Long Read: A History Of Football Video Games. Article 1/2

Fifa 21 was the 28th game in the video game series. Alongside the popular Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) series, it is the most popular football game.

The sequel to this article will look at other football games such as the iconic Sensible Soccer

(Watch: Man United v Man City on Fifa 2003. Video from Mr W0lfe on YouTube)

Both FIFA and PES have managed to last through the various console generations. 

What was the first football video game?

Despite the sport not being as popular in the United States, the first dedicated interpretation of football in video game form was actually based on the NASL (North American Soccer League) Soccer. 

What did people play before that?

Before Video Games were around, people recreated their favourite football moments with Subbuteo. 

This type of game has remained its popularity. This Manchester City fan recreated a famous Manchester Derby win for City using the game.

When was the first version of FIFA?

The first version of FIFA was called 'FIFA International Soccer' and released in 1993. The game only featured International teams and real names of players were not used. 

FIFA 95 was the first to feature club sides within eight national leagues. This video contains footage from Manchester United v Bayern Munich on Fifa 99. 

There was a definitely a famous game between the two sides during 1999...

When was the first version of PES? 

The first version of PES from Konami came out in November 2001. The PlayStation 2 version of the game received widespread praise from video game critics. 

The main difference between the two games has always been that Konami’s game has had significantly less licensed teams, but the game and its dedicated player base have traditionally tried to make it up for it with an in-depth editor mode. 

Do you remember Man Red and Man Blue?

The game is now branded as eFootball PES. Konami have started to place a big focus on the world of esports.