Rematch Dev Reveals Surprising Player Detail About Hit Game

Rematch has amassed quite a player base in its first month, but surprisingly, many of these users are not big soccer fans. Sloclap built a reputation for action games before releasing its first sports title this June, and it looks like the developers are not the only people involved whow have limited soccer experience. Much of Rematch's core audience comes more from the e-sports world.

Breaking into sports games may have seemed like an unusual move for Sloclap, but it turned out to be a smart one. Less than 24 hours after its launch, Rematch surpassed one million players across all platforms. Being a day-one release on Xbox Game Pass and having a popular beta certainly helped, but the milestone is impressive in any context. It may be even more surprising in light of the fact that the title didn't get a huge boost from traditional sports fans.

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In an interview with Eurogamer, Sloclap CEO Pierre Tarno revealed that soccer fans don't make up a significant part of the game's users. Tarno explained that the studio's data shows that Rematch's main demographic aligns more with those "who play online competitive games rather than those who are fans of football." As strange as that may seem, it could explain how Rematch was able to surpass EA Sports FC 25's concurrent player count despite the latter's name recognition. Actual soccer enthusiasts may prefer games like EA Sports FC, which formerly boasted the FIFA label, while something less concerned with real-world soccer clubs and aesthetics likely appeals more to other gamers.

Sloclap CEO Says Most of Rematch's Audience Are Not Soccer Fans

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Tarno also revealed that the same is true for many of the game's developers, saying "loads of people in the team don't really care about football at all." In a previous interview, Tarno explained that Sloclap drew inspiration from Sifu and Absolver's combat when designing Rematch's soccer mechanics, which makes all the more sense considering the devs weren't big sports fans. That could also be part of how the game has resonated so much with players who aren't interested in sports, as its roots come from fighting games, not necessarily real-life soccer.

Beyond that, Tarno emphasized the importance of word-of-mouth marketing and ongoing updates to reach a non-sports audience or even users who aren't hardcore gamers. Sloclap has announced plans to bring tournaments to Rematch in future updates, as well as the much-anticipated crossplay feature, so it seems the studio is committed to that strategy.