living crisis and inflation to IDFA changes, the latter really impacting user acquisition, one of the key foundations a lot of the industry has been built upon,” said Craig Chapple, a mobile insights analyst at Sensor Tower.

Chapple said that the declines started in earnest in Q1 2022, “particularly on Google Play, it suggests that cost of living is one of the key factors driving the lack of growth.” But he also points out that 2022 conditions just can’t compare to those of 2020-21 and the pandemic. If you look at numbers from before the pandemic, things do not look as dire.

“The market is also being compared to outsized gains made during the pandemic and lockdowns, and with social restrictions now lifted, the market is struggling to match that benchmark. Compared to August 2020, player spending is down by 4.5%, while compared to August 2019, revenue has increased by 31%.”

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