EA Celebrates the Wrong Way to Play in Flashy Trailer for FIFA 20

“He/she plays the game right.” 

In sports, such language usually describes a hard-nosed competitor who digs deep to win, while respecting the time-honored traditions of the game.

Players who do things “the right way” are often celebrated. But EA Games, in this 90-second trailer for FIFA 20 created with adam&eveDDB, has something different in mind. It focuses on playing “the wrong way,” making the point that innovators are often misunderstood before their newfangled notions take hold and reshape a sport forever: 

Big-time stars Eden Hazard, Raheem Sterling, Jadon Sancho, Vinícius Jr. and Megan Rapinoe appear, as do millennial street-soccer ace Lisa Zimouche (aka Lisa Freestyle), boxer Anthony Joshua and other luminaries.

This is one great-looking spot from Anonymous Content director Patrick Daughters, who deploys his stars to maximum effect, fusing passion and playfulness (nice kit, Vinícius!) to keep the story rolling at a brisk, compelling pace. If the vibe seems to channel Nike, well, is that so wrong? After all, the crew from Portland has done commercials right for quite some time. 

“There has always been a ‘right’ way to do things in football,” explains Mat Goff, joint CEO of adam&eveDDB. “But the global FIFA community are constantly making and breaking their own rules to show that wrong is the new right and changing the game for the better.” 

Alas, FIFA—the organization, not the game—has weathered scandals in recent years, so notions of “rule breaking” perhaps strike too close to home. Then again, maybe that gives the campaign some extra kick, an edginess that flies in the face of convention and serves as an example of the themes in play. 

CREDITS

Client: Electronic Arts (EA)
Brand: EA Sports
Project: FIFA 20 – Break New Ground

Clients:
Group Senior Producer: Anthony Doyle
Senior Producer: Andy Gillooley
Senior Creative Director: Paul Marr
Creative Director: Tom Gent
Senior Director of Strategy: David Jackson
Senior Brand Manager: Josh Farber

Agency: adam&eveDDB
Chief Creative Officer: Richard Brim
Executive Creative Director/s: Ant Nelson & Mike Sutherland
Creative Director/s: Tim Vance & Paul Knott
Copywriter: Richard Gayton
Art director: Darren Beresford

Agency producer/s: Ben Sharpe, Rosie Grayson, Nia Maclean, Nikki Cramphorn
Planner/s: Martin Beverley, David Mortimer
CEO:Mat Goff
Managing Partner: Mike Stern
Business Director/s: James Derrick
Account Director/s: George Fox
Account Manager/s: Jake Gidley
Legal Council: Trine Odin
Designer/Typographer: Alex Fairman, Roberto Celentano
Motion Graphics: George Fowler, James Ireland

Media agency: Msix

Production company: Pulse Films
Executive Producer: Lucy Kelly
Producer: Lucy Gossage
Director: Yann Demange

Cinematographer: Tat Radcliffe
D.O.P: Tat Radcliffe

Editing Company: Trim Editing
Editor: Paul Hardcastle & Magdalena Plugowska

Post Production: The Mill
Post Producer: Alex Fitzgerald & Dan Crozier
2D Artist Lead: Gianluca Di Marco & Venuprasath D
3D Artist Lead: David Hempstead
Colorist: James Bamford

Music Supervisor: Raphaella Lima (EA)
Audio Post Production: Factory
Recording Engineer: Phil Bolland
Sound Producer: Deborah Whitfield

Soundtrack name and composer: “Offence”, performed by Little Simz. Written by Simbiatu Abisola Abiola Ajikawo, Dean Wynton Josiah Cover and Cleopatra Zvezdana Nikolic. Music remix for advert by Mad Planet.