EA storms Brazil: FIFA World and the Origin digital-distribution service hit Latin America's No. 1 market

Electronic Arts plans to launch its EA Sports FIFA World online game in Brazil, along with its Origin digital-distribution service. EA will do so in partnership with São Paulo-based UOL BoaCompra, a game-focused portal and payments company.

Brazil is a fast-growing market with billions of dollars at stake, according to market researcher Newzoo. It ranks about No. 11 in the world in revenues, and the nation has an estimated 48.8 million gamers. About 61 percent of them spend money on games. The digital-games portion of the market is expected to total $1.5 billion in 2014, according to SuperData Research.

UOL BoaCompra will offer a local payment solution for games available on Origin and EA Sports FIFA World in Brazil. That’s important as most Brazilians don’t use credit cards to pay for online goods.

The Brazilian payments company will also market EA Sports FIFA World through Brazil’s largest online content portal, UOL.

“In Brazil, soccer is like a religion, and with the country hosting the FIFA World Cup this summer, this is the perfect time to be able to integrate BoaCompra billing into both EA Sports FIFA World and Origin for Brazilian gamers,” said Julian Migura, the director of global business development at UOL BoaCompra. “We’ve seen an overwhelming demand from BoaCompra users for EA Sports FIFA World and PC games from Origin, and we’re excited to be able to offer both in the market.”

EA Sports FIFA World is available in Portuguese, and it features console gameplay, FIFA Ultimate Team and Seasons, and 30 leagues with more than 600 clubs — including 19 licensed football clubs from Brazil. The game is available as a free-to-play title on the PC.

“EA Sports FIFA World is for football lovers who were missing an accessible game to be played on almost any PC. Partnering with BoaCompra to offer local payment opportunities for Brazilian gamers enhances that accessibility,” said Mike McCabe, the executive producer of EA Sports FIFA World. “We’re also giving Brazilian gamers an easier way to pay for games in the Origin portfolio, so it’s a great time to be a PC gamer in Brazil.”