FIFA 19 Quick Review: Awards and Reception

A look at the nominations and the awards FIFA 19 got and how the game was received by the press compared to the public.

The sun is setting on FIFA 19 only to make way for the next installment. The 2019 version has already been announced and it is available for pre-order. Before moving on, let’s take a look at how FIFA 19 fared.

In 2018, FIFA 19 scored the Game Critics Award and the Gamescom award for the Best Sports Game. It was nominated for the Golden Joystick Awards for Best Competitive Game, Game Awards 2018 for the Best Sports/Racing, and the Gamers’ Choice Awards for the Fan Favorite Sports/Racing Game.

In 2019, actor Adetomiwa Edun won the National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers Award for his performance as Alex Hunter in FIFA 19. He played the character in the 2017 and 2016 versions as well. Other than this award, the game was nominated multiple times but it didn’t score any more wins. It was nominated for the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain Awards for the Journey mode as the Best Writing in a Video Game. It was also a contender for the D.I.C.E. Sports Game of the Year Award.

Here are the Metacritic scores. FIFA 19 received 71/100 on Nintendo Switch, 81/100 on PC, 83/100 on PlayStation 4, and 83/100 on XBOX One. GameSpot gave it 7/10 and applauded the overall experience, modes, and licenses. However, when FIFA comes to pitch gameplay, PES 2019 seems to have fared better according to the GameSpot review. The IGN review was favorable as well, the game scored 8.2/10 with the conclusion that it’s an improvement over the previous edition. GameRant gave it a good review too saying that it’s must-have for football fans. In the UK, the game was the number one best selling software. However, the first week sales were 25% lower than of the previous installment.

Despite the fairly positive press reception, fans have something else to say about the 2018 installment. Many criticized the bugs and said that it’s the worst FIFA game ever. No matter, EA’s FIFA series is one of the most profitable franchises and we can not wait for the next game.

What kinds of new features will appear in FIFA 20? Could it be more subtle changes of FIFA coin system? Or more players? That leaves for imagination.