Unlikely DJ: how EA FC 25 has become a huge deal for us and our favorite music stars

Discover how EA FC 25 is revolutionizing the music scene by turning gameplay into an unexpected stage for artists.

For many, one of the biggest comforts of the cold, dark winter months will be relationship-testing sessions on the new football-based game EA FC 25, previously known as FIFA.

While England's Jude Bellingham grabs all the headlines as this season's cover star, and people search for players with the most pace or the highest EA FC 25 player ratings, the game's real star is the soundtrack.

While tweaking your Ultimate Team lineup, the unintrusive background songs become sleeper hits that eventually make it to an EA FC 25 Soundtrack Spotify playlist. In the days before Ultimate Team, FIFA 2004 had one of the most memorable soundtracks, which was all killer and no filler.

Many will feel warm nostalgia when reflecting on winter nights grinding through career mode to the sound of Fools Gold, Jerk It Out, Red Morning Light, L.S.F., and Town Called Malice.

Thankfully, as the game evolved, so did gamers' listening habits, and EA FC 25 contains less indie landfill and more diversity, with everything from reggaeton to afro beats.

The latest EA FC 25 soundtrack features 117 songs from artists from 27 different countries. The list includes usual suspects Billie Eilish, Fred again, and Glass Animals. But there is also plenty of variety, thanks to Ice Spice, Charli xcx, J Balvin, JUMADIBA, Obongjayar, and many more. But make no mistake, it’s a huge deal for every artist to be featured on the soundtrack.

So honoured to be part of THIS. thank you so much to the legends at @EASPORTSFC for putting our baby on #fc25 full soundtrack is on @Spotify now…and of course it’s in the game. ❤️

Listen Here: https://t.co/M7aomqcLAL pic.twitter.com/EZxBuVbIO6

undefined Glass Animals (@GlassAnimals) September 17, 2024

How to skip a song in EA FC 2025

With such an eclectic soundtrack, there will inevitably be some songs that you want to retire from the game after clocking up 100 hours of playing time. Thankfully, there are a few hacks to help you avoid the songs that give you a nasty case of earworm.

To skip a song while playing EA FC 25, you need to click both analog sticks together to skip the song, which will automatically play the next one. But if you want to remove songs forever, you can customize the playlist to omit any songs that you don't like.

Find the 'EA Sports Music' under the 'Customize' menu to remove songs from the playlist. Once there, press 'X' or 'A' to select or deselect any of the tracks in the list. If you want to enter monk mode when playing, you could deselect every song, but where’s the fun in that?

How EA FC 25 is redefining music discovery

The relationship between a football game and musicians has taken an interesting turn. One of the biggest takeaways from the recent press release was that 114 songs will be available starting September 27th, but three songs will be included in the post-launch updates.

Artists can now schedule the release of their latest single with a game update that can be beamed into the ears of millions of players. This represents a great opportunity for musicians to reach their audience, and it is why you’re now likelier to fall in love with new releases by F.K.A. Twigs and Catfish And The Bottlemen on EA FC 25 rather than the radio.

"One of our dreams, one our goals – it's not the Grammys, it's not the Oscars – it's to get a song on FIFA, man."

Femi Koleoso, from Ezra Collective.

Scott Verill from Good Neighbours echoed these sentiments when he told the BBC how they remember discovering new bands through playing FIFA. When the band started posting music online, they had their full circle moment as fans told them to 'get this on EA FC.'

Raphaella Lima from Electronic Arts told Rolling Stone magazine that they have 200 million players who logged five billion hours of playing time last year. It's easy to see why these stats are so attractive to marketers.

How EA FC 25 offers a refreshing alternative to algorithms

At a time when many people are trapped inside personalized filter bubbles, they’ve sacrificed moments of serendipity and discovery of new music outside of their algorithm. As a result, you could be forgiven for thinking that tech has ruined how we find new music.

EA FC 25 has become an unlikely hero in the battle against algorithms. It has become one of the few places where artists can reach people who wouldn't typically discover their music.

The days of discovering new music on MTV are long gone, and a highly personalized Spotify lazily gives listeners more of the same. As viewers cut the cord and turn their back on traditional cable packages, the soundtrack to many of our lives this winter will be EA FC 25.

As for artists, what's the point in fighting to get on a radio playlist where nobody is listening or dreaming of giving a Grammy award speech that nobody is watching? The best way of getting your music heard to a global audience of 200 million is on a video game. As Bob Dylan once sang, the times they are a-changin'.