EA Sports Unveils Social Media Service Around Soccer Video Game

EA Sports this afternoon at the E3 Expo in L.A. unveiled a new social media-focused online service called the EA Sports Football Club that will act in concert with the gaming publisher's forthcoming soccer title, "FIFA 12." Designed as something of a new social network, the Football Club (easportsfootball.com) will seek to forge a much greater link between video game play and real-world soccer events. For example, Arsenal fans watching a real-world match against Manchester United will be prompted the following morning to replay the match in the video game realm against supporters of Manchester United.

Fans will be able to earn experiential points for everything they do in and around "FIFA 12," with various accomplishments also sharable through Facebook and other external platforms. The EA Sports Football Club will launch in the fall, along with the release of "FIFA 12" itself, and will be free to users at the outset as EA Sports gauges user traffic and develops a business model around it.