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Sporting Witness: The birth of the Fifa computer game

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The birth of the Fifa game

09/12/2023 GMT

The birth of the Fifa computer game

BBC World Service - Sporting Witness, The birth of the Fifa computer game

Jan Tian says his devotion to coding the first EA Sports Fifa game nearly broke him

In 1993, EA Sport released Fifa International Soccer. It broke sales records but took its toll on lead developer Jan Tian.

In December 1993, EA Sports released Fifa International Soccer, also known as Fifa 94.

The football game sold half a million copies in its first month and went on to become a cultural phenomenon.

Coder Jan Tian was the lead developer. He tells Vicky Farncombe how his devotion to the task landed him in hospital.

(Photo: Fifa International Soccer, the first Fifa game. Credit: Fifa/EA Sports/ Moby Games)

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