Reus (video game)

Lore & Background

Reus was announced by Abbey Games in a blog post on their website on June 21, 2012. The studio was supported by the Dutch Game Garden, an EU funded studio incubation program. On January 14, 2013, Abbey Games released an in-game trailer on YouTube outlining the game and revealing gameplay. A second video on April 16, 2013, revealed a release day of May 16, 2013, one month later. The game is available on Steam, Desura, GOG.com, and GamersGate, and was also made available to purchasers of the Humble Indie Bundle X who spent more than the average price.

Reader's Guide

Reus received generally favorable reviews. GameSpot awarded the game an 8.0 out of 10, praising its complex challenges, flexibility, and freedom to determine success. IGN gave a lower score of 6.8 out of 10, criticizing repetitiveness and a needlessly complex system of synergies and transmutations, though the art style was praised. Destructoid gave a 9 out of 10, noting flaws but calling the game 'a delight to play at every turn' with a perfect balance of new content and not overloading players. The game's significance lies in its unique god-game mechanics where players indirectly influence human behavior—for example, providing too many resources can cause greed and war. A sequel, Reus 2, was released in 2024.

Did You Know?

• Reus is Dutch for 'giant'.
• The game was announced on June 21, 2012, via a blog post on Abbey Games' website.
• Reus was included in the Humble Indie Bundle X for purchasers who paid above the average price.
• The game's development was supported by the Dutch Game Garden, an EU funded incubation program.

From Arcade Roots to Licensed Dominance

When Electronic Arts decided to add a football title to its growing EA Sports label in the early 1990s, the market was already crowded. Games like Tehkan World Cup, Sensible Soccer, Kick Off, and Match Day had been competing since the late 1980s. EA's answer, FIFA International Soccer, launched on the Mega Drive in late 1993 and immediately set itself apart by securing the first official license from FIFA, the sport's global governing body. The early entries evolved rapidly. FIFA 95 introduced club-team play, while FIFA 96 marked a major leap: it obtained the FIFPro license for real player names and deployed EA's Virtual Stadium engine across PlayStation, PC, 32X, and Sega Saturn, placing 2D sprite players inside a real-time 3D stadium. FIFA 97 swapped sprites for polygonal models and added an indoor soccer mode. The franchise's first true showcase arrived with FIFA: Road to World Cup 98, which delivered significantly upgraded graphics, a full World Cup tournament complete with qualifying rounds and every national team, and noticeably refined gameplay mechanics. Months later, World Cup 98 became EA's first officially licensed tournament game, cementing the series' credibility in the football gaming space.

A Record-Breaking Commercial Machine

Few video game franchises have achieved the commercial scale of FIFA. By the year 2000, the series had already moved more than 16 million units worldwide, establishing itself as the top-selling association football game line. A decade later, in 2010, cumulative sales crossed the 100 million mark, earning it the distinction of the world's best-selling sports video game franchise and the most profitable title in EA Sports' catalog. The franchise's peak commercial moment came with FIFA 12, which sold over 3.2 million copies and generated more than $186 million at retail during its first week following the 27 September 2011 North American launch. EA Sports called it the most successful launch in its history, and Guinness World Records recognized it as the fastest-selling sports game ever. As of 2011, the games were localized into 18 languages and sold across 51 countries. By 2021, total sales had surpassed 325 million copies, placing the series among the sixth best-selling video game franchises of all time. In the early 2010s, year-on-year sales growth reached as high as 23 percent, underscoring the franchise's sustained momentum well beyond its initial success.

The Greatest Rivalry in Sports Gaming

Since the 1990s, the defining competitive tension in football gaming has been the clash between EA's FIFA and Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer, later rebranded as eFootball. Observers have described this as the greatest rivalry in the history of sports video games. The two franchises approached the genre from different philosophical angles. FIFA initially leaned toward an arcade-style feel, while PES emphasized faster-paced tactical play and a greater degree of emergent, unpredictable gameplay. During the 2000s, PES closed the gap and began rivaling FIFA in sales, forcing EA to take notice. Electronic Arts responded by incorporating gameplay elements inspired by its rival, a strategic shift that helped FIFA pull significantly ahead commercially by the early 2010s. The rivalry extended beyond gameplay into marketing and talent. In 2012, EA signed Lionel Messi to the FIFA franchise, effectively luring him away from PES, and immediately placed his likeness on the cover of FIFA Street. Despite the commercial divergence, both series maintained large and passionate followings throughout the competition.

The End of an Era and the FIFA Name Reborn

The thirty-year partnership between Electronic Arts and the FIFA organization came to a close on 10 May 2022, when it was announced that their licensing agreement would be terminated. FIFA 23, released worldwide on 27 September 2022 for platforms including PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, became the final entry carrying the FIFA name. EA immediately rebranded its ongoing football series as EA Sports FC, with EA Sports FC 24 serving as the first installment under the new identity. The rebrand also brought a fresh commentary team; Guy Mowbray and Sue Smith were introduced as a new duo in FC 24, alternating with Derek Rae and Stewart Robson. After a four-year hiatus from the FIFA brand, the name returned in 2026 through two separate projects: FIFA Heroes, developed and published by ENVER, and FIFA World Cup: Launch Edition, released on the Netflix platform. This split marked a significant departure from the single-franchise model that had defined the series for three decades, scattering the FIFA name across different developers and distribution channels.