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FIFA Soccer 08 Q & A Questions answered by members of EA team FIFA development team Bruno Amata, Lino, and David De Myttenaere Q- How do you collect the data for the huge in-game soccer team database? A- We use a community of data editors who gather all of the data related to each of the leagues, teams and players that we have in the games. Our community of editors is based all around the world, primarily in the countries that feature in the games. The data is collected using a web based tool called the World Web Editor (WWE). As the name suggests, the tool is used worldwide and our editors around the globe enter data via WWE. This data is then integrated into the various football titles that EA produces. Q- What type of data do you collect? A- We collect data for all players and teams we have in our game and also gather reference pictures for all players to help create the huge range of player heads in the game. The most challenging data to collect is player attributes and traits as this data has a significant impact in game so it has to be as accurate as possible. As well as the players and team info we also collect data for player assets, accessories, team formations and squads, league info and much, much more.
Q- Give us some stats about the database this year – how many teams, players etc? A- You may have seen the PR guys saying FIFA 08 was the biggest game we’ve ever done; this year’s game features 15,000 players, 576 teams and 30 leagues.
Q- Do you ever add attributes or get rid of them? How do you decide on the attribute changes? A- The database currently has 35 attributes. The wide range of these attributes allows the players in our game to be as realistic as possible. We’re always trying to improve the attributes every year to make the player’s behave as authentic as possible in game. Sometimes attributes are removed to reflect the changes to the AI, while new ones can be added are also added which helps to improve the AI. We communicate with the game team and AI team to help improve the way the attributes are used in our game. It’s crucial that the teams and Data Collection are aware of what is needed and how it can be changed so the data is as accurate as possible and to make sure it is being used correctly. Q- If we look at FIFA 08 – when did you start collecting the data for the game? A- For FIFA 08, we started to collect new data and tune the existing data around March 07. Our web editing tool is always live and we are constantly collecting and updating data throughout the year.
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The European Championships taking place this summer in Austria/Switzerland are the setting for EA's latest soccer offering and I'm going to be honest and state that I wasn't expecting much from this one from the beginning. 
As some of you will be aware, the demo version of EA’s UEFA Euro 2008 is currently available for free download on the xbox 360 marketplace. 
