World Club Champion Football
The first arcade game to blend trading cards with digital play.
It is the first arcade game to combine trading cards with a video game, establishing a new genre of arcade game. The game was mostly released in Japan and has never received a port.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Hitmaker; Sega
- Publisher
- Sega
- Genre
- Sports, DCCG
- Platforms
- Arcade
- Arcade system
- Sega NAOMI 2
- Lindbergh
- RingEdge
- Producer
- Hisao Oguchi
- Mie Kumagai
- Jun Tsuchiya
- Composer
- Takenobu Mitsuyoshi
- Junpei Mishiyama
- Takahiro Kai
- Mitsuhuru Fukuyama
- Chihiro Aoki
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
Players act as club team managers, building and leading a team to win titles during a contract. A starter pack is purchased containing 11 player cards and a club card. To begin, the club card is inserted into the machine followed by a coin. Players sign a manager contract, build a new team, and enter details such as the manager's name and date of birth, the team's hometown, kit, and badge. In the team management section, they practice, register new players, and communicate with team members to increase strengths and reduce weaknesses, or enter a match. During a match, players switch between defense and offense as appropriate. After the match, a player card is rewarded. Player cards display the current club logo, player picture and name, special skill, and individual or total parameters; the back shows the favourite position and card number. Cards are classified as rare, special, or regular. The club card functions as an IC card storing team growth, roster, results, manager results, prize money, annual income, and win/loss record. When a contract ends, a new club card must be purchased; inserting the old and new cards together transfers data.
Versions
The first game, SERIE A 2001-2002, was released in June 2002 on the NAOMI 2 arcade platform and is based on the Italian Serie A football league. SERIE A 2002-2003 followed in September 2003. European Clubs 2004-2005, released in August 2005, included four European teams from Spanish, Netherland, English, and Italian leagues and added nationwide online play via Sega's ALL.Net service. European Clubs 2005-2006, released in August 2006, added teams from Germany and France and was released throughout Europe. Intercontinental Clubs 2010-2011, released in November 2011, added other Asian teams. Intercontinental Clubs 2011-2012, released in November 2012, allowed up to ten teams to be saved on a single card and introduced WCCF.Net for checking team information and registered friends. 2012-2013, released in December 2013, added a single-player league mode. 2013-2014 was released in November 2013. 2015-2016 came in January 2016, 2016-2017 in January 2017 (adding manager training), and 2017-2018 in January 2018. WCCF Footista 2019, released in March 2019, featured a new stadium-simulating cabinet and switched to Unreal Engine 4. WCCF Footista 2020 was released in January 2020, and WCCF Footista 2021 in December 2020. The service ended in March 2022.
Development
Development took two and a half years, about twice the typical arcade game development time, with roughly 20 people on the team. The cabinet setup was unprecedented, allowing eight players simultaneously across nine monitors. Ten NAOMI arcade boards were connected to a PC acting as a server. The flat panel card reader surface was entirely developed by Sega's hardware department, along with deck reading mechanisms later used in The Key of Avalon; the flat panel was chosen over a deck reader for WCCF. The game used Serie A from Italy to promote alongside the 2002 World Cup, with plans to expand to Europe.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who developed World Club Champion Football?
World Club Champion Football was developed by Hitmaker and Sega.
Who composed the music for World Club Champion Football?
The music for World Club Champion Football was composed by Takenobu Mitsuyoshi, Junpei Mishiyama, Takahiro Kai, Mitsuhuru Fukuyama and Chihiro Aoki.
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