Whisper and EA Sports Join Forces for FC 24 Esports Production

Key Highlights:

• Whisper production company has partnered with EA Sports to handle events for EA FC 24 esports
• Whisper will provide event staging, broadcast services, and production for FC Pro tournament play
• The deal covers the FC Pro Open online qualifiers, weekly FC Pro Open broadcasts, and eChampions League
• Whisper’s extensive production expertise will bring high-quality presentation to FC esports
• Separately, EA reported strong financial results buoyed by EA Sports FC 24’s sales success
• EA Sports FC 24 significantly outperformed expectations with over 14.5 million players in 4 weeks
• The FIFA license changeover did not negatively impact earnings, with profit up 4% year-over-year
• EA CEO attributes momentum to exciting updates tied to real-world sports matched by titles

Whisper Tapped to Produce EA Sports FC 24 Esports Broadcasts

EA Sports has selected renowned production company Whisper to handle event presentation and broadcasts for competitive EA FC 24 gaming tournaments.

The deal marks Whisper’s first major esports partnership. Their services will add high-quality production values to the Pro series of tournaments played exclusively on EA Sports FC 24.

Whisper will provide end-to-end event staging including set design, casting, live broadcasts, and post-production. Their expertise aims to elevate Electronic Arts nascent FC esports ecosystem.

Upcoming FC Pro events covered by the deal include online qualifier broadcasts starting November 10th and the eChampions League tournament in May 2024 featuring top European talent.

Emma Sheldon, Whisper’s Head of Production, says their goal is creating cohesive shows fusing gameplay and entertainment for core and casual fans.

EA Sports FC 24 Outperforms With Over 14 Million Players

In financial news, EA Sports FC 24 has exceeded expectations with a playerbase over 14.5 million in its first month. This surpasses recent FIFA instalment launches.

FIFA skeptics questioned whether the publishers ditching the brand name would negatively impact sales, but strong performance of this latest entry proves the series has its own selling power.

Consequently, the company reported a 4% increase in quarterly net revenue from July-September 2023 compared to previous years. Live services also saw a 1% bump over 2022 amid EA Sports FC 24’s success.

EA CEO Andrew Wilson credited FC 24 and Madden NFL 24 with driving momentum that should continue with recently released NHL 24 and UFC 5 before 2023 ends.

EA Sports FC 24’s Feature Set Fuels Momentum

While the football title benefits from polished on-pitch gameplay, several factors likely contribute to its early commercial achievements.

• Integration with the real-world men’s and women’s football landscapes through licenses, clubs, and players
• Deep career mode enhancements allowing players to live the pro journey
• FUT mode’s ever-evolving live content syncing with real-world football
• Cross-play expanding the connected player pool across console generations

Maintaining strong post-launch support through events and updates tied to real-world football will be key to sustaining engagement. But the change to the branding clearly has not hindered the juggernaut franchise so far.

EA Sports Diversifies Portfolio for Broad Appeal

Besides FC 24, Electronic Arts now boasts a varied slate of sports titles under its label spanning:

• Madden NFL football
• NHL hockey
• UFC mixed martial arts
• Formula 1 racing
• PGA Tour golf

The new WRC racing title will further expand the portfolio in 2024. This diversity combined with real-world licenses provides the EA Sports series massive reach across fan-bases.

Extending esports ecosystems for these titles also helps attract viewers and build online communities around each sport. The comprehensive Whisper production deal for Pro play solidifies infrastructure for the football game as an esport.

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With momentum carrying over from a successful 2023, EA Sports heads into 2024 well-positioned to dominate across sports gaming and esports through its broad appeal to diverse fanbases worldwide.

EA FC 24 is out now on PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch, and PC.