Ted Lasso, the titular character of a hit AppleTV+ comedy series, is getting the video game treatment.
What Happened: Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) is including the fictional AFC Richmond team from "Ted Lasso" in the 2023 version of its popular FIFA soccer video game series.
Coach Ted Lasso, played by actor Jason Sudeikis, will be featured in the game along with Assistant Coach Beard and various players on the team, including Jamie Tartt, Dani Rojas, Sam Obisanya, Roy Kent and Isaac McAdoo.
The game will also feature the home field of Nelson Road for AFC Richmond.
Players will be able to use Ted Lasso as their coach in the game’s career mode or manage the entire AFC Richmond game by swapping them into a career mode league.
AFC Richmond is playable in the game’s career mode and also other modes like kick-off, online friendlies and online seasons.
Why It’s Important: Sports video games have been among the top-selling video games each year as fans. Gamers often flock to get the latest version of the game with new players, new rankings and players on their new teams.
“FIFA 22” was the 12th bestselling video game in 2021, according to NPD Group. Electronic Arts also had the third and fifth bestselling video games in 2021 with “Madden NFL 22” and “Battlefield 2042” respectively.
In the most recent first-quarter earnings report, Electronic Arts reported revenue that came in ahead of estimates from analysts. The FIFA and F1 sports franchises were cited as having strong bookings in the first quarter.
FIFA Mobile had the highest net bookings quarter in company history and hit a record for daily active users in the first quarter.
A strong showing from “FIFA 23” could help Electronic Arts continue the momentum it has in the current fiscal year.
“FIFA 23” launches on Sept. 30, 2022 for consoles and PC.
Ted Lasso, one of the most nominated comedies for the Emmy Awards over the last two years, was first featured as a promotional effort for NBC Sports — a unit of Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSA).
The character made his debut in 2013 and was used to promote NBC Sports having media rights to English Premier League matches.
A script for the show was made and sold to AppleTV+ with season one premiering in August 2020.
A third, and potentially last, season of “Ted Lasso” is expected to be released in late 2022 or early 2023.
