PC Fútbol
Encyclopedia
PC Fútbol was a series of football management simulation games developed by Spanish
developers Dinamic Multimedia
. It was one of the big successes in the Spanish PC
market, spawning several titles from 1992 until the studio's closure in 2001. The series was later revived in 2005 by developers Gaelco and there were two more releases before the series final demise.
, usually in kiosks, and were always fiercely championed by the local press. Unlike most other football
sims at the time, the game (since 2.0) allowed to take both player (dubbed arcade) and managerial approach to the game, a formula that was not used in mainstream games until Total Club Manager 2004 allowed FIFA 2004
owners to actually play the game (which in its turn was modeled after Ascaron
's Anstoss series).
Former Liverpool
player and Spanish television pundit, Michael Robinson was the face and voice of the game, and most of the season analysis inside the updates was signed by him. The game was one of the first licensed games - by the Liga de Fútbol Profesional
- which meant that the developers were able to use real player and team names.
One of the most distinguishable features of the series were the updates; the game had a built-in calendar and league tracking utility and so owners of the game could connect to Dinamic's servers and update their data monthly. Some of the data (like photos) could not be fit inside a floppy
, and data packs were made available in gaming magazines or via direct request. As the CD-ROM
replaced the floppy versions (around 1996), there was no need for additional data packs, but there was still a final update (released in the end of the season) that would complete all league tracking data and Robinsons' comments.
The later games (2000 and 2001) were plagued by bugs, and although the updates assured a less problematic gaming experience, it had worn some of the userbase, who could finally have fully licensed alternatives from EA Sports
and Sports Interactive
(FIFA/Stars and Championship Manager
, respectively). By mid-2001 PC Fútbol 2001 support ceased, and Dinamic closed shortly after. A complete modification ("mod
") of the game was released shortly after, showing a still dedicated fan-base. A total of nine titles in the main series were released, the first simply numbered, and the final two 2000 and 2001, and sold around 1 million copies altogether.
In 2004, Planeta DeAgostini
acquired the rights to the name and released PC Fútbol 2005, developed by Gaelco. It continued the "tradition" of bug-ridden games of the early games, and although it sold very well in December 2004 (second only to The Sims 2
), most fans were disappointed with it.
and English
football championships, and PC Clausura, aimed at Argentine
market. Before the Euro'96, PC Selección'96, gave players the control of the Spanish team
for the same tournament.
, the series market was very limited: outside Spanish-speaking countries, it only had received mild attention from Portugal
, Brazil
and Italy
.
In 1996 Gremlin
approached the Spanish company to develop new titles on their highly regarded Premier Manager series. Three games were released using the PC Fútbol engine, from 1997 to 1999. In 2000, EuroLeague Football, an English oriented version of PC Fútbol 2000 was released, published by Sold-Out Software
.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
developers Dinamic Multimedia
Dinamic Multimedia
Dinamic Multimedia was a Spanish software house and publisher created in 1993 which was created after the bankruptcy of Dinamic Software in 1992 by some of its former members. After having released several titles, they filed for bankruptcy in September 2001....
. It was one of the big successes in the Spanish PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
market, spawning several titles from 1992 until the studio's closure in 2001. The series was later revived in 2005 by developers Gaelco and there were two more releases before the series final demise.
General summary
The games were always sold at a budget priceBudget range
Budget range is the name given to software that are sold for a fraction of a regular product price...
, usually in kiosks, and were always fiercely championed by the local press. Unlike most other football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
sims at the time, the game (since 2.0) allowed to take both player (dubbed arcade) and managerial approach to the game, a formula that was not used in mainstream games until Total Club Manager 2004 allowed FIFA 2004
FIFA Series
FIFA, also known as FIFA Football or FIFA Soccer, is a series of association football video games, released annually by Electronic Arts under the EA Sports label...
owners to actually play the game (which in its turn was modeled after Ascaron
Ascaron
Ascaron Entertainment was a video game developer based in Germany. Founded as Ascon and later renamed in October 1996 due to the possible confusion with the Swiss company Ascom AG, the company produced titles primarily for the PC until it was made insolvent in 2009.-Background and history:Ascaron...
's Anstoss series).
Former Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
player and Spanish television pundit, Michael Robinson was the face and voice of the game, and most of the season analysis inside the updates was signed by him. The game was one of the first licensed games - by the Liga de Fútbol Profesional
Liga de Fútbol Profesional
The Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , more commonly known as the Liga de Fútbol Profesional is a national sports association responsible for administering the two professional football leagues in Spain - the Primera and Segunda División...
- which meant that the developers were able to use real player and team names.
One of the most distinguishable features of the series were the updates; the game had a built-in calendar and league tracking utility and so owners of the game could connect to Dinamic's servers and update their data monthly. Some of the data (like photos) could not be fit inside a floppy
Floppy
Floppy may refer to:* Floppy disk or floppy disk drive* Floppy disk controller* The Floppy Show* Mr. Floppy from the Sitcom Unhappily Ever After* Mr Floppy Australian rock band* Floppy a character from The Magic Key...
, and data packs were made available in gaming magazines or via direct request. As the CD-ROM
CD-ROM
A CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback. The 1985 “Yellow Book” standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of binary data....
replaced the floppy versions (around 1996), there was no need for additional data packs, but there was still a final update (released in the end of the season) that would complete all league tracking data and Robinsons' comments.
The later games (2000 and 2001) were plagued by bugs, and although the updates assured a less problematic gaming experience, it had worn some of the userbase, who could finally have fully licensed alternatives from EA Sports
EA Sports
EA Sports is a brand of Electronic Arts that creates and develops sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they tried to mimic real-life sports networks by calling themselves "EA Sports Network" with pictures or endorsements of real commentators such as John...
and Sports Interactive
Sports Interactive
Sports Interactive Limited is a computer games development company currently based in Old Street, Central London and owned by the Japanese software and video game company Sega. It is the developer of the popular games Football Manager, NHL Eastside Hockey Manager and Championship Manager Quiz, and...
(FIFA/Stars and Championship Manager
Championship Manager series
The Championship Manager series is a series of British football-management simulation computer games, the first of which was released in 1992.The Championship Manager brand and game was conceived by two brothers: Paul and Oliver Collyer...
, respectively). By mid-2001 PC Fútbol 2001 support ceased, and Dinamic closed shortly after. A complete modification ("mod
Mod (computer gaming)
Mod or modification is a term generally applied to personal computer games , especially first-person shooters, role-playing games and real-time strategy games. Mods are made by the general public or a developer, and can be entirely new games in themselves, but mods are not standalone software and...
") of the game was released shortly after, showing a still dedicated fan-base. A total of nine titles in the main series were released, the first simply numbered, and the final two 2000 and 2001, and sold around 1 million copies altogether.
In 2004, Planeta DeAgostini
Planeta DeAgostini
Planeta DeAgostini is a Spanish-Italian publisher and a subsidiary of Grupo Planeta specializing in collectable books, sold in pieces, periodically through newsstands. It has its headquarters in Barcelona....
acquired the rights to the name and released PC Fútbol 2005, developed by Gaelco. It continued the "tradition" of bug-ridden games of the early games, and although it sold very well in December 2004 (second only to The Sims 2
The Sims 2
The Sims 2 is a strategic life simulation computer game developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. It is the sequel to the best-selling computer game, The Sims, which debuted on February 4, 2000. It was first released on September 14, 2004 for Microsoft Windows. A port to Apple Mac OS X...
), most fans were disappointed with it.
Other titles
There were a number of titles released outside the main series: PC Calcio and PC Premier focused on the ItalianFootball in Italy
Football is the most popular sport in Italy. The Italian national football team has won the FIFA World Cup 4 times , trailing only Brazil . Italy's club sides have won 27 major European trophies, making them the most successful European nation in the subject of football...
and English
Football in England
Association football is a national sport in England, where the first modern set of rules for the code were established in 1863, which were a major influence on the development of the modern Laws of the Game...
football championships, and PC Clausura, aimed at Argentine
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
market. Before the Euro'96, PC Selección'96, gave players the control of the Spanish team
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
for the same tournament.
PC Fútbol abroad
Since the game was only available in SpanishSpanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, the series market was very limited: outside Spanish-speaking countries, it only had received mild attention from Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
In 1996 Gremlin
Gremlin Interactive
Gremlin Interactive was a British software house based in Sheffield and working mostly in the home computer market.- History :...
approached the Spanish company to develop new titles on their highly regarded Premier Manager series. Three games were released using the PC Fútbol engine, from 1997 to 1999. In 2000, EuroLeague Football, an English oriented version of PC Fútbol 2000 was released, published by Sold-Out Software
Sold-Out Software
Sold-Out Software is a British computer game publisher which has become one of the most important in the budget price range since December 1997...
.
Games
- Simulador Profesional de Fútbol
- PC Fútbol 2.0
- PC Fútbol 3.0
- PC Fútbol 4.0
- PC Fútbol 5.0
- PC Fútbol 6.0
- PC Fútbol 7
- PC Fútbol 2000
- PC Fútbol 2001
- PC Fútbol 2005
- PC Fútbol 2006
- PC Fútbol 2007