Whisper secures esports production deal for football video game EA SPORTS FC 24

Whisper is partnering with EA SPORTS to provide event and broadcast services for EA SPORTS FC Pro esports tournaments played exclusively on EA SPORTS FC 24.

Whisper will deliver event presentation, including location sourcing, set and lighting design, and audience and player management, as well as show creation, event production, live OB and post-production.

The first event that will be delivered is the FC Pro Open Qualifiers, taking place from 10-12 November in London. The multi-day day event will see 64 players competing to get through to next round.

Whisper will also cover the FC Pro Open, a live broadcast weekly show starting on 27 November, where players compete each week to earn one of eight spots into the FC Pro Open Final in February 2024 with the top four advancing to the FC Pro Open World Championships.

Production of the eChampions League, a multi-stage tournament series featuring the best players in Europe, will also be handled by Whisper. This will take place throughout May 2024.

Whisper is promising to deliver “dynamic graphics packages and presentation, stunning lighting and staging, and production values fit for the biggest sports video game of all time.” It will also “tell stories and build narratives across all stages of the competitions to create genuine excitement that resonates with viewers,” the company said.

Working across the account for Whisper will be Emma Sheldon as head of production and Pete Thomas, Whisper’s head of sport as editorial lead with Kerry Boyd as live producer, Cherrelle Redley-Murrain as line producer and Dickie Day as director.

Geoff Riding, chief commercial officer for Whisper said: “This partnership marks an exciting step into esports for all at Whisper and we will lean into our approach that Entertainment Is Everything. Our aim is to feed the core EA SPORTS FC fanbase with our EA SPORTS FC Pro Open shows, with clarity in production and a focus on gameplay and also to hook the casual fan, with a next level Pro Cup final, including a live audience, live music, and creative staging that fuses incredible gameplay with pure spectacle. We’re loving working with EA and can’t wait for the first event.”

EA Sports FC is a football video game franchise published by EA Sports. It serves as the direct successor to the FIFA series, which was discontinued following the termination of EA and FIFA’s licensing agreement. EA SPORTS FC 24 is the 2023 edition of the game.